World's cleverest woman needs a job

An IQ of 200 is a sorry thing to waste

By Lucy Sherriff • Get more from this author

Posted in Business, 5th November 2004 14:58 GMT

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A qualified industrial engineer with an IQ of 200, five masters degrees wants a job in the UK after spending two years on the dole in Bulgaria.

According to Press Association reports, Daniela Simidchieva is struggling to find gainful employment, even as a cleaning woman, despite being listed by Mensa as the "world's cleverest woman". Her mind boggling IQ is equal to that of Marie Curie, according to reports.

She told PA: "I love learning, but I also want to work. In the last 44 years I have studied economics, education and sociology at universities in Bulgaria and Britain. I am qualified as an industrial engineer, as an English teacher and as an electrical engineer as well as having my five Masters degrees."

She concludes that in Bulgaria "employers do not want clever employees".

Given the skills shortage in the IT sector we all keep hearing so much about, and the need to get more women into science, engineering and IT, we're sure Simidchieva will be able to find a job in Blighty in no time.

In the interests of fairness, we would like to point out that some people have immensely high IQs, and are very highly qualified, but are also staggeringly bonkers. Some less charitable folks might also argue that someone that smart should be able to come up with an alternative way of making a living. But not us. Oh, no.®