Good academic results = Good future ?

[auntieM]

I think LUCK plays a part here too… …have to be in the right place, at the right time.

[vlim]

My brother has been telling me that having good results don't guarantee good future and income. The kid has to be inculcated to be able to 'socialize' and be more yuan hua so that when they are out in the working enviroment they will be able to get promoted fast or what so ever. But it is always 'easy to say then do' ....so now he makes me worry for my ds that he might be yuan hua enough to survive in the working world...

[tankee]

of course, good results don’t guarantee good future and income.



good results in the right course will just open doors to job / scholarship interviews. Whether can get that job or scholarships depends on a lot of other factors.


lousy results or wrong course, would face lots of difficulty in getting any interviews.

[jedamum]

vlim:

emm sad to say there is no guarantee that having struggle for good results, the kids will have bright future. They might end up doing a monotone 9 to 5 job with a salary that just enough them to buy a HDB flat (joint acc with sponse)...

So would like to have your views on this issue...

to some, doing a monotone 9 to 5 job with a salary just enough to buy a HDB flat is 'future' enough as compared to one who has to do odd job and hardly have enough to feed the family. so how do you define bright future? being contented and thankful with what one has, isn't that also sufficient?
i had pretty good results, but now am a SAHM, so do i have a bright future? some said 'wasted ah' while some said having a good family is future enough for me. so what say you?
i had pretty good results and worked for a line which i studied for, before i got married and become a SAHP, the coy i worked for had my career plan mapped out - it helps that academic results made the bosses sat up to notice you for the start, but from then on, it is all about job performance. it is not a monotone 9-5 job; it is a stressful 8am-10pm job at a pay that is still largely below financial jobs level, but good enough for me. i am thankful for the level of education i had and although the industry i was in has tons of OT, at that point (before marriage), i am thankful that i have a decent paying job.
on another side, my bro did not have a local polytechnic diploma. his salary scale is pretty much stuck at a level after so many years. but, he need not do overtime and can spend his free time with his family and socialising. so does it mean that unless he strike it rich going entrepreneur stream, he is deemed 'not having a bright future'??

the only thing certain about the future is its uncertainties. there is no guarantee that having struggle for good results, the kids will have bright future; pretty much same as that there is no guarantee that having struggle and put in so much in your job/work that you will not be retrenched when the crunch comes.

jmho.

[keroppi]

jedamum:

so how do you define bright future? being contented and thankful with what one has, isn't that also sufficient?

Exactly, these are my thoughts too. How do one rate success? Good academic results may provide some a good headstart, but ultimately it is up to them to shape their own future/career. Still, I think the key to happy living is contentment.

[corneyAmber]

Good results only guarantees opening the door, the rest is up to you.

[mummyjoyce]

Good result is a bonus. Above average is good enough. Most impt skillsets are soft skill and hardworking.

[MMM]

Contradicting huh.... I don't believe that good results is the key to future. But I do believe that it is a stepping stone/ it provides you with more opportunities. On the other hand, as a parent, of course we hope that our kids will have good results. It's more like a \"one down\" kind of thoughts though both hubby and i are clearly aware that doing well in school doesn't mean everything or guarantee you a bright future or good life.


Yes other skills are equally important. Eg. EQ. Also, I believe in luck and fate too.

I didn't have good results when I was younger, went to normal stream and ended up doing my degrees on a distance learning basis when I finally realised the importance of studying. Typical late bloomer. But if I were to compare with my primary school peers who went ahead to top/ good sec school, top/ good JC and local uni or some being a scholar, I am not shy to say that I am probably paid better than some of them/ not way behind them. Sometimes, I feel that it's the work attitude and also the opportunities that are made available to one. So does this voice down to fate and luck???

I've also seen cases of my cousin who did very well from primary to sec school. Typical top student and she was the pride of my auntie and uncle. We are of the same age. Then in Sec 3, she mixed with some bad friends and ended up leaving school with no \"O\" levels. :roll:

[vlim]

MMM:

Contradicting huh.... I don't believe that good results is the key to future. But I do believe that it is a stepping stone/ it provides you with more opportunities. On the other hand, as a parent, of course we hope that our kids will have good results. It's more like a \"one down\" kind of thoughts though both hubby and i are clearly aware that doing well in school doesn't mean everything or guarantee you a bright future or good life.


Yes other skills are equally important. Eg. EQ. Also, I believe in luck and fate too.

I didn't have good results when I was younger, went to normal stream and ended up doing my degrees on a distance learning basis when I finally realised the importance of studying. Typical late bloomer. But if I were to compare with my primary school peers who went ahead to top/ good sec school, top/ good JC and local uni or some being a scholar, I am not shy to say that I am probably paid better than some of them/ not way behind them. Sometimes, I feel that it's the work attitude and also the opportunities that are made available to one. So does this voice down to fate and luck???

I've also seen cases of my cousin who did very well from primary to sec school. Typical top student and she was the pride of my auntie and uncle. We are of the same age. Then in Sec 3, she mixed with some bad friends and ended up leaving school with no \"O\" levels. :roll:

MMM, u have given a very good example of good results not= bright future + good income. As what u have mentioned earlier, that doesn't mean we can let our kids slack in their studies right...so...contradicting...so probably it still down to one's fate and luck and of course the working attitude..

[Blobbi]

Good results = good life? Reading through vlim’s post, I think she means financial success in life. Personal happiness is something else, although it’s related.


Good results are meant to show a person’s motivation, resolve, problem solving capabilities, energy level, competitive spirit, confidence and ambitions. These are all the foundations of a successful career.

Can you have these factors without good results? It’s possible because these factors can start coming into play after the schooling years. Can you have good results without these factors? Yes too, especially at a young age when the parent is the driving force. But too much of parental drive can cause burnout for the child. I say with humility - managing ourselves is easier said than done.

I truly believe, let the child develop. The danger in only focusing on good results is that we communicate to our kid that that is the be-all-and-end-all. I’m trying hard at home to go beyond short-termism (very hard, but gotta do it). Excellence doesn’t always have an A* attached because life is much bigger than the few subjects taught in school. I want to encourage passion and interest, because this can sustain over a lifetime rather than over a school career. But there’s not much I can/should do because I want my son to get used to being responsible for his own life.

Beyond all this, like what auntieM and MMM says, it’s luck and opportunity. Luckily our ancestors landed here and not in Vietnam (well, the survivors are thriving, but not the few generation before) or we wouldn’t be what we are today.