Video Summary: What Kind of Job Fits You? by Jordan Peterson

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first of all you need to know them for your own life because you ought to know that there are differences intelligence it’s really important if you go into a job and you’re not smart enough for that job you’re gonna have one bloody miserable time and you’re gonna make life wretched for the people around you because you won’t be able to handle the position and as you climb hierarchies of competence the demand on fluid intelligence increases and so unless you want to fail you don’t put yourself in over your head well what’s over your head well that’s a tricky thing to figure out I mean you have to figure that out with intelligence you have to figure it out with conscientiousness you have to figure it out with creativity you have to figure out with stress tolerance with agreeable Ness because you want to go into a cooperative environment and not a competitive one if you’re agreeable and with neuroticism you what could probably want to keep the stress level of your job relatively low because those are all places that you can break down and most people have at least one significant weakness in their intelligence personality makeup and you’ve got to be careful not to place yourself in a position where that’s going to be a fatal flaw but what you really want to do as far as I can tell if you want to maximize your chances for both success and and let’s say well-being is you want to find a strata of occupation in which you would have an intelligence that would put you in the upper quartile that’s perfect then you’re a big fish in a small pond and you don’t want to be this you don’t want to be the stupidest guy in the room it’s a bloody rough place to be so and you probably don’t want to be the smartest guy in the room either because what that probably means is you should be in a different room right you should look at a place where if you’re right at the top it’s you’ve mastered it it’s time to go somewhere where you’re a little lower so that you’ve got something to climb up for so and I can if you’re not hyper conscientious for example you’re probably not gonna want a job that you have to work 70 hours a week at because you’re just not wired up that way you’d rather have some leisure and like more power to you if that’s how you’re wired up there’s nothing wrong with having some leisure but if you’re someone who can’t stand sitting around doing nothing ever then maybe you can go into a job that’s going to require you to work 75 hours a week and almost all jobs that are at the top of complex dominance hierarchies require very high intelligence and insane levels of conscientiousness as well generally speaking as pretty day high levels of stress tolerance you know because that can knock yo – because there’s going to be sharp fluctuations in your career generally speaking at the higher levels of a structure and you have to make very complicated decisions often with very short time horizons so you have to decide if that’s what you want so okay so how smart do you have to be to be different things in life well if you were have an IQ of a 116 to 130 which is 85th percentile and above so it’s one person an eighth up to one person in 130 I believe is 85 90 95 is it 95 I think it’s 95 one person aid to one person in 20 then you can be a attorney a research analyst and editor at advertising manager a chemist and engineer and executive manager etc that’s that’s the now that’s not the high end for IQ by the way you know that it can go up well I can go up indefinitely although there’s fewer and fewer people as it goes up so if you want to be the best at what you’re doing Bar None then having an IQ of above 145 is a necessity and maybe you’re pushing 160 in some situations and maybe that’s making you one person in 10,000 or even one person in a hundred thousand and then also to really be good at it you probably have to be reasonably stressed tolerant and also somewhat conscientious so you know people well you think well why is it that smart people are at the top of dominance hierarchies and the answer to that in part is because they get there first right I mean everything’s a race roughly speaking and the faster you are the more likely you are to be at the forefront of the pack and intelligence in large part is speed that’s not all of it is so if you’re moving towards something difficult rapidly the faster people are going to get there first so IQ of 115 110 to 115 so that’s 85th to 73rd to 85th percentile copywriter accountant manager sales manager sales analyst general manager person purchasing agent registered nurse Sales Account Executive if you look at universities the smartest people are they’re above this who are the smartest people at university what do you think mathematicians assists and mathematicians right right I could tell you who’s on the other end but I won’t yeah I’d like to though anyway anyways okay going down the now 103 to 108 is slightly above average rate 60th to 70th percentile store manager bookkeeper credit clerk lab test your general sales telephone sales accounting clerk computer operator customer service rep technician clerk typist so you see at this level people are people have some technical skill and some ability to deal with complex things okay that’s dead average 100 is average dispatcher in a general office police patrol officer receptionist cashier general clerical inside sales clerk meter reader printer teller data entry electrical helper 95 to 98 machinist food to partner manager Quality Control checkers security guard unskilled labor maintenance arc welder die setter mechanic good-good IQ range for relatively qualified trades people 87 to 93 messenger factory production worker assembler food service worker nurse’s aide wear host Minh custodian janitor material handler Packer now what you’re seeing what you’re starting to see is that as he moves down the hierarchy the jobs get simpler they’re more likely to be assigned by other people or they’re repetitive because what IQ predicts to some degree is how rapidly you can learn something but once you’ve learned it it doesn’t predict how necessarily how well you do at it and so the more repetitive jobs ten people with lower IQs are more suited to more repetitive jobs under 87 is there something well no right that’s a big problem and it’s something our society has not addressed at all jobs for people with IQs of less than 85 are very very rare so what the hell are those people supposed to do it’s like 1 it’s 15% of the population what are they supposed to do well we better figure it out because one of the things that’s happening too is that as the as the high IQ tech geeks get a hold of the world the demand for cognitive power is increasing not decreasing you want to be a teller well you know those checkout machines they’re not so simple you want to work at McDonald’s you think that’s a simple job you don’t see robots working at McDonald’s and the reason for that is that what McDonald’s workers do is too complex for for robots to do so well so this is a discussion that no one wants to have but that’s okay it’s still a problem and it has to be dealt with so the US government I think I told you this at one point already it’s illegal to induct anyone into the US Army if they have an IQ of less than 83 right it’s about 10% of the population because the US Army that and they’ve been doing IQ testing since IQ testing began because they want everybody they can possibly get into the army because in peacetime they use it as a way of moving people up the socio-economic ladder and in wartime well obviously you need as many soldiers as you can get your hands on and so you’re not going to be any pickier then you have to be so when the US Army says it’s illegal to induct anybody into the Armed Forces if they have an IQ of less than 83 then you know that they’ve done it for absolute necessity right and when people have made a finding that contradicts what they want to hear and they’re doing it out of absolute necessity you can be reasonably true that it’s one of those facts that just won’t bloody well go away and so you might think well if there’s nothing for someone with an IQ of less than 83 to do in the army what makes you think that there’s something that they can do in the general population and then the issue is you know because the Conservatives will say well they should just work harder it’s like sorry that ain’t going to fly and the Liberals will say well there’s no difference between people anyhow and you can just train people to do everything and that’s wrong so they’re both wrong and they’re seriously wrong and the fact that neither side of the political perspective will take a good cold hard look at this problem means that we’re going to increasingly have a structural problem in our societies because we’re complexify ‘never ething so rapidly that you can’t find employment unless increasingly unless you’re intelligent you guys are really going to face this you know lawyers are disappearing like mad and the reason for that is you can look it up online increasingly you can do things yourself if you’re smart and so like the working class people being wiped out pretty nicely over the last 30 years by by automation and various other things it’s the low end of the white collar class that’s coming up next so I’m not saying that lower lawyers are in the low end but low end lawyers are in the low end of the white collar class so there’s still going to be plenty of positions for people who are creative and fast on their feet and super smart in fact those people are going to have all the money and that’s already happening to a great degree

