My kid is not smart

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sales. Can she memorize stuff? If yes, drug sales. (like to doctors, not on the street). I met a woman who sold books, for HoMiff I think, on a plane and she said she made 500K the previous year and she switched companies (and the things she sold) every two or three years b/c she just kept making more money doing that. I didn't think she was that smart and I don't think she was being disingenuous. She also told me her base was pretty low, 70K, 80K. I image it goes up and down but there's that. I also don't think marketing people in general are very smart but most of them are personable.

I really love the sales people I work with! Some are not very bright but have great people skills. I don't think they're making as much as 70K, but are doing well enough to have good quality of life. Other than being personable, they are really good at things like responding to emails quickly, follow through, and being organized - so cultivating those would definitely be helpful.

Another anecdote: I'm a university prof and one of our students barely graduated (Cs and Ds, sometimes retaking things). We all worried about what she would do after graduation. However, she was super organized and good with people. She is managing a hotel, happy, provides for herself and her family. It was the perfect fit for her skills.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who is like that. She is not pretty. She worked odd jobs (no people to look out for her) until she met her husband who worked as a software engineer for a corporation. He enrolled her in college, told her which classes to take, she took them and now has a teaching degree. She works for a preschool (school seemed too much for her), and raises their kids.

[Anonymous]

I know this is reflecting the world we live in to some degree, but "is she pretty?" Can we not do better in 2020?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks~

Her people skills are really really good already. She has a part time job as a hostess at a restaurant on the weekends, and really enjoys being around people ALL the time. She's really chatty, even with adults who are total strangers.

So while she does not have the intelligence, she definitely has other gifts...(and beauty, which honestly I know will help her out!-does that sound awful too?? lol)

If she is extroverted, good with people, and beautiful she is going to do just fine in life — possibly better than your “smart” sons. There’s a lot more to life than book smarts and I would take someone who is people smart over book smart in many situations.

You seem rather judgmental

[Anonymous]

There is a place in this world for people who aren't traditionally book smart.

The server in the restaurant (and in a good place, this can pay very well!). The barista. The knowledgeable person at Petco or Lowes, ect. The custodial staff at the places we go like schools (well, before this) hosptials,ect. Mechanics. People who deliver everthing our nation needs every day. Sanitation workers. Landscapers/snow removal. HVAC.

This is just a small list. 22:01 the fact that your dd is a hard worker, will take her far, even without college. I know many people in jobs like those above. They live decent, happy lives.