What makes a life successful in our generation and society? Success can mean many things depending on how different people view it. To me, to succeed in life is to be genuinely happy with who I am, who I am surrounded by, and happy doing whatever I am doing life. To me, success is not settling for mediocrity, when I can climb up towards how I define as success in life.
I believe that one of the most difficult tasks for us people of the 21st century is to find a career that we like. Our society tells us that in order to get a good job that you want, you must do well in school. Though it is important to study hard, I believe that the system we follow is flawed. I don’t believe that our letter-grade system works to effectively score our true knowledge. I’ve had teachers who grade by weighing 90% exams and the other 10% participation, while some other teachers don’t even weigh grades. How does this assess our knowledge and do we even retain it?
Many teachers work so hard on squishing a huge curriculum into a short amount of time, so instead of retaining useful information, we cram until our heads hurt so we may pass the class. This method of grading is flawed, because its grading styles differ with every teacher, and every student learns differently. Some students may be able to catch on quickly, while others may take a longer time to grasp the concept. I remember being in my calculus class and not being able to understand concepts until a week after the exam. Some may just not be good at taking exams. To assess based off of a timed test whenever the teacher thinks is appropriate may not be the best way to assess a student’s knowledge if that is not how they learn best.
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So what do you need to get that job you would like? In my opinion, I believe effective communication skills, applicable knowledge, and experience is going to be most helpful tools. School teaches you information and knowledge, but it will not fully prepare you for the actual experience. Additionally, not all careers will require college, but it is still highly encouraged. The fact is, whether it is community college, an Ivy League, or just a GED, you can still be successful if you learn the knowledge in an effective manner. Everyone learns differently. Maybe you do learn better in a structured environment like school, or maybe you learn better from hands on experience. Everyone is different.
Maybe you deserved an A in one class when you actually got a C. Or maybe you even deserved a C and actually got an A! It’s difficult to analyze a student’s knowledge when there are so many different ways a student could learn best. So don’t fret if your grades aren’t what you expected them to be. There are a lot of hidden teachers in the world that will help you get to where you want to be. Just remember to look and experience.
I promise, it’s worth it.
