A controversial article written by the English journalist has recently gone viral. John Haltiwanger which was published in the digital medium EliteDaily.
In this writing, Haltiwanger presented a theory: Students who obtain high academic grades are not necessarily the most intelligent Furthermore, always according to this journalist, “mediocre students” (those who obtain grades ranging from just pass to a notable low), are the ones who tend to be more successful during their work and personal lives. Much more successful than straight A students.
Related article: “Successful people and unsuccessful people: 7 important differences”
Of course, These statements have been the subject of intense debate Not only because Haltiwanger is quite categorical in his exposition, but because he does not provide a scientific basis that can attest to what is said in it.
However, it may be interesting to echo their thoughts and observations so that, at least in a philosophical sense, we all rethink some important aspects of education in general and the school system in particular.
Good grades are no guarantee of anything
We have all realized that Academic qualifications are not always the best predictor of having a successful working life, nor to achieve happiness in the future. On many occasions, those less fortunate in their studies tended to find poorly paid jobs, or even had to join the unemployment lines.
But what happens to those who passed the courses without pain or glory, with grades ranging from 5 to 6.5? As Haltiwanger explains in his now famous article, There are numerous cases of mediocre students who achieved high levels of wealth and fame Thus, it seems that success is not only achieved by people who excel most in their academic stage but, counterintuitively, mediocre students could possess a series of very useful abilities and skills for life.
The classic example of a gray student who had resounding success in his adult life was Steve Jobs the creator of the smartphone and technology brand Manzana. Another standout in this category is none other than Mark Zuckerberg the creator of Facebookor himself Bill Gates creator of Microsoft. We are talking about a central triad of technological innovation in the world, and it is surprising that none of them were brilliant students.
More examples: Sergei Korolev He was the Soviet astrophysicist and engineer who, despite having launched the Sputnik rocket into space, was never a good student. Vladimir Mayakovsky He suffered to be able to learn to read, and Joseph Brodsky who was considered a horrible student, received the Nobel Prize for Literature decades later.
Reviewing the concept of intelligence
What relationship do the concepts of intelligence, academic performance and professional success have with each other? Intelligence has historically been a concept that is the subject of controversy among psychology scholars. What is known is that it is not a good idea to try to draw parallels between academic performance and intelligence since the correlation is not very reliable.
Success in life, for its part, can be defined in many different ways. Each person has their own vision of what success is, and their priorities in life In this case, it is useful to talk about job success (because it is more measurable and univocal), and the truth is that having gotten very good grades in the past does not seem to be a necessary condition, nor does it seem to be very intelligent, for one to be able to generate a brilliant idea that leads to a tremendous Business success.
In short, being successful goes far beyond the schemes imposed by the educational model of each country. To be successful, hWe may be overvaluing the influence of academic results as Haltiwanger points out.
Success requires perseverance, persistence and creativity. But, in addition, to achieve high goals in our lives we must also fail sometimes to realize that everything we do helps us learn and move towards our goals.
The value of failure
This value of failure is what can be one of the contributing factors to future success. And, of course, the most experienced in this matter are the people who suffered to be able to pass and move forward with the school courses. They are individuals who never received great praise or rewards, so They know first-hand the value of effort, daily struggle and the ability to overcome
Probably, the mediocre students learned to manage their failures, something that the outstanding students could not do due to the recurrence in which their grades approached 10. Entrepreneurs who manage to develop good products and/or services usually keep in mind alternative and creative ways. to achieve your successes. Nor they are limited to the established canons or the typical, but they innovate This is how they create totally new products, of high quality and that represent a revolution in their sector. For example, this is what Steve Jobs did with almost all the gadgets he put on the market.
Creativity, another skill that is not developed in school
Following the English journalist’s observations, it seems that mediocre students tend to be the most likely to be natural leaders in their circles of friends. They can guide other pupils beyond the codes and educational context
It is these individuals who present greater creative thinking, and tend to decline interest in rigid and monotonous master classes. These people can be more creative than average, because They do not base their thinking patterns on school logic but on their own experiences
This is one of the points that has generated the most debate. It is very possible that certain methods of formal education work against students being able to develop their critical spirit, their creativity or the possibility of living certain enriching experiences. At school, they usually teach us how things are, but they don’t give us the opportunity to question them. Nor is much emphasis placed on meaningful learning, nor are students provided with tools so that they can solve problems in alternative ways; innovative.
The people who managed to make technology companies work, for the most part, worked with different thinking schemes. They thought beyond the obvious; They launched projects that were not governed by existing parameters. They are individuals who learn quickly, are proactive and do things their own way, and not how others require them to do them.
Be careful: being a bad student is not good news for your future
One thing should be clarified: although Haltiwanger builds this speech around Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and company, The truth is that getting bad grades (or mediocre grades) is no guarantee of personal or professional success Nor is the opposite: obtaining license plates does not give us the key to a prosperous future.
In short, success is marked by a lot of variables, among which character, perseverance, experience and contacts stand out. The grades are, in a sense, secondary.
Haltiwanger’s article can be an encouragement to those people who failed to stand out during their school or university years. Life always offers us new ways to get ahead, opportunities and moments that we must take advantage of. Success or failure in grades is very relative: we get the real experience when we leave the classrooms
