Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, author says(foxbusiness.com)

Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, author says

http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/05/26/why-valedictorians-rarely-become-millionaires-author-says.html

11 comments

If you look at the people that become billionaires you'll see that they are the ones that break the rules just enough so they don't end up in jail or become social outcasts. They are not the great rule followers. Great students can have a nice life but will never become the ones that fight their way out of social norms to create world changing products.

They are followers that need to become leaders and get out of that shell. They have the self discipline but need a way to stop being ruled by others.

diafygi9 anni fa

World changing products often don't come from just billionaires, they come from all over. Billionaires just tend to be the ones that are good at monetizing them. Others are good at doing other things with them. How many valedictorians won a Nobel, Pulitzer, etc.?

ikeyany9 anni fa

A high GPA or SAT score doesn't necessarily mean you're smart--it means you're good at maneuvering within a system and doing what's asked of you. Understanding that will lead you to a far more satisfying adulthood, in my opinion.

vannevar9 anni fa

This is a classic case of survivor's bias. You're explaining away the failures as people who must've broken the rules too much. But that's circular reasoning. A simpler explanation is that rule-breaking has little to do with financial success.

rb8089 anni fa

Its interesting to me because I'm conflicted to how to raise my children. There are a lot tiger moms around and you have to be confident that pushing kids academically might not be the best thing to do.

My touchstone is my super academic cousin who has always topped their class in ivy league universities and who is also one of the most screwed up and unhappy people I know.

So any article that says top grades aren't the best thing to strive for is worth reading. Self selecting I'm sure but a good counter balance to what is out there.

WheelsAtLarge9 anni fa

Our school systems have been built with the idea of creating great workers and citizens not necessarily leaders so it's not surprising valedictorians are rarely millionaires. Kids are rewarded for following the rules and not causing waves. By definition changes come from those that don't like the rules and make their own. That doesn't define a valedictorian.

I don't have any kids but I've always thought that sending kids to a school that uses the Montessori system would be my first choice for my kids. The way I understand it they focus on teaching kids to be more reliant on their abilities rather than going to someone to get things done. It gives kids the confidence to tackle problems where they don't have a defined path to an answer. They learn problem solving tools to reach their goals.

I think this is a better way for kids to reach their goals in life as opposed to always relying on someone to help them.

By the way, Jeff Bezos was a Montessori student.

[deleted]9 anni fa

brianmcc9 anni fa

I happen to agree. I also think that standing back a little, albeit with support and encouragement, and giving kids space to develop their own intrinsic motivation is far more likely to lead to a happy adult.

I'd rather my kids grow up to be happy than some false measure of "successful".

dafty49 anni fa

Bezos was valedictorian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos

conical9 anni fa

Thanks for the balance.

sparky_z9 anni fa

By itself, that's not in contradiction with it being a rare event.