Don’t Sacrifice Every Thing on the Altar of Your Certificates. Part 1

The tragedy of the educational system is that academic excellence is everything. From childhood, we are programmed to believe that just by scoring higher marks we’ll have a brighter future, more likely to be richer, successful and celebrated. Many of us got up to the rude awakening that mere academic excellence does not necessarily guarantee success, wealth or fame.

The Education System does NOT prepare people for life. The Education System prepares people for jobs. When life happens, your certificate will not save you. That's why you need to prepare yourself for life - invest in your mind, read the right books, associate with the right people, attend seminars/workshops, work on yourself daily, love God, forgive, do something you believe in, etc.

Never stop learning just because you graduated from school with a certificate. There are many types of intelligence – like skills, talents, and informal education. Life doesn't respect certificates. School rewards people for their caution and memory but Life rewards people for their imagination and daring. Never limit yourself to the classroom. The truth is, life requires much more than your ability to understand a concept, memorise it and reproduce it in an exam. Intelligence and excellence in life is not limited to being able to memorise mind-numbing information and provide cut and paste answers thereof.

As Prof. Abletor Sedofia rightly put it “Academic excellence is overrated. Being top of your class does not necessarily guarantee that you will be at the top of life.” You could graduate as the best student in Finance but it doesn't mean you will make more money than everybody else. The best graduating Law student does not necessarily become the best lawyer. School hails those who live by the rules. Life exalts those who break the rules and set new ones. So, am I saying people shouldn't study hard in school? Am I discouraging people from achieving highest marks in school? Oh, no, you definitely should. But don't sacrifice every other thing on the altar of your certificate. Don't limit yourself to the classroom. Do something practical. Take a leadership position. Start a business and fail. Join a club or start a club. Enter a contest and lose. All these will teach you more about life and yourself much more than school could ever teach you.

There is more within you. You have what it talks to be a success just like anyone else. Never let anyone make you feel inferior because you’re not as good academically as others. You have talents. You can learn new skills and you have what it takes to be innovative. Your best certificate you can have is your brain and ability to create your own reality. Don’t let the school system or certificate decide your fate.

Think less of becoming an excellent student but think more of becoming an excellent person. Don’t make your certificates to become your everything. Don't make the classroom to be your world but make the world your classroom. Forget your certificates! Step forward, try business, try writing, try designing, try arts, try politics, try farming – try an extra thing. Try that thing you’ve always wanted to try.

By Nicky Verd

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