Zhihu Gaozan: How is the first and last place in the class doing now? Can grades really determine life?
I saw a hot topic on Zhihu before: How are the first and last places in your class now?
I'll give an example based on my own.
The first place in my elementary school class was a boy. He was very smart, so his grades were always good, but in middle and high school, if he didn't work hard, his grades were average. He got an ordinary undergraduate degree and worked in an ordinary company.
The last one in elementary school was also a boy. Although his academic performance was not good, his family was relatively wealthy. In junior high school and high school, he was able to get into a very good school through the trust of his family. He seemed to be studying in Japan at university.
The first place in the junior high school was the monitor, with good looks, good academic performance, and a good family background. Later, he was admitted to a famous university. Now he is working in finance in Shanghai. He is married and has children. He has a happy family.
The last one in junior high school was a girl. In junior high school, she seemed to be in "puppy love". Later, she got married and had children before finishing high school. I heard that she had been a housewife for a few years and was disliked by her in-law's family. Now she is out to start a small business.
The first place in high school, originally had good academic performance, but due to the pressure of the family in the third year of high school, I only took 2 exams because of my abnormal performance. Later, I repeated a year and got one exam. Now I am in a state-owned enterprise.
The last place in high school, just started the first year of high school, the second year of high school is ignorant, skipping classes and fighting is a common thing, but when I was in the third year of high school, I suddenly woke up and was admitted to a key university. After graduation, I worked in a large company in Shenzhen.
The first place in the university is a girl. She is good at learning and playing. She is very good at English. She often participated in various English competitions during college. Later, she went to study in English, and now she returns to work in a foreign company in Shanghai.
There are many rich people in our university. The last one in the university, although his grades are not good, but his family has money to support him to start his own business and open a small studio.
- The first place is not necessarily the most successful, and the last place is not necessarily the most unsuccessful
It is possible that the achievement of the last place is far greater than the achievement of the first place. But what I can tell you is that in a society where development tends to stabilize, the top ten have a far greater chance of success than the bottom ten, and that's it.
Influencing factors:
(1) Acquired effort is more important than innate intelligence
People who were very smart and good grades when they were young may not have good grades when they grew up. Later, they realized that people who work hard and work hard can still change their destiny.
(2) Family education
Some families are teachers and doctors. They have good family education and a good environment since childhood. Although their grades are not the best, they have always been in the top ten. The grades in junior high school and college have always been relatively high, and the job after graduation is very good. .
(3) Family economic level
Good grades + rich family = bright future
Good grades + poor family = poor family
Poor grades + rich family = no worries about the future
Poor grades + poor family = little hope
Even if you don’t study well, the resources at home can make up for the shortcomings, and it’s normal to be better than a student after you leave school. And some poor students from families with poor educational conditions are really poor students, and there is a high probability that they have always been at the bottom of society.
- Why are we always deeply influenced by the story of "Counter Attack"?
Why did you mention that what happened to the first and last place in your class?
What we often think of in our minds is the story of the first person in the junior high school class now working for the last person, and the last person counterattacked and became the boss.
It conforms to a psychological law called "heuristic judgment" in psychology.
Heuristic judgment refers to a mental shortcut that people will use to judge the probability of an event based on past (similar or unrelated) experiences under uncertain conditions, even if these experiences are not accurate enough.
For example, many people are always afraid of flying, but they are not worried about taking a bus or a taxi. But if you look at the statistics, among the various modes of transportation such as railways, roads, ships, and airplanes, the airplane is the safest one, and the number of people killed by cars every year is several hundred times that of airplanes.
The reason for this impression is that the report of the plane crash has a great impact, and it is easy to recall it afterwards. The example of a plane crash jumps into your head immediately, makes you dread, and therefore looks scarier, and this is called the "availability heuristic."
When 99% of the last names are unknown and the remaining 1% of stories are told, and these stories are still particularly impressive, it is easy for you to exaggerate the representativeness of these 1% of people subconsciously. And forget the mainstream 99%.
- Life is a marathon, not ranking
The first or last place can only represent the state of study for a period of time. Some students have poor grades for a period of time due to various reasons, but after adjustment, they will soon enter the state of study, and their grades will be greatly improved. .
Life is a marathon. The quality of performance is only one aspect of ability. Everyone's growth path is different. Find the path that suits you and stick to it!
What is success in life? wealth? Fame and fortune? status? safe and sound? Good grades in reading? Marry a beautiful woman? Full of children and grandchildren? , Different people have different understandings and pursuits.
Some things are more important than rankings. Such as life attitude, physical health, beautiful things and so on.
In short, for me, being able to work hard to live the life I want is happiness.