This article by a noted expert in intelligence, Linda Gottfredson, lays out the basic details of how IQ affects our performance in education and job performance. Good reading and corresponds very well with the common-sense observation that being smart does make a big difference in our success.
Half a century of military and civilian research has converged to draw aportrait of occupational opportunityalong the IQ continuum. Individuals inthe top 5 percent of the adult IQ distribution (above IQ 125) can essentiallytrain themselves, and few occupations are beyond their reach mentally. Persons of average IQ (between 90 and 110) are not competitive for most professional and executive-level work but are easily trained for the bulk of jobs in the American economy. In contrast, adults in the bottom 5 percent of the IQ distribution (below 75) are very difficult to train and are not competitive for any occupation on the basis of ability.
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