It is not relevant to this post, nor is it important, to know why I dropped out – only that I did.
Many of my peers’ lives revolve around a GPA. Whether it’s to maintain a scholarship or to simply make it to graduation, for many, every day of class is about getting the grade. Paying attention for those key concepts or formulas that might appear on that test. For so many of us young adults, the majority of the first 18+ years of life that we can remember are spent in classrooms – absorbing, understanding (and/or memorizing) information.
You go through high school focused on getting into college. You go through college focused on getting that degree. And then you get it.
So then you’re expected to practically apply all of those textbook ideas. And you realize it’s no longer a grade on a paper you’re working toward. You don’t get 4 tests before you fail. And you can’t just retake the course. I mean yes, you get up and try again after you’ve failed, but it’s rarely as simple as re-enrolling for the next semester. You’re working toward real goals, not grades. This many sales. That type of quality. Relationships with customers; respect from competitors.
There aren’t enough people in our lives telling us that success isn’t in numbers or grades. It’s in quality and value.
So I’ll tell you: as someone who took education for granted, learn all you can from everyone you meet.
Professors. People who have studied your field for years. People with integrity & passion for what they do. Ask those people questions. And listen. Not for a grade, but to learn.
The Younger Professional 