Anonymous wrote:I think your results are very distorted by self selection here.

My C sibling didn't go to college and works for a retail company, making about 30k a year as a 35 year old. I think this is standard.

This.

Frankly all the B/C (and lower) students I know currently who are about 25-ish now "work for their dad." Except dad holds down a corporate job as an engineer or accountant or whatever, so you wonder how that's possible. Well turns out DS is in "real estate with his dad" -- i.e. dad owns one single rental property which he's had for 20 yrs with stable tenants for 10 yrs and DS "manages" that, full time. Yeah -- I'm sure depositing that rent check 1x/month is a 40 hr/wk task . . . .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haha! I was a C/D student and spent more time developing my social skills. Further worked on my social skills at Radford. I'm now married, with 2 kids, I had a successful sales career, decided I hate travel and now am in sales management. I pull in more money that surgeons.

Do I want my kids to get bad grades? No! However, success (at least in a career) is highly dependent on your ability to network, your power of persuasion, your confidence, and your likeability. All soft skills.

+1

I was an B- student in HS and college. I spent most my time practicing my golf game. After college graduation from a D3 school, I happened to play golf at the Army/Navy CC in Alexandria to kill time while looking for a job, I met this guy who was impressed with my golf game and wanted me to hang out with him playing golf at his Riverbend CC. Long story short, I am now married to his daughter and working for him in managing high tech and pharmaceutical start ups. I have more $$$ than what I want to do with it.

Glad it worked out but I wouldn't want my kid working for his FIL. Messes up the family/power/$ dynamic for most. If one is a B/C student -- have them figure out something on their own that is just THEIRS.

My B/C sibling is CEO of an international corporation.

Sales. Hope the B/C student is a talker with some charisma. If not -- I don't think the future is looking too great for an introverted B/C student.

C's get degrees!!!!

I think it depends on WHY the kid is a B/C student.

Those are average grades. If the kid is charismatic and hard working but of only average or slightly above average intelligence, s/he will be fine! Someone with those grades can easily make it through a college degree in most large universities without remediation. S/he could be a teacher, run a small business, go into politics, have a successful military career via one of the academies...it depends on the kid’s other skills and interests.

If the kid is actually really smart but lazy and uninterested, start praying that something catches his/her attention and provides the motivation that’s intrinsically lacking. The unhappiest people I know are smart, lazy people who end up in jobs that they think are beneath them because they never had the work ethic to do something with their abilities.

If the kid is average in every way, that’s ok, too. First level supervisors are often pretty average people. The kid will make a decent living, though maybe not what kid grew up with, and s/he will likely find happiness and contentment. It often seems that average people have an easier time being happy, so that’s something to feel good about.

Future will be great as long as B/C/D/E/F kids are not Asians.

Anonymous wrote:The majority of kids who get B/Cs don't end up with $200K jobs down the road. The vast, vast, VAST majority.

The wrong question was asked.

There is absolutely no correlation between kids who get As and being successful in life.

There is correlation between hard work and being successful in life.

Probably 99.997% of folks in DCUM are very hard working people thus that's how you become successful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your results are very distorted by self selection here.

My C sibling didn't go to college and works for a retail company, making about 30k a year as a 35 year old. I think this is standard.

I totally agree that B/C students can succeed because I was also one of them.
But I think there's MASSIVE selection bias by asking this question on DCUM. You're asking a group of largely successful, mostly >5%ers (many >2%ers) whether any of them got B/Cs.
Of course some did.

The majority of kids who get B/Cs don't end up with $200K jobs down the road. The vast, vast, VAST majority.

Agree. This is a sub sub set of the population living in DC and on DCUM. Travel to Harrisburg PA or Richmond VA or Morgantown WV and ask the question. My C+ student sibling lives in a small PA town and makes $25k a year in banking back office operations.

Anonymous wrote:I think your results are very distorted by self selection here.

My C sibling didn't go to college and works for a retail company, making about 30k a year as a 35 year old. I think this is standard.

I totally agree that B/C students can succeed because I was also one of them.
But I think there's MASSIVE selection bias by asking this question on DCUM. You're asking a group of largely successful, mostly >5%ers (many >2%ers) whether any of them got B/Cs.
Of course some did.

The majority of kids who get B/Cs don't end up with $200K jobs down the road. The vast, vast, VAST majority.

I actually think mine might be more successful. My straight A, perfectionist child is almost robotic at times. "Must get an A..." My second one is mostly B's, a C here and there, mostly honors classes no AP, is very well rounded and has an amazing work ethic. He will never devote the amount of time to his grades that he does to other interests and his social life. I think both will be fine. Completely different kids, on two separate paths both ok. My third is still too young but seems more like his "average" bro. Not worried.

I was a B/C student (2.75 in HS and 2.8 in college.) I went on to grad school (3.5), have a career with middle management, a great DH, 2 great kids (who are also getting B/C.) I was fortunate to know what I wanted to do and figured out a path to get there (internships, etc.) I am great at the stuff I love...not so great at the stuff I don't care about.

I’m not very good at taking my own advice but here goes. Some kids just take longer to figure things out. They are bright but don’t apply themselves in school until they hit college. Or might need to learn from the school of hard knocks. I was a 3.0 student but did well on the SAT so ended up at a decent college, found myself there and ended up graduating with a 3.7. Went on to grad school where I earned staight As. DH was a terrible student and dabbled in cc. He eventually dropped out. After a few years working in physically grueling jobs, he returned to cc, applied himself and transfered to a 4 year college. He is the hardest working person I have ever met and does well in his career although we are far from wealthy for this area. However, the most successful people I know in terms of income (which is what I think most parents worry about) are those with off the charts social skills. They’ve all excelled in business. One was a valedictorian and Ivy League grad but the majority were very mediocre students. But that’s not to say that all mediocre students end up ok. My nephew barely made it through HS and has been working odd jobs for the last decade living with his parents. We also have several relatives who were great students (straight As, near perfect SATs) who have had very unremarkable careers. And I know one ivy league who works in daycare. Absolutely an admirable career but not something one would expect.

Still, I want my kids to do well in school. I tell them not to stress about grades but if I’m being honest with myself, I am very stressed about it. I try to remind myself that they have time to mature.

Anonymous wrote:Haha! I was a C/D student and spent more time developing my social skills. Further worked on my social skills at Radford. I'm now married, with 2 kids, I had a successful sales career, decided I hate travel and now am in sales management. I pull in more money that surgeons.

Do I want my kids to get bad grades? No! However, success (at least in a career) is highly dependent on your ability to network, your power of persuasion, your confidence, and your likeability. All soft skills.

+1

I was an B- student in HS and college. I spent most my time practicing my golf game. After college graduation from a D3 school, I happened to play golf at the Army/Navy CC in Alexandria to kill time while looking for a job, I met this guy who was impressed with my golf game and wanted me to hang out with him playing golf at his Riverbend CC. Long story short, I am now married to his daughter and working for him in managing high tech and pharmaceutical start ups. I have more $$$ than what I want to do with it.

Haha! I was a C/D student and spent more time developing my social skills. Further worked on my social skills at Radford. I'm now married, with 2 kids, I had a successful sales career, decided I hate travel and now am in sales management. I pull in more money that surgeons.

Do I want my kids to get bad grades? No! However, success (at least in a career) is highly dependent on your ability to network, your power of persuasion, your confidence, and your likeability. All soft skills.