Advice for coping with being the dumbest person at work

[ncmxm]

What the title says. I'm very low iq and very slow, it takes me a lot of time to learn new things and sometimes I still don't understand what I need to do even after being explained it several times. It kinda upsets me and makes me worried about my future, and I also feel judged by everyone at work.

I'm not sure what I'm asking exactly, I guess if anyone has been in a similar situation and if yes, how did you not let it upset you too much and how you were able to find a job you're not too stupid for, I feel too stupid for pretty much all jobs

 

[SpaceCadet]

In my experience i've always struggled at the beginning, especially the first 3 months, after that it usually goes smooth sailling. I think you're probably a slow learner like myself, the good thing is once we learn and repeat numerous times the task at hand we become great at it. If your coworkers are judging you i would just say fuck it and do your best, most of the times those who judge do a poor job themselves. Take care.

 

[ncmxm]

In my experience i've always struggled at the beginning, especially the first 3 months, after that it usually goes smooth sailling. I think you're probably a slow learner like myself, the good thing is once we learn and repeat numerous times the task at hand we become great at it. If your coworkers are judging you i would just say fuck it and do your best, most of the times those who judge do a poor job themselves. Take care.

Thanks you, really hope it's the case for me. Sometimes I feel like I'm not just a slow learner, I feel like I'm just too stupid for it period. I. I hope you're right and I'm wrong ahah. Thank you for taking the time to reply< and best of luck to you with everything you do <3

 

[summertimestars4]

it's okay, there are plenty of people who need stuff repeated to get it. the important thing is that you care enough to try. truly, there are tons of people at jobs who could with some small amount of effort do better but they don't try cuz they don't care. if i were your coworker i would just be glad you were trying!

i would just do your best and if there's a way to practice the task in your free time without the pressure of the work environment, it may help you get better at it. also, you could ask your coworkers for tips or ask how long it took them to get up to speed. it may make you feel better if they say "oh yeah, i struggled too." but then again everyone is different and it's important not to compare yourself, only to focus on improving your own performance.

don't sweat it, mistakes happens constantly everywhere at every job (the illusion of perfection is only that...an illusion). so do the best you can and know that you are probably doing better than you think. i remember being younger and thinking everyone was doing everything perfectly and i was the one screwing everything up. trust me, screw ups happen all the time and people are pretending they don't happen lol. best of luck to you!

 

[Squalo]

don't worry, you are not the only one: I am so slow to learn that it took me about a year to get my driving license, spending almost 1000 euros on practical driving;
the same thing happens to me at work: I feel calm only when I do the usual things I learned years ago, when I have to learn some new job I always make disasters and it takes me weeks or months to learn how to do it well.

my IQ is around 90, I don't know if this affects my being slow to learn.

 

[Someone123]

What the title says. I'm very low iq and very slow, it takes me a lot of time to learn new things and sometimes I still don't understand what I need to do even after being explained it several times. It kinda upsets me and makes me worried about my future, and I also feel judged by everyone at work.

I'm not sure what I'm asking exactly, I guess if anyone has been in a similar situation and if yes, how did you not let it upset you too much and how you were able to find a job you're not too stupid for, I feel too stupid for pretty much all jobs

It could be helpful to know what type of work you are doing, if you would want to share this.

 

[ncmxm]

It could be helpful to know what type of work you are doing, if you would want to share this.

I have an office job now, it deals with payments and I've never been good with numbers

 

[Someone123]

I have an office job now, it deals with payments and I've never been good with numbers

Is there some type of job that you think might work better for you?

 

[ncmxm]

Is there some type of job that you think might work better for you?

I'm not sure, I have very little experience, but I think something not fast paced and something where I don't have to work with numbers and be very precise would work for me

 

[Someone123]

I'm not sure, I have very little experience, but I think something not fast paced and something where I don't have to work with numbers and be very precise would work for me

Some receptionists have less work and some have more, maybe something like this could work if it wasn't a fast paced position.

 

[whatevs]

I'm very interested in this. It's not for me of course! My friend is slightly retarded.

 

[L-L]

Your attitude and mindset here will be important. The fact that you're aware of your own limitations means you've got more self awareness than some others with potentially a higher IQ.

