56 replies to this topic

[Eagles]

boop.

 

http://www.forbes.co...tart-companies/

 

fuck school. go make money.

That is the slimmest of slim minority. The odds of that you being able to drop out of high school and become a billioraire is next to zero. If that was possible, school would be non-existant. I would never suggest not completing school. Probably the dumbest idea ever

[Shane]

Hard work will show more in the end. If you work hard, at anything you will more likely be successful in the end. As long as you apply that hard work into your work life...

[Mizk]

Probably.

I don't think grades are reflective of how intelligent an individual is, rather how hard working that individual is. And, in life, hard work >>>> smarts, usually

[Eagles]

So we all agree that grades are not a direct reflection of your success, rather hard work and ambition will help you succeed? 

[Kaddict]

I think that TYPICALLY (there are tons of exceptions) people who strive to get good grades are goal oriented and will work towards success later in life. But there are plenty of people who are quite brilliant who just dont try at school, and plenty of idiots who never even get an A-. I just think that generally, people who get good grades do better than those who get Ds.

[Eagles]

Plenty of people get the D, and they're doing fine

not my girlfriend...

[NapisaurusRex]

not my girlfriend...

What'd you give her?

[Swar]

I think we should get back to the topic before it gets awkward...

[Romy]

This. Unless you're the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, you need school.

That much is arguable.

 

There are a lot of jobs you can learn without ever stepping foot in a college/high school and still be fairly successful in life.

Granted that it will be considerably more difficult but attending school is not a "prerequisite" for success.

I think we should get back to the topic before it gets awkward...

Sex.

[Peaches]

Sadly, I guess that's all that really matters nowadays, huh?

 

That's the thing. Someone can look good on paper, but is that where it stops? 

[Swar]

Sex.

Sex isn't awkward, but he said his girlfriend doesn't get the D and then Napi asked what he'd give her, so who knows where this talk could go?

Edited by Swarley, 29 September 2014 - 01:42 AM.

[Bone]

That much is arguable.

 

There are a lot of jobs you can learn without ever stepping foot in a college/high school and still be fairly successful in life.

Granted that it will be considerably more difficult but attending school is not a "prerequisite" for success.

Sex.

 

It isn't a prerequisite, but for the vast majority education makes things a hell of a lot easier.

[Swar]

Although I said grades don't matter, school itself is very important in my opinion. Not just because of study, but also because of socialization.

[Hawk]

Depends on what you want to do with your life, what interests you, etc.  Also, how you feel about your grades really says a lot about an individual.

 

The real key is grades are used as a measuring stick, but I feel like it should be more of an individual one rather than across-the-board, sweeping generalizations about an individual.  Use it as a challenge to better yourself, even if getting the grade is something you disagree with (Likely because you're lazy). 

 

There are a lot of fields where grades are important.  At a minimum, a 2.5 is usually required to graduate (College level).  

On top of that, even higher academic qualifications are essentially useless unless they are necessary in that field (STEM subjects come to mind).

On top of that, knowledge without application is useless, so unless you have a job, your grades mean fuck all. Congrats relying on mommy or the welfare queue, I'll stick to my $60,000 a year job with no formal qualifications necessary. (Also free health care because we're not fucking stupid yanks)

On top of that, especially in engineering - the grades (and associated degree) just show you're capable of learning and have a decent fundamental base (in engineering).

 

And as a yank, my starting offer was above that 60k, and in the year I've been there I've received 5.5% worth of raises.  No healthcare costs either, because my company pays the insurance premiums and contributes to a HSA, which I can use to cover any costs (up to the insurance deductible, afterwards it will be completely covered) should anything arise.

[TalksQuietly]

The answer that most people who understand the complexities of human jobs give is 'No'.

 

Your grades can be a reflection of how well you and the teacher/material worked together, how well you learned the material (which may influence how well you'd do at that particular task), and possibly how your first interviews will go (later interviews being based on experience, not grades).

 

Networking, and the ability to collate and present data (rather than gather it), is what gives most engineers the next position.  It's not usually whether you were able to measure/do the work well.  Although you can't be a huge failure at the task given, often times the tasks are above university level anyways, so you got extra training.  But after not failing at doing the task, usually how well you networked, and whether - when they gave you a small team lead roll - you succeed at presenting ideas, leading teams, and being able to work with others, is what gave you huge moves up the corporate ladder.   

 

It's one of those great tasks every really hard worker has to learn (usually painfully).  It's not always work that gets you raised, it's networking, looks, and all the 'soft skills'.  And your grades rarely reflect those things (which is why we also have some fairly brilliant people near the bottom).

[jinq]

If you want to get higher education (hs->college, college->grad school, etc) then yes, otherwise not so much.

[Jayqwelin]

Grades are a reflection for potential in medical school, and medical school is a pathway to success in life, so yes, grades can be a reflection of potential success in life.

[Tirasa]

American public schools are pretty crappy in the first place, so I wouldn't count that system as a valid measurement of anything. From my graduating class, the Ivy-Leaguers will certainly tell you the grades are good for admissions, but the only thing US grade schooling does for you is get you used to being somewhere eight hours a day.

 

Universities are a different story, though C's still get degrees. I don't think grades themselves will be the major determining factor, though there might be other things that schooling brings, such as your social networking.

[Kaddict]

Grades are a reflection for potential in medical school, and medical school is a pathway to success in life, so yes, grades can be a reflection of potential success in life.