Overview of This Video

The video, titled “What Kind of Job Fits You?” created by Jordan Peterson, explores the relationship between intelligence, measured by IQ, and suitability for various jobs. It delves into how intelligence affects one’s ability to handle different levels of job complexity and the societal implications for those with lower IQs. The video also touches on the increasing demand for cognitive skills in the modern world.

You, as a viewer, can gain insights into how your intelligence might align with different career paths, understand the importance of matching your abilities with job demands, and learn about the broader societal challenges related to intelligence and employment. This video offers a comprehensive yet accessible look at a subject that has implications for personal career choices and broader workforce development. It’s an informative resource for anyone interested in personal development, career planning, or understanding the evolving demands of the job market.

Key Takeaways

1. Importance of Intelligence in Career Choices: Intelligence, as measured by IQ, plays a crucial role in determining suitability for various occupations. Being in the right job that matches your intelligence can lead to success and well-being.
2. IQ and Job Complexity Correlation: Higher IQ scores are associated with the ability to handle more complex jobs. Conversely, lower IQ scores may limit the types of jobs one can effectively perform.
3. Challenges for Lower IQ Individuals: Around 15% of the population with an IQ below 85 may find it increasingly difficult to secure employment, as jobs for this IQ range are rare. This presents a significant societal challenge.
4. Increasing Demand for Cognitive Skills: As technology advances, the demand for cognitive power in the workforce is increasing. Even seemingly simple jobs require a certain level of intelligence, and this trend is expected to continue.
5. Implications for Different Professions: The video highlights how various professions require different levels of intelligence, conscientiousness, creativity, and stress tolerance. Understanding these requirements can guide career choices.
6. Impact on Different Socio-Economic Classes: Automation and technological advancements are affecting not only working-class jobs but also lower-end white-collar jobs. The video predicts that this trend will affect lawyers and similar professions.
7. Guidance for Personal Development: By understanding your intelligence and personality makeup, you can choose a career path that aligns with your strengths and weaknesses. This alignment can lead to both personal success and greater job satisfaction.
8. Broader Societal Implications: The video emphasizes the need for society to address the challenges faced by those with lower IQs, as ignoring this issue could lead to structural problems in the workforce.
9. Insights into Military Recruitment: An interesting fact shared is that the U.S. Army does not induct anyone with an IQ below 83, reflecting the necessity of a certain level of intelligence even in areas where it might not be immediately obvious.
10. Encouragement to Seek Appropriate Challenges: The speaker encourages finding a balance in career challenges, suggesting that being either the smartest or the least intelligent person in the room may indicate a need to find a more suitable environment.

    These takeaways provide a comprehensive understanding of the video’s content, offering valuable insights into the relationship between intelligence and the job market, personal career planning, and broader societal trends.

Video Review

“What Kind of Job Fits You?” by Jordan Peterson is an enlightening exploration of a topic that resonates with anyone considering their career path. What stands out is Peterson’s ability to break down complex ideas into digestible insights, making the subject accessible to a broad audience.

The strengths of the video lie in its comprehensive analysis and the real-world applicability of its content. It doesn’t shy away from the hard truths about societal challenges, providing a thought-provoking perspective on intelligence and its role in our lives. The examples used, such as the U.S. Army’s recruitment standards, add a tangible context that enhances understanding.

However, the video might have benefited from addressing potential solutions or strategies for those who find themselves in the lower IQ categories. While it does an excellent job of outlining the problem, a more balanced approach would include some guidance or hope for those affected.

Overall, this video is a must-watch for anyone interested in personal development, career planning, or societal trends. It’s informative, engaging, and leaves the viewer with much to ponder. Its minor shortcomings don’t detract from its value, making it a highly recommended watch.

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