Try to always be grateful for the advice you're given, and apologetic when you feel you may become particularly trying. Take notes and be proactive if someone does explain something, and tell them it's so you can make progress.

There's no denying it, research highlights IQ as a very important predictor for a lot of things in life, but it's consistently followed very closely by conscientiousness. Keep working at it, keep your mindset open and keep trying to improve. You've got this.

 

[Eternally Dottie]

I have an office job now, it deals with payments and I've never been good with numbers

It's a long time ago now but I worked in an accounts office not long after leaving school. I couldn't get the hang of it at all and sent lots of bills out to clients for incorrect amounts causing a whole lot of problems. Subsequently I was fired which was upsetting at the time but the best possible thing as it was totally the wrong job for me. I have been in the same field of work now for 26 years as I eventually found something that I was interested in and it came together. Don't give up as it may just be that you haven't found the right job for you yet

Your attitude and mindset here will be important. The fact that you're aware of your own limitations means you've got more self awareness than some others with potentially a higher IQ.

Try to always be grateful for the advice you're given, and apologetic when you feel you may become particularly trying. Take notes and be proactive if someone does explain something, and tell them it's so you can make progress.

There's no denying it, research highlights IQ as a very important predictor for a lot of things in life, but it's consistently followed very closely by conscientiousness. Keep working at it, keep your mindset open and keep trying to improve. You've got this.

Agree fully - this is great advice.

 

[WhiteyBulger]

it's okay, there are plenty of people who need stuff repeated to get it. the important thing is that you care enough to try. truly, there are tons of people at jobs who could with some small amount of effort do better but they don't try cuz they don't care. if i were your coworker i would just be glad you were trying!

i would just do your best and if there's a way to practice the task in your free time without the pressure of the work environment, it may help you get better at it. also, you could ask your coworkers for tips or ask how long it took them to get up to speed. it may make you feel better if they say "oh yeah, i struggled too." but then again everyone is different and it's important not to compare yourself, only to focus on improving your own performance.

don't sweat it, mistakes happens constantly everywhere at every job (the illusion of perfection is only that...an illusion). so do the best you can and know that you are probably doing better than you think. i remember being younger and thinking everyone was doing everything perfectly and i was the one screwing everything up. trust me, screw ups happen all the time and people are pretending they don't happen lol. best of luck to you!

You're not alone...I just emailed myself a happy anniversary greeting to friends. Holy smokes. Now I've got to get married and mail it to myself again in a year?

You're not alone...I just emailed myself a happy anniversary greeting to friends. Holy smokes. Now I've got to get married and mail it to myself again in a year?

One day they're going to hold a telethon for me. If they freeze my brain, what are they going to put in all the other ice cube slots?

 

[☆AwaitingEntropy☆]

I agree with repetition and note taking. It doesn't have to be written notes either, typing them or even using a voice recorder may be helpful. Everyone has unique learning styles, and, sometimes it does take a while to feel comfortable in things.

As someone who has difficulty retaining information that doesn't interest me, routine and repetition have been very useful. And, try to be kind to yourself, if you can. Anxiety and frustration can make holding onto info all the more difficult. It's okay to pace yourself. I wish you luck in your job!

 

[ArtsyDrawer]

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." - George Carlin, greatest philosopher of the 20th century.

"There is a considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists." -Yosemite Park Ranger on why it's hard to design a bear-proof garbage can.

A bit of my own history: I used to work in a warehouse. It wasn't a hard job, at least not mentally.
Physically? Oh yeah, lifting boxes that often weight as much as I do is indeed hard work.

The work flow is as follows (assuming you're at point A, which is your work station):
point A>print order>stand up>get a trolley/cart>walk around collecting certain items as per the order's requirements>go to point A>open order>click the "scan items" button>scan items>put items in box>lift box>move to point B>put box down>go-to point A.

However, as with any job, there were some outliers. Let me list a few.

