I’ve never thought about this question until now…what does the smartest person I know do for a living…?
If I had to pick my smartest friend, he works for the Social Security Administration in the U.S. Government. A brilliant guy, really.
What about you? Have you thought about this before?
Before you do, here are some answers from AskReddit users.
1. Insanely smart.
“I used to know an astrophysicist. This guy was insanely smart (knew multiple languages, published hundreds of papers with science terms I can’t even pronounce) and was also a professor.
He had a gift for explaining things without making you feel stupid or inferior and genuinely enjoyed teaching.”
2. He’s killing it.
“Resident ER Doctor at a pretty famous hospital. We’re all like barely 30. That dude got picked on hardcore in high school because he was a “science nerd” but he straight up was like “I don’t give a shit, I like science, what are you going to do about it?”
And now ya… he’s fucking killing it haha.”
3. My twin.
“My twin brother is going to be a family medicine resident!! He matched!
He is also the smartest person I know, and compassionate in a way that agrees with the longitudinal relationships that a family doc forms.”
4. Grandma.
“My grandma was a psychologist for 30-40 years (not sure exactly). She began her schooling for that in her 30s-40s after my grandpa found out he was dying and decided to ditch her with three children. She got her degrees, worked her ass off, and retired in her late sixties/early seventies with 3-4 retirements.
She also wrote books on the side. Miserly guidebooks for hiking trails and stuff like that. Oh, and when she retired from her psychology job she became a professor for about ten years or so. On top of that, she got into real estate. She’s been buying and flipping houses since before I was born.
Some she sells, some she rents. She just sold a vacation home she had for 20 years at over 200k. I have watched this woman write a check for 50k and not even blink. She travels the world all the time, and she’s still pulling in serious bank. Pretty sure there’s some serious royalties from her books.
Long story short, I aspire to be my grandma. 80 years old and healthier than most 20 years old and loaded to boot.”
5. A great story!
“My father. He started as a janitor at a plant as a high school dropout then got his GED then worked on a Industrial Engineering degree so he later got a job as one at the same plant.
He later got a masters in accounting and passed the CPA test and worked his way up to CFO.”
6. Everyone is different.
“Dude drives a damn Uber. Guy is a mechanical genius – he can build literally anything as far as I’ve been able to tell in 20 years of knowing him.
Finally got his CNC and some other certifications a while back so he could actually start making money doing what he’s best at. Yet years later he’s still driving a fucking Uber.
Intelligent does not stable make.”
7. That’s unusual.
“He breeds snakes because it’s his passion. He’s extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of it and doesn’t half-ass anything or ever neglect the health and safety of his snakes.
He genuinely cares about his work and the snakes in his care, and makes a point to educate his audience as much as possible and answer every question anyone may have to the fullest extent. Before you ask, he may be a breeder but he’s not a scumbag about it and the money involved is the least of his concern.”
8. It takes all kinds.
“She’s got a Master Degree in Engineering.
And works in a Deli..”
9. I’d like to meet this guy.
“He works inspecting chickens for diseases at a poultry plant for the USDA. I worked for the plant after graduating high school and got put in the position to be assist the USDA inspectors.
Never met anyone even remotely similar to the guy in my whole life. He has an insane memory and spends all of his time he isn’t at work reading non-fiction books. He speaks 5 languages and had a deep knowledge on almost any subject I could bring up.
As somewhat of an introvert who has lived all over the world due to his parents being in the military and spending all of his free time intentionally educating hisself even after graduating from college.
He’s also a 43 year old virgin who has never moved out of his parents house and aside from learning his only other love is Star Trek.”
10. Sounds like a cool guy.
“He is a Benedictine Monk, and teaches theology in a university.
He is also a forrester and has done a lot to save and protect a large swath of forest in Indiana from invasive species and idiots on quads.”
11. Musical genius.
“Musical composer. This dude’s apartment is stacked floor to ceiling, wall to wall, with papers and notes and books of his past work. He has his own chalkboard.
His workplace in his living room is a standing desk behemoth of four computers, with a massive Apple machine equipped with a dizzying collection of very specialized software for composing, distance collaboration, along with a huge numerically labeled collection of all his projects spread across two external drives.
When you talk with him, and he asks a question, he often correctly guesses your answer before you can respond, and finishes your sentence better than you can. I’m decently smart, but this guy makes me feel fundamentally stupid.”
12. Ultimate sign of intelligence.
“My husband, he’s a programmer. He dropped out of high school, got his GED and worked his way up from nothing (literally, nothing) to software architect out here in the SF Bay Area. He stays updated on the latest tech and is always trying to improve.
He is also the only person I know where I can give him unfiltered criticism and get a legit response of “oh cool, now I know where I can improve.” Which, to me, is the ultimate sign of intelligence.”
13. Dad’s best friend.
“That person would be my dads best friend. I know him well enough to say that he’s an intelligent guy. He works as a doctor and actually told me that he was horrible in school and never really studied hard until he started university.
He began working as a doctor in his mid 30s. Don’t ask me what he did in the meantime.”
14. Behind the bar.
“He works at a pub in my town. The lad is an absolute genius and always out performed me through school without doing any work but he went off the rails with drink and drug problems towards the end of it so isn’t in the best place right now.
I hope he can turn his life around and get to university because he’s one of my best friends.”
15. Hard to say…
“It’s hard to say. Smart has so many dimensions. People I went to college with became doctors and lawyers and college professors. One guy started his own software company and made millions.
But the guy who had the highest SAT scores at my selective college got addicted to coke blew up his marriage and career as a consultant and is running a snack stand at a golf course. And he’s pretty happy about it.”
I guess there are brilliant people in all walks of life, huh?
Now it’s your turn and we want to hear from you.
In the comments, tell us what the smartest person you know does for a living!
