Marks don’t matter! Is it true?
Truth is bitter like a medicine, and most people detest them unless they have fallen seriously ill consuming what is tasty, sweet, fattening and harmful. Most people are ignorant and irrational, and they wish to hear fiction and believe in the stories that suit them.
It is a fact that in every examination and competition in the world, only one person is a topper, and only a few people are successful. For example, in the Civil Services Examination conducted in India, less than a thousand people succeeded in making it to the final list. Even among the successful people, only a few get the choice of their service and cadre.
And what decides their success?
It is marks obtained in the competition.
Importance of Marks in Success
Marks are important in almost every success in the modern world, whether you wish to become a doctor, engineer, manager, or professor.
If you perform poorly in school, college, or in competition, you will end up getting low-paying jobs, doing menial work with low pay, and living a poor quality of life. Most of the time, there is a direct correlation between marks and success.
However, in less than 1% of cases, students with poor marks also achieve great success when they become successful actors, sportsmen, businessmen, political leaders, or artists. Yet their numbers are very small, and you can count their numbers with your fingers.
For instance, for every successful film star, thousands end up playing the role of extra throughout their lives. They often live in slums, get pathetic wages, and are hardly noticed by the audience, even when they are standing next to the superstar.
Reality Check: Success vs. Academic Performance
More than 99% of writers, artists, sportsmen, and singers can’t earn even as much income as the lowest employee in any organised sector job. Yet, people don’t tell the story of these 99% of people, only talk about the success of 0.01% of people, and then try to convince people that success has no connection with academic performance.
Most poor performers readily accept these fallacious stories as truth and follow them only to repent later in their lives for falling into the trap of the untruths and lies spread around by motivational speakers and smart businessmen.
Ranbir Kapoor image source : Quick Spice Via Flickr
This blog was originally written by me as an answer on Quora.