Does how you do in high school really dictate your future?

I don't think high school dictates much past the high school years. I can't cite any specific examples, but there are people do little better than OK in high school, and then sudden do much better in college.

In your case, you might ask yourself about the difficulty of chemistry. Is it due to a poor teacher? (This happens.) Or is it due to it not being something you are suited for? I know I struggled with both chemistry and physics. I managed to get respectable grades in both classes (A, in fact, in chemistry, which was the top grade). But both classes were hard for me. Both classes were poor matches for my skills and abilities.

I know it's tempting to look at "what pays well." But it is also important to consider "how good am I at this?" and "how much do I like it?"

Indeed, a high school classmate was looking at chemistry just because it paid well. His heart wasn't really in it--or so I sensed--and it's interesting to note that his college career lasted only a year. There was some glitch with financial aid; however, had he been more enthusiastic, that glitch would have been a temporary roadblock.

 

I know for a fact that how you do in high school does not have anything to do with your future and I know a lot of people who were not the brightest or the most academic who would have been looked upon as not having a bright future and they are doing extremely well in life. This one individual in particular was very quiet, a loner and everyone had pegged them as being doomed once they had graduated from high school due to their demeanor. However, somehow...this person had busted out of their shell and is an Executive Vice President of a huge corporation and hosts a lot of successful charity events throughout the city. Who knew???? In other words...don't believe the hype!!!!! your life is all about where you want to go with it and what you wanna do to make it successful...not doing well in high school.

 

I was terrible in high school but I also went to a terrible high school. I blossomed in college. Life got even better when I graduated from college and started doing other things. I rarely even think of high school now. It's not important at all to my life after all this time. It dictated nothing. You're going to go places so don't sweat it!

 

My word of advice don't stress yourself out in high school on subjects that may not pertain to your career interest. If you don't know what your career interest is 100% I recommend going to a 2 year college for general eds instead of 4 year. That way you save a lot more money and not owe the government later in life like most of us. Lol

 

Not really, no. Not unless you drop out (and even then you can get a GED).

The quality of your high school is far more influential. But that's largely a byproduct of one's socioeconomic status - which really is the biggest factor for success in the US, sadly.

 

Honestly, I don't think so. The whole idea that if you fuck up at any point in your high school years means you're going to be a failure in life is a messed up thing to tell kids and young adults---especially since we as a generation haven't been this stressed out since the 40s or 50s, and that says a lot.

A mutual friend of mine dropped out and eventually got his GED, and he's going to start attending one of the top SFX schools in the country soon. My grades were decent in high school (I maintained Bs and Cs until my senior year when I was mostly a straight A student), and I think of myself as doing pretty well for myself--even if I've had may pitfalls and came close to dropping out at least two times during my junior year.

I would say not to stress so much about school if you can help it. You're going to do great, and even if you slip up, that's alright.

 

I did average in High School and thought I had no chance of getting in to the school of my dreams, but I did! And I had to struggle a lot to get to the place I am now, but in the end it was all completely worth it!

 

Maybe getting into college for some people if you want to go somewhere prestigious. I didn't really apply myself in high school but I was able to get into a nice university after a few years in a shitty private college. So it might make life a bit easier if you do really well but if you don't there's always ways to get by still

 

Oops, didn't realize you were in Canada. Still I assume it is relatively similar

 

A lot of people study to become one thing in high school, but becomes something completely different when they finish. It's really hard to know what to become when you're in high school and so young.

However, if you really want to become what you're studying for in high school and fail, it's surely not over... you can always just take other studies for it as you get older (I assume you can where you live)

 

I feel like it matters to a degree. If you want to go to a good 4-year college (straight from high school), you'll need to do well in high school. If you don't plan to do well in college and just be a C student and get your degree, you'll want this route.

However, you can always go to community college and redeem yourself. If you do well there, I think any 4 year college you transfer to won't ask for your high school grades, just proof you graduated (which includes transcripts, but this was after you were accepted -- at least for me). But at community college, it really matters how you do if you intend to transfer!

 

All that matters is if you pass or not. And honestly college is pretty much a joke any more. I make more money with a Commercial Driver's license than the first four people I know with college degrees; which includes two people with a Masters. Plus I don't have any of the debt associated with going to college.

Trade schools are a better option in my opinion. The world needs less useless middle management and more people who know how to actually do things. Wish I was a journeyman electrician, power company was looking for people and it starts at $30 an hour.

 

Ironically for me, the sketches I did on the study guides were much more relevant to my field than the study guides themselves... Unfortunately a lot of things unrelated to your career are considered mandatory for graduation and relevant classes are not. It's sort of a notable flaw in "one size fits all" education.

Sort of how an artist, and animator, graphic designer, clothing designer, or anything in my field doesn't require this:



That sort of thing is for a very specific job type, like an architect or a "hardcore banker". Chemistry is useful on occasion but again is much more relevant to specific jobs like doctors and certain factory managers.

 

No.

 

Doing well in high school leaves doors open. Applying yourself to the fullest extent and getting good grades is the best thing you can do for your future self - but don't let that stress you into thinking you'll be a failure if you don't get perfect grades.

To answer the question of whether someone didn't need the grades they got, I know someone who at 24, after graduating with a law degree, decided a career in visual arts was more her thing and moved into the field. A lot of people have prestigious educations and then choose not to use them, instead picking something they find more personally rewarding. But the person I know who did that still found her legal education rewarding and valuable and became a more intelligent, disciplined and knowledgeable person, so it was certainly not a bad decision to study.

But the opposite circumstance is not great. Setting the bar low and then realising your ambition needed a higher threshold of academic achievement either shuts the door to that ambition, or at least you have to cover a lot of ground and consume time to get to where you want to be.

Getting grades that are lower than you expected isn't the end of the world - there are other things you can do than an elite higher education. But still try your best. Still leave your options open.

 

Fuck no. Not a chance. I mean to an extent but it's only really a factor for college/University. After University, employers won't give a damn if you were a straight A student in high or a C student in high school. I made B's and C's in high school. And now, I'm having the pleasure of interviewing at IBM, Federal Bank, insurance companies. Places that require a really studious person. Was I that in high school? Hell no. But I feel like I redeemed myself in college to get where I am today.

 

I didn't even go to high school. I was "homeschooled" (which was basically me, myself, and some books because my parents sucked) but I got a GED and am halfway through getting my degree one of the best/toughest universities in my area.

That doesn't mean don't try in highschool though because there is so much you learn in highschool that you will need again in the basic entry level college classes and it sucks to have to learn it all from scratch in college.

 

Fuck my high school days. I dropped out in tenth grade and I'm fine with it. I have a GED and special work training; that's all I need.