Success beyond graduation is not always guaranteed following excellence in the classroom as the crucial skills needed in the professional world cannot be taught to students sitting behind a desk. As such, perfect grades will not always mean a successful career as employers look further for ambition, optimism and discipline.
Systematically, students have been taught to prioritize grades over personal growth. Students do this because they live under the false promise that when they get good grades in school, they will be rewarded with a worthwhile job.
College students are under enormous pressure for perfection in their grades, and often times would rather cram for an exam all night for a perfect score rather than invest time in reading for their personal benefit. With a typical grade point average of 3.3 at Kennesaw State, according to Prep Scholar, the vast majority of students value receiving A’s and B’s in classes.
However, life after college often times will not be affected by the grade you earned on your chemistry exam. Instead, the real world demands character, initiative and connection. Of course, education is a great investment and should be taken seriously, but success is not based on outstanding grades.
In fact, some of the world’s most successful CEOs failed during their education. According to CNBC, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and the world’s wealthiest person, dropped out of college. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, dropped out as well. These people all found success without the ball and chain of a transcript.
Ravin Gandhi explained how his skills brought him professional success despite his bad grades in high school in a CNBC article. He was enthusiastic about activities outside of the classroom and invested his time in his passions rather than homework. Although Ghandi was stubborn and a risk-taker, he had an unforgettable drive and communication skills when it was time to step into the professional world and start his own business.
Furthermore, Sally Percy of Forbes Magazine outlines the true keys to success — enthusiasm, luck, family support and a strong moral compass. There’s a noticeable trend here, with not a single mention of grades leading people to perfect careers.
Memorizing facts and passing exams does not give students a complete set of desirable skills. Therefore, relying on a transcript during a job interview will not guarantee that everyone will land their dream job. Students need to bring passion and drive to the table to further their success.
Of course, college students have an innate desire to perform well in their classes and prove their worth through their grades. Students can push themselves to achieve the highest grades they can, but they need to realize that employers would rather value attributes of character. High grades may be fulfilled within our academic bubble, but the lifelong success we long for requires much more than a 4.0 GPA.