I think that for most med schools, grades are pretty much at the very bottom of list in regards to importance. They will use low grades as a sifting tool to through handfuls of applicants out, but MCAT, essays, interviews, experience are all much more important than GPA.

[Keil]

I think that for most med schools, grades are pretty much at the very bottom of list in regards to importance. They will use low grades as a sifting tool to through handfuls of applicants out, but MCAT, essays, interviews, experience are all much more important than GPA.

 

Once you get into grad school, there is a point where grades are not really stressed as much as they were in undergrad or high school. I imagine that only 5% of grad school graduates that strive for perfect scores need it to immediately go for their PhDs, but the rest of the graduate students really don't have to worry about much of the grades compared to establishing their networks. Since I'm done with tests like the MCAT and got into grad school (and have no current plans to get a PhD), I'm more focused on creating a good profile on LinkedIn and making professional relationships with hospitals, mental institutions, and correctional institutions even if I'm only in one semester of my masters program. As long as your grades doesn't fall below a B-, most places would want to hire you at this point but at the same time, keep your grades as high as possible to have an extra edge over the competition.

[Kaddict]

Once you get into grad school, there is a point where grades are not really stressed as much as they were in undergrad or high school. I imagine that only 5% of grad school graduates that strive for perfect scores need it to immediately go for their PhDs, but the rest of the graduate students really don't have to worry about much of the grades compared to establishing their networks. Since I'm done with tests like the MCAT and got into grad school (and have no current plans to get a PhD), I'm more focused on creating a good profile on LinkedIn and making professional relationships with hospitals, mental institutions, and correctional institutions even if I'm only in one semester of my masters program. As long as your grades doesn't fall below a B-, most places would want to hire you at this point but at the same time, keep your grades as high as possible to have an extra edge over the competition.

Yup. Totally agree. In med school, there are kids who study for 10 hours a day outside of class to be the 5-10% of kids that get a "Pass with Honors" (Essentially our school's version of A's) but since grades in your first 2 years are pretty much the last thing that residency programs look at, I would rather be getting B's and having a life outside the study room.

[Jayqwelin]

I think that for most med schools, grades are pretty much at the very bottom of list in regards to importance. They will use low grades as a sifting tool to through handfuls of applicants out, but MCAT, essays, interviews, experience are all much more important than GPA.

 

I think it's different in the United States. In Canada, performance on the MCAT isn't emphasized as much, especially because many schools don't require it (some because they're French, others because meh). Also, our GPA cutoffs tend to be higher. The words of wisdom that I've picked up is to focus focus focus on your GPA which should be your priority because it gets your foot through the door, ie above 85% of all other applicants (the interview stage takes about 50% of the remainder). 

 

Jokes aside, to answer the OP, depending on where you go grades will be used to judge one's potential success in a career.

[Grimley]

I know there was some stink recently about degree being tossed around as some sort of huge thing demanding immediate respect or something (which I totally do not think should be the case). The only thing I'll add for now is that I've got a Ph.D., my husband has a high school diploma, and we both have rewarding careers that we enjoy...but most importantly, we have a very happy home. That latter point trumps everything for me.

[CaptainDantes]

...but most importantly, we have a very happy home. That latter point trumps everything for me.

Exactly. Success means something different to everyone. If you're happy - I'd call that a successful life...unless you enjoy breaking the law, lol

On another note though, I never had the best grades - middle school, high school, even college. I showed flashes that I could do it, but could never really pull out a full year of good grades. Even through all of that and my terrible grades I was able to get in to a great professional school. However, I will still have to fight the perception of this school simply because it is in the caribbean and not in the US. Even though the course work is exactly the same and arguably even more difficult than US schools. But I will still be doing the job I always dreamed of doing!

Side note - I was recently prescribed ritalin and my grades have since soared. I've always been hesitant to rely on drugs to improve your life, but that's a debate for another board I guess.

In conclusion: Some people just may be late bloomers. Even though they always pushed me to get good grades, my parents maintained that there's more than one way to string a cat. If you focus on the day to day work with a vision for your life, you can always make it work. It may take more work than others who did get better grades, but if you want it you can still make it. No matter what grades you get. And I believe that now.

Edit: Even in professional school our teachers told us first semester: " 'C's get degrees."

Edited by CaptainDantes, 16 November 2014 - 02:56 PM.

[Grimley]

Exactly. Success means something different to everyone. If you're happy - I'd call that a successful life...unless you enjoy breaking the law, lol

On another note though, I never had the best grades - middle school, high school, even college. I showed flashes that I could do it, but could never really pull out a full year of good grades. Even through all of that and my terrible grades I was able to get in to a great professional school. However, I will still have to fight the perception of this school simply because it is in the caribbean and not in the US. Even though the course work is exactly the same and arguably even more difficult than US schools. But I will still be doing the job I always dreamed of doing!

Side note - I was recently prescribed ritalin and my grades have since soared. I've always been hesitant to rely on drugs to improve your life, but that's a debate for another board I guess.

In conclusion: Some people just may be late bloomers. Even though they always pushed me to get good grades, my parents maintained that there's more than one way to string a cat. If you focus on the day to day work with a vision for your life, you can always make it work. It may take more work than others who did get better grades, but if you want it you can still make it. No matter what grades you get. And I believe that now.

Edit: Even in professional school our teachers told us first semester: " 'C's get degrees."

 

AMEN to everything you said; I really enjoyed your post (and whatever it takes for you and your physiological balance, go for it...no shame in Ritalin or anything else), and your conclusion is spot on.