How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
Hard work, persistence, and a willingness to fail are repeatedly argued to matter more for real-world outcomes than raw talent or high IQ. Commenters describe how fear of failure and fragile “smart” identities can paralyze capable people, while those who keep asking questions, doing unglamorous work, and adjusting course tend to advance. The thread also explores limits to this narrative—pointing out that intelligence, organization, incentives, mental health (especially ADHD), and team structure all shape how far grit alone can realistically take someone.
Hard work vs. talent
- Many commenters endorse the idea that persistence, grit, and course-correction beat raw talent when talent isn’t applied.
- Several give anecdotes of outworking “naturally smart” peers in school, industry, and research, including pushing through skepticism from domain experts.
- Others argue this framing is trivial: of course a hard‑working “stupid” person can beat a lazy “genius”; the real advantage of intelligence is achieving more with less effort.
Fear, identity, and “smart kid” problems
- Strong theme: people who grew up as “the smart one” often avoid hard or uncertain tasks because failure threatens their identity.
- This leads to paralysis, perfectionism, and trouble when they first hit material that actually requires sustained work.
- Gifted education is said to be grappling with this, with unclear effectiveness.
Perception of intelligence in tech
- Some argue most programming work only needs slightly-above-average intelligence; the field overestimates its intellectual demands.
- Others counter that many tasks (complex math, concurrency, R&D) really do require high cognitive ability.
- There’s debate over how often Hacker News glorifies IQ vs. hard work.
Who the advice is really for
- Multiple readers note the article targets people who feel not smart, but are actually capable and mostly blocked by inexperience, low confidence, or fear.
- Commenters emphasize that tenacity and willingness to “keep asking naive questions” can unlock progress, but are hardest for those with weak self‑esteem.
Execution, glue work, and organizations
- Several connect the advice to “doing the grunt work” and “solving problems” rather than optimizing for status.
- Others warn that much of this “glue work” can be undervalued in organizations and may not advance careers unless recognized.
- There’s discussion of small vs large teams: small, aligned groups and strong organization often beat raw individual brilliance.
Motivation, rewards, and laziness
- Some say most company problems are due to lack of effort and organization; others add “lack of reward” and perverse incentives (overtime, no profit sharing).
- A parallel thread argues that social skills, directing effort, and people management are talents in their own right.
ADHD and neurodiversity
- A large subthread discusses ADHD: underdiagnosis, medication’s powerful (but imperfect) effects, and difficulty accessing care.
- Debate centers on whether chronic “laziness” and inability to execute may be pathology, personality, or environment, with no consensus.