Having an IQ of 160 or above is not a life of sitting on clouds thinking deep thoughts about how string theory is obviously wrong. You run especially hard into the nurture trap so often discussed here.

That is, hearing,"You're so smart," so many times, from teachers, other students, coworkers, bosses, etc., cultivates a sense of elitism and a shock when something is actually difficult.

You're also bound by the same emotions as most other people. If you're a particularly aggressive or irritable person, imagine being surrounded by people who keep making mistakes because they're stupid. If you turn it outward, you're impatient at best and a bully at worst. If you turn it inward, you're stressed out, anxious, and depressed.

All of that said, being a professional programmer was the most satisfying thing I've done. Unfortunately, I moved on precisely because of the above paragraph -- I had managers I felt were particularly dim.

Always worth mentioning: "The Inverse Power of Praise" http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

I do not appreciate compliments anymore. I haven't for a long time. I have a complicated view I don't really wish to explain right now (maybe I'll write a blog post later) about why compliments are almost insulting, especially insulting by those people who care about "you" and who give them often (Sorry for that passive voice).

My thoughts all stemmed from the idea that compliments make people worse at what they do. At BEST they make the person continue at the same speed with a boost of moral. Imho.

Anecdote: while the environment is probably a contributing factor, the 25-30 teenagers and adults I know with IQs of 130-160 (gifted children's program) basically make the same career and life choices as others in the same socio-economic group, with the exception of post-graduate degrees, which they mostly avoided.

What do you imagine you would want to be?