The thing about competing vs. being unique!

It was roughly 1.5 years back when my uncle expressed his concerns about my cousin's 10th board results in his usually stressed-out tone. His concerns mainly surrounded the chances of my cousin scoring less than 90%. What if my cousin fails to attain even 90% (the modern-day bare minimum!)? What will that do to my uncle's reputation? How will my uncle even speak to his colleague, whose son scored 95% that same year?

(Was that a failed attempt at sarcasm! :p)

I found my uncle's expectations and overall thoughts about it concerning since my cousin doesn't see much interest in his studies. He is talented in music and sports and represents his school for badminton. Alongside singing, he plays various instruments too. He is a talented, healthy, and jovial kid who has his entire life in front of him. I am sure he will come up with something, but that might not exactly match the path my uncle has thought for him.

Well...his concerns are rational to some extent...

How much we try to underplay its importance, scores are still taken as a representation of someone's ability. My uncle's argument is valid 'Nowadays, scoring above 90% is extremely common, so, if he cannot even score 90%, isn't he already out of the race?' This argument made me ponder a prevalent practice that most of us follow. We compete and try to win or level up with our peers. But aren't we spending so much energy and effort on becoming better than others that we unknowingly ignore our unique skills and potentials? For instance, if I scored 85% and my friend scored 90%, on the other hand, I read 50 books that same year, whereas she could finish just 10. Either way, both of us have invested in personal growth, inching towards two separate career paths. We will ultimately be having different careers, so why compare apples to oranges!

Even when we are being interviewed, isn't that distinctive thought process is what gives a candidate an edge over another? Sure, scores are critical. They indicate your competitive nature and how you work under pressure alongside certifying your knowledge. But, in today's world, where there are so many scopes and requirements for various types of talents and skills, there's high demand for people who can bring something different to the table.

Moreover, job roles are ever-evolving. For instance, before my 10th board, I had no clue about any job role for digital marketing that would one day require creating thought processes alongside analytical abilities. Had my parents pressured me to study harder and not encouraged me to continue my creative pursuits, things might have turned out very differently.