• The actual, legitimate autist: He was genuinely slow, but we loved him, and we made extra sure that he understands the job. He passed the introduction period with flying colors. Why am I including him, then? He will be our control group!
• The guy who stood on his head: I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but every break he asked management if he can stand on his head during break instead of, say, eating. Even on lunch break he'd stand on his head. No arm support - he'd just sorta flip and legitimately stand on his head. Maybe he's also autistic, but I haven't seen this level of autism yet. The legitimate autist confirmed this is not autism, there's something way "stronger", as he called it, wrong with his head.
• The dick protester: I'm not sure what caused this in the first place, and neither is anyone else in the warehouse. Again, he already was a bit slow, though "faster" (?) than the actual autist. At some, point for whatever reason, he took his clothes off, painted his dick black with a sharpie, and climbed to our highest shelf, and started to dickcopter everyone who passed nearby. At first we asked him nicely to stop. No dice. Our strongest guy tried, and eventually succeeded getting him down. I like to imagine it as an act of protest. Not sure what he was protesting against, but I digress.
• The guy who I had to teach to use a keyboard: somehow, roughly born in the '90s, when keyboards were already prominent in various ways (typing machines, both electric and manual, computer keyboards, I don't know what else), this 25-30ish guy managed to avoid them all. How is beyond my comprehension. I had to teach him how to do literally everything. Credit is where credit is due - he was eager to learn this mysterious device called "a keyboard", but I would REALLY like to know how he lived 25-30 years of his life without learning about keyboards.
• The guy who "sold" a 12000$ dress for free: same guy, slightly after teaching him about keyboards. After teaching him how shit works (I dedicated 4 weeks to him instead of the normal 1), he saw an extremely rare window: "would you like to sell this item for free?". Dollars, not local currency, DOLLARS! 12k DOLLARS! Now, this peculiar window pesters the crap out of you, and for a good reason: you don't just hand out a 12k dollar dress to someone. He clicks "ok" and "yes" every time it pops up. Thankfully, the customer called the warehouse directly to ask wtf.
• The guy who took my meds: he was definitely a druggie. Every time a new person comes to the warehouse I find 5 minutes or so to explain my disease, and more importantly, explain my meds are not, in fact, "fun drugs" like many are. I make sure they understand that twice a day I want to die for several hours. A guy thought I'm being all secritive on him and took a dose. I had to train my body to safely take however much of what I take. It's like trying to go cold turkey after smoking 5 packs a day for several years. Hypothetically? Possible. Practically? No. He disappeared for 3 days, came back speaking in tongues, and managed to call me a son of a bitch before collapsing on the way out.
• Myself: I did some stupid shit too. The one I particularly recall is climbing on a shelf (sure, we had ladders, but go find them), sort of wobbling, and collapsing 3 "streets" - a walkway between shelves. As you can imagine, literally everybody hated me for that.

There were more before me, and there will be more since I'm gone now.
So, what am I saying here?
First off, where exactly did you get the information that you're low on IQ? There are very few resources for a reliable test. Any "find out your IQ for freeeee" links are bullshit.
Second, what if you're simply not well built for your current job?
Like, sure, I can learn Excel and get some accounting job hypothetically, but my "calculator" will take a good spreadsheet while an actual accountant do the same in one cell and replicate it 500 times.
Consider you might simply not be built for this job.
If they don't fire you, though, then you're clearly doing something right.

 

[ncmxm]

It's a long time ago now but I worked in an accounts office not long after leaving school. I couldn't get the hang of it at all and sent lots of bills out to clients for incorrect amounts causing a whole lot of problems. Subsequently I was fired which was upsetting at the time but the best possible thing as it was totally the wrong job for me. I have been in the same field of work now for 26 years as I eventually found something that I was interested in and it came together. Don't give up as it may just be that you haven't found the right job for you yet

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. If you don't mind, what job are you doing now and how did you find the right job for you? Like is it just trial and error?

 

[Eternally Dottie]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. If you don't mind, what job are you doing now and how did you find the right job for you? Like is it just trial and error?

I'm working in a healthcare related job. I didn't start in this field until my mid 20's, I tried a few jobs before and studied a few different things - I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do. I just decided to apply and have been in the same field since. It has it's ups and downs but overall it's worked out for me and has offered me different opportunities. Hopefully you will find something that you enjoy more and that is more suited to you. Don't be put off by the fact you don't feel you're not doing well enough in your current job. Try to view it as the job not being the right one for you. Good luck

 

[whatevs]

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." - George Carlin, greatest philosopher of the 20th century.

