system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How to be maximally impactful as a kinda-but-not-too-smart person

How would you respond to a student who says "I don't want to research \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ because there are way smarter people already working on it." ?

It has certainly been my experience in CS that I get viciously outpaced by the developers who are already smarter than me, AND they put in 60+ hour weeks. Like, I'm a good developer, but if I get /that/ person on my team, then my contributions are hardly noticeable. Does this feel true to you, whatever field you're in?

Side note, off the top of your head, what are some fields with too many scholars and some fields with not enough?
gpt
Some researchers are recognized solely for their ability to perform comprehensive literature reviews. You don’t always have to be the one coming up with new ideas. Merely setting the table gives you a seat sometimes.

There’s also a ton of value in interdisciplinary work: Drawing together two discrete conversations, or using theoretical frameworks uncommon to the field to offer new insights. This is a harder path, though, and you are likely to encounter resistance and need to present watertight justification... but it is a way to get yourself out there.