General

Which worker would you rather have?

Worker A - Always tries hard, good worker, but is slow and doesn't get much done compared to everyone else.
Worker B - Finds the job easy, gets his stuff done quickly, but seems lazy sometimes because of the downtime between tasks.

Worker A has good work ethic. Worker B is more intelligent, or at least skilled. Worker B is more useful to the company.

Intelligence is more useful. The end.

@ritopls
Do they make a good pizza? Tell them to hook me up <3 <3 <3

While both would obviously be best, I think work ethic is more important. I mean, that's what the American Dream is all about -- starting from the bottom and rising as far as you want through dedication.

My mom's side of the family is stupid rich, and they all came from Italy 30 years ago and started pizzerias.

I'd have to say work ethic, though at times Intellegence is needed as well. In reality though, you need a proper balance of both

Work Ethic. Doesn't hurt to be intelligent, but as said before, if you're intelligent but have poor work ethic, you're not going anywhere.

If you have proper work ethic, you could always commit time to learn and make up for the lack of intelligence.

@416ix: Not saying intelligence doesn't play a role into making millions, but it isn't always needed. Whether you're intelligent or not and want to get a high paying job, there will be time and effort you have to commit to getting it (whether it be schooling, licenscing, certifications, training a skill, etc). If you're intelligent, all it does is cut down the time and how effective you have to commit, but it doesn't change the fact you still have to commit time.

@betaboi101: true enough. though luck wasn't a factor to be considered.

work ethic cause no matter how intelligent you are if you don't put it to good use it's pointless.

[quote=betaboi101]You'd be surprised. You don't have to be a genius to establish a multimillion dollar corporation, scorp, llc, ect. I deal with all types of clients with corporations. Some being doctors that own their own practices and others being workers that eventually took over or went out on their own with contracting companies. I've met plenty of doctors that make a lot of money but don't want to work as many hours and make less than some of those contractors that work on a daily basis and report higher annual income.

In my opinion from what I observed, you honestly don't need intelligence to make money. Intelligence does help but it all boils down to the will power and luck.

I'll give an example of one client in particular. The guy never went to college and worked some low level job his entire life. Years ago, he purchased numerous buildings in the city for 300k. His net worth now a days is over 32mil because the buildings increased in value over the years. He is otherwise one of the dumbest individuals I've personally dealt with. He's been divorced numerous times, has kids with multiple different people and didn't save for retirement so his buildings are his main source of income.

In all he got lucky since multiple other clients I deal with that made investments in real estate lost a LOT of money or barely break even.[/quote]

At what point did we decide that successful referred exclusively to making loads of money? I would say there are many intelligent people that would be quite content to study what they love and live in a small home or even a small apartment. For some people success means achieving their goals of discovery or creating something new. No amount of handwork can compensate for ingenuity.

[quote=416ix]@betaboi101: intelligence doesn't always mean you have to be book smart. they surely couldn't have been 'dumb' enough to earn millions with just 'hard work' now, yeah? i'm assuming then, that if i worked hard i could make millions too, even without intelligence, by what you're saying. street smart is still smart.
"Intelligence has been defined in many different ways such as in terms of one's capacity for logic, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, learning, emotional knowledge, memory, planning, creativity and problem solving."
but hey, i'm not standing 100% behind any of the points that i made. we must all agree that it's practically impossible to have only one or the other. in the end it'll always be a combination of both.[/quote]

You'd be surprised. You don't have to be a genius to establish a multimillion dollar corporation, scorp, llc, ect. I deal with all types of clients with corporations. Some being doctors that own their own practices and others being workers that eventually took over or went out on their own with contracting companies. I've met plenty of doctors that make a lot of money but don't want to work as many hours and make less than some of those contractors that work on a daily basis and report higher annual income.

In my opinion from what I observed, you honestly don't need intelligence to make money. Intelligence does help but it all boils down to the will power and luck.

I'll give an example of one client in particular. The guy never went to college and worked some low level job his entire life. Years ago, he purchased numerous buildings in the city for 300k. His net worth now a days is over 32mil because the buildings increased in value over the years. He is otherwise one of the dumbest individuals I've personally dealt with. He's been divorced numerous times, has kids with multiple different people and didn't save for retirement so his buildings are his main source of income.

In all he got lucky since multiple other clients I deal with that made investments in real estate lost a LOT of money or barely break even.

You need a good mix of both. Some situations in your career just require ingenuity. Work ethic can be great but it might force you into a more passive role while intelligence makes you think outside of the box.

Both

@betaboi101: intelligence doesn't always mean you have to be book smart. they surely couldn't have been 'dumb' enough to earn millions with just 'hard work' now, yeah? i'm assuming then, that if i worked hard i could make millions too, even without intelligence, by what you're saying. street smart is still smart.
"Intelligence has been defined in many different ways such as in terms of one's capacity for logic, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, learning, emotional knowledge, memory, planning, creativity and problem solving."
but hey, i'm not standing 100% behind any of the points that i made. we must all agree that it's practically impossible to have only one or the other. in the end it'll always be a combination of both.

Work ethic.

Work ethic > Study habits > Performance > Stamina > Skill

source: Me.

I was an average student in grade school. In college Ive been able to pull 6-7 hour study periods every single day for a few months (including weekends). I was never naturally smart, but I did put a lot of work into it.

At work ( part time ), my work ethic actually shows and people really do notice it. I dont know why but I get a lot of praise because of it. Also thats how I got my promotion.

[quote=416ix]well, the same type of argument could apply to intelligence > work ethic.
if you have work ethic but 0 intelligence, you're not getting anything done either, whereas I believe if you're intelligent, as lazy as you can be, some things could be done with ease.
just had to make it less one-sided by giving a counter. i really just think you can't only have one, and that life only bears fruit if you utilize both traits in harmony.[/quote]

I disagree. As a senior accountant, I've met plenty of millionaire clients that are literally the dumbest people I've probably ever met in that they were street and had no idea what they were doing without guidance yet managed to amass millions with hard work over the years. They had a lot of street smart but they are not book smarts by any means to say the least

well, the same type of argument could apply to intelligence > work ethic.
if you have work ethic but 0 intelligence, you're not getting anything done either, whereas I believe if you're intelligent, as lazy as you can be, some things could be done with ease.
just had to make it less one-sided by giving a counter. i really just think you can't only have one, and that life only bears fruit if you utilize both traits in harmony.

Work ethic. You can be a genius but if you're lazy, you'll get no where.

work ethic duh.

Intelligence addresses capacity, work ethic fulfills it.

It's work ethic.

You'll find that "top of the class" types in high school (e.g. valedictorian, salutatorian, etc.) are far more likely to be closer to average intelligence than genius. This may change somewhat in college (depending on departments and majors), but the principle remains the same. Intelligence is simply nothing without the will to utilize it.