"There is a considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists." -Yosemite Park Ranger on why it's hard to design a bear-proof garbage can.

A bit of my own history: I used to work in a warehouse. It wasn't a hard job, at least not mentally.
Physically? Oh yeah, lifting boxes that often weight as much as I do is indeed hard work.

The work flow is as follows (assuming you're at point A, which is your work station):
point A>print order>stand up>get a trolley/cart>walk around collecting certain items as per the order's requirements>go to point A>open order>click the "scan items" button>scan items>put items in box>lift box>move to point B>put box down>go-to point A.

However, as with any job, there were some outliers. Let me list a few.

• The actual, legitimate autist: He was genuinely slow, but we loved him, and we made extra sure that he understands the job. He passed the introduction period with flying colors. Why am I including him, then? He will be our control group!
• The guy who stood on his head: I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but every break he asked management if he can stand on his head during break instead of, say, eating. Even on lunch break he'd stand on his head. No arm support - he'd just sorta flip and legitimately stand on his head. Maybe he's also autistic, but I haven't seen this level of autism yet. The legitimate autist confirmed this is not autism, there's something way "stronger", as he called it, wrong with his head.
• The dick protester: I'm not sure what caused this in the first place, and neither is anyone else in the warehouse. Again, he already was a bit slow, though "faster" (?) than the actual autist. At some, point for whatever reason, he took his clothes off, painted his dick black with a sharpie, and climbed to our highest shelf, and started to dickcopter everyone who passed nearby. At first we asked him nicely to stop. No dice. Our strongest guy tried, and eventually succeeded getting him down. I like to imagine it as an act of protest. Not sure what he was protesting against, but I digress.
• The guy who I had to teach to use a keyboard: somehow, roughly born in the '90s, when keyboards were already prominent in various ways (typing machines, both electric and manual, computer keyboards, I don't know what else), this 25-30ish guy managed to avoid them all. How is beyond my comprehension. I had to teach him how to do literally everything. Credit is where credit is due - he was eager to learn this mysterious device called "a keyboard", but I would REALLY like to know how he lived 25-30 years of his life without learning about keyboards.
• The guy who "sold" a 12000$ dress for free: same guy, slightly after teaching him about keyboards. After teaching him how shit works (I dedicated 4 weeks to him instead of the normal 1), he saw an extremely rare window: "would you like to sell this item for free?". Dollars, not local currency, DOLLARS! 12k DOLLARS! Now, this peculiar window pesters the crap out of you, and for a good reason: you don't just hand out a 12k dollar dress to someone. He clicks "ok" and "yes" every time it pops up. Thankfully, the customer called the warehouse directly to ask wtf.
• The guy who took my meds: he was definitely a druggie. Every time a new person comes to the warehouse I find 5 minutes or so to explain my disease, and more importantly, explain my meds are not, in fact, "fun drugs" like many are. I make sure they understand that twice a day I want to die for several hours. A guy thought I'm being all secritive on him and took a dose. I had to train my body to safely take however much of what I take. It's like trying to go cold turkey after smoking 5 packs a day for several years. Hypothetically? Possible. Practically? No. He disappeared for 3 days, came back speaking in tongues, and managed to call me a son of a bitch before collapsing on the way out.
• Myself: I did some stupid shit too. The one I particularly recall is climbing on a shelf (sure, we had ladders, but go find them), sort of wobbling, and collapsing 3 "streets" - a walkway between shelves. As you can imagine, literally everybody hated me for that.

There were more before me, and there will be more since I'm gone now.
So, what am I saying here?
First off, where exactly did you get the information that you're low on IQ? There are very few resources for a reliable test. Any "find out your IQ for freeeee" links are bullshit.
Second, what if you're simply not well built for your current job?
Like, sure, I can learn Excel and get some accounting job hypothetically, but my "calculator" will take a good spreadsheet while an actual accountant do the same in one cell and replicate it 500 times.
Consider you might simply not be built for this job.
If they don't fire you, though, then you're clearly doing something right.

The dick painter was epic, I like the dick painter. Well done. He left a mark in this world.