was it worth it?

Were all those hours you invested into studying in high school/college worth it? Are you where you wanted to be? Im only in high school and I belong to the top 10 percent of all students in the country but I ask myself if it is really worth it. what do you guys have to say to this?

Impossible to know since we only live once.

Originally Posted by Windycity

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Were all those hours you invested into studying in high school/college worth it? Are you where you wanted to be? Im only in high school and I belong to the top 10 percent of all students in the country but I ask myself if it is really worth it. what do you guys have to say to this?

stay in school. the investment that you are making really isn't that big, for what you get out of it.

I think at a certain point there's diminishing returns. It depends on what the value is to you or others of really top academic performance. I mean I studied a fair bit and was always in probably the top 25% or more but was never interested in being top 10% or higher. There's a whole nother level of work to get there and I personally didn't think it was worth it. I studied what I enjoyed learning about, worked smarter rather than harder in some cases, and never failed anything. Below the average was a sort of 'failure' mark in my view, without any real consequence though. Nothing i've ever wanted to do required that top level of performance where top quartile wasn't good enough either. I entered university with the mantra, I'd rather look back and say i wish I'd partied more instead of I really should have studied harder. but ****, after 5 years and 2 degrees, I probably could have studied the same and gone out a lot more instead of staying home because it was the "right" thing to do to put in those extra few hours that probably had a negligible difference. Don't let your schooling get in the way of your education. High school and Uni is as much about learning who you are, making friends, hooking up, etc as it is about passing tests. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by... (anyone?), ok just kidding. My piece of advice besides get a good all round experience is to actually try to learn the material. I focused too much on just learning to pass a test instead of really trying to understand and learn the material. The degree is supposed to imply that you actually understand what you studied.

Just get school over with. The sooner the better. You don't want to be kicking yourself 15 years from now for not finishing school when you were young. Which happens to many of us. It's really tough out there without some kind of degree. Sure, some degrees look nice on your wall despite you being a waiter, but it's better than nothing.

Originally Posted by Master-Classter

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I think at a certain point there's diminishing returns. It depends on what the value is to you or others of really top academic performance. I mean I studied a fair bit and was always in probably the top 25% or more but was never interested in being top 10% or higher. There's a whole nother level of work to get there and I personally didn't think it was worth it. I studied what I enjoyed learning about, worked smarter rather than harder in some cases, and never failed anything. Below the average was a sort of 'failure' mark in my view, without any real consequence though. Nothing i've ever wanted to do required that top level of performance where top quartile wasn't good enough either.

I entered university with the mantra, I'd rather look back and say i wish I'd partied more instead of I really should have studied harder. but ****, after 5 years and 2 degrees, I probably could have studied the same and gone out a lot more instead of staying home because it was the "right" thing to do to put in those extra few hours that probably had a negligible difference. Don't let your schooling get in the way of your education. High school and Uni is as much about learning who you are, making friends, hooking up, etc as it is about passing tests.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by... (anyone?), ok just kidding. My piece of advice besides get a good all round experience is to actually try to learn the material. I focused too much on just learning to pass a test instead of really trying to understand and learn the material. The degree is supposed to imply that you actually understand what you studied.

im definitely not thinking of dropping out or anything. but here where i live, there are 4 levels of school and only the top level can go to college(Switzerland), the other three levels do an apprenticeship after year 9. I dont have to study that much, but still do a lot for school. I just wonder if it even makes that much of a different go to school through year 16. Im going to end up doing it as my father and I see how much he loves his job, but quite a few of the older people I know say it wasnt worth the extra 7 years of school. As i already said, dropping out is no option but I'd just like to see for whom it was really worth it.

Originally Posted by Windycity

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Were all those hours you invested into studying in high school/college worth it? Are you where you wanted to be? Im only in high school and I belong to the top 10 percent of all students in the country but I ask myself if it is really worth it. what do you guys have to say to this?

The better question is: Is what you'd be doing instead of focusing on school rewarding enough to make up for the potential loss of income? If you're putting school off to hang drywall and drink with your friends, you'll probably going to regret is before you're 30. If you're doing good deeds or making amazing art, you may not.

You can balance shool and fun.

In high school I was somewhat of a slacker and got by on smarts. When I was accepted to university I decided to buckle down and push myself. I studied very hard and graduated in the top 1% of my faculty. Did I really need to study that much? Maybe not, but doing so accomplished a number of things. It impressed interviewers at the job I currently hold, which means something I suppose, but most importantly it taught me that if I apply myself I can be better than almost anyone at what I do. Disciplined study also taught me important organization and time management skills that I lacked until that point.

So in conclusion, yes it was worth it for me. But more so because I needed to find a way to instil some discipline in my life and I needed to learn how to work diligently. I don't think the high GPA and academic awards really mean that much for me today besides looking good on a CV.

I pulled an A- average in college. I argue that it will always be worth it, because even until my last year of college I didn't know what I'd be doing with my life, and two years after graduation, I changed again. I didn't end up doing an MSc or LLB, but I could easily change my mind. It's nice to know my GPA is adequate to help get me into professional or grad school.

A good education never hurt anybody...

...you are too young right now to appreciate the value of that education, but in the years to come you will realize that very little in this world provides the level of opportunities afforded by the combination of education and motivation.

Originally Posted by Windycity

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Were all those hours you invested into studying in high school/college worth it? Are you where you wanted to be? Im only in high school and I belong to the top 10 percent of all students in the country but I ask myself if it is really worth it. what do you guys have to say to this?
School will get you the interview, it wont get you the job. Work your ass off Monday through Thursday. **** the rest.

Yes. Mostly because I am making far more money than I expected I would be at age 27. Obviously the work I've done since I graduated has been a huge part of that, but without the degree I got I wouldn't be where I am.

ime, I WISH I invested more into studying in hs and college. make no mistake- I am very very happy with where I am in my life right now, but looking back I realize I didn't take full advantage of what I had back then- specially studying in the best schools around here, and chosen to just "coast along" in school when I know I can do much more than that.

Originally Posted by acidboy

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ime, I WISH I invested more into studying in hs and college. make no mistake- I am very very happy with where I am in my life right now, but looking back I realize I didn't take full advantage of what I had back then- specially studying in the best schools around here, and chosen to just "coast along" in school when I know I can do much more than that.

Yeah, but hindsight is 20/20. If I would have known better I might have:

1) Studied ****** of in HS
2) Attended Princeton
3) Studied ****** off at Princeton
4) Rhodes Scholar
5) YLS
6) Clerk for a Supreme Court Justice
7) State Department

But life doesn't work like that, at least not for most of us. Most of us screw up for awhile and then snap out of it one day and try to put something good together that will take us somewhere. That's what I did, and I'm goddamn I'm proud I did it my way. Don't get me wrong, following the above mentioned path may have been more straightforward (even if it demands incredible amounts of work) but I'm proud of myself that I turned my life around, to some extent. It's really been a wonderful and affirming experience, as corny as that sounds.

yes.