Anonymous wrote:He did, but you missed it.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
But the idea floated on here above that very high academic achievement is some sort of ticket to wealth and success is a faulty one. In Washington, DC there are lots of places where "credentials" are very important (Government, Law, Consulting, etc). But in the rest of the world, its performance that counts. It turns out that attributes like toughness and willingness to take risk and imagination and the ability to work with and through people are much more important. Very smart people are often put into jobs as experts (e/g. Insurance Actuary) while others not so gifted run the company.
You're suggesting that good students who end up in gov/law etc aren't hardworking, tough or willing to take risks?
I'll go beyond that.
It's a bunch of people making up rules and other people who help them to write these rules, who look for loopholes in these rules or defend those who violate the rules.
The whole exercise adds little to American wealth or economic well-being. And that's one of the reasons that both Government and Law professions are held in such low regard by the rest of the Nation. That's as opposed to people in manufacturing and engineering and architecture and construction and agriculture. You know, the people that actually do something.
At the end of the day, these jobs in the Government / Legal area have to be deeply dissatisfying.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
But the idea floated on here above that very high academic achievement is some sort of ticket to wealth and success is a faulty one. In Washington, DC there are lots of places where "credentials" are very important (Government, Law, Consulting, etc). But in the rest of the world, its performance that counts. It turns out that attributes like toughness and willingness to take risk and imagination and the ability to work with and through people are much more important. Very smart people are often put into jobs as experts (e/g. Insurance Actuary) while others not so gifted run the company.
You're suggesting that good students who end up in gov/law etc aren't hardworking, tough or willing to take risks?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Academics are a real meritocracy. I think you are much better off in a school filled with really smart kids with bright competitive futures in diverse intellectual pursuits over a school filled with people who peak athletically when they are 18. But hey the real estate industry isn't going away any time soon.
What misguided snobbery.
Two words for you: Kevin Plank
St John's High School Class of 1990
A famous bit of advice to new college professors. "Be nice to your "A" students as they will become your colleagues. Be nice to your "C" students because they will be donating buildings to the university".
And it seems to me that the real estate people were the only ones in DC to have the money to bring a baseball team to DC.
Anonymous wrote:You have no idea what it takes to be successful in law.
Anonymous wrote:
But the idea floated on here above that very high academic achievement is some sort of ticket to wealth and success is a faulty one. In Washington, DC there are lots of places where "credentials" are very important (Government, Law, Consulting, etc). But in the rest of the world, its performance that counts. It turns out that attributes like toughness and willingness to take risk and imagination and the ability to work with and through people are much more important. Very smart people are often put into jobs as experts (e/g. Insurance Actuary) while others not so gifted run the company.