Do Grades Matter?

Do grades matter at all? I believe is the second most popular existential question behind "What is the purpose of my life?" By now you would have read and heard many answers to this question. Many answers leaning toward grades does not matter at all in the future, mostly because in twenty years time nobody would care about your grades, only your experience and skill sets matter. Also, you should enjoy the process of learning and not let the rat race to distinction dampen your intellectual curiosity.

That is true but not entirely correct!

Good grades matter because it is a requirement for entering into recognized universities. And getting into a good university would give you the extra leverage to get into a company you are passionate to work for.

As we become more influenced by western culture, more and more people are talking about embarking on the so called "glorified path" of dropping out of school to chase their dreams and striking it big. All these success stories on the news that are all too similar were sometimes used as an excuse to do badly in school. But the reality is down that path are enormous hurdles you will have to overcome. We are still entrenched in the traditional education route of going to uni then to work. Your parents expects it, society expects it and our education system supports it. If you really want to chase your dream by all means more power to you. But most of us won't, that's why grades do matter. And it matters because it's between working a shitty job for the rest of your life or a job you love and don't mind doing way past your retirement age.

Good grades is also a direct reflection of your work ethic. You can say that I'm not interested that's why i didn't work hard. I will definitely work hard if it's something I'm interested in. But not everything is as interesting as you think. Just like a coin have two sides, there is always a flip side to the interesting things you want to do. Behind those interesting things are failures, tons of grinding and boring menial work. If you can't put in the hard work to study some simple subjects, you can be sure that your attitude is the same when it comes to the flip side and other things in life.

All things said, it is important that you figure out what you want to do in life. If you have no idea, then there is no harm taking the common option. If the common route is not to your taste, then you should dig deep and ask yourself what you are truly interested in. Do you really need a degree to do well in your job? Professions like accountants and doctors need a degree but there are others that do not need one, such as tourism and hospitality where many who work in the front lines are valued for their experience not the degree they have. You don't need to be certified to give good service right?