A lesson learnt beyond classrooms
Let's be honest with ourselves we can't learn everything about life just from school, what I mean is that school alone can't be of a guarantee we will be exposed to the world and full of experiences life itself teaches.
I was that young brilliant child in my senior secondary school whose name will always appear at the very first three topper of the class and who always top a particular subject called geography, awwwwn I loved everything about geography science. I was the one most teachers especially the geography teacher would say pointing directly to me "if most of you student would read hard like him you will succeed. I always had some pride back then my friends would say "better let your head not swell!" a way of jealously letting me know I can be overthrown anytime soon. I always Chuckled upon hearing those words.
From Senior secondary school two, I barely knew what failure looked like acquiring As and Bs grade but I was quick to forget how I struggle in my early days of schooling especially the difficulty in speaking without stuttering, phew! It's just like fame or money you taste immediately and go off balance forgetting where you came from. I was carried away though.
Teachers for sure admired me.
My parent and siblings boasted about me.
Hey wait! I haven't said achieving success through hard isn't worth any celebration I meant it shouldn't be a base for distraction and pride.
Well, life indeed has a way of humbling a prideful person because I of some sort took those mentality along to the University not until my final year.
I remembered the first time I faced a real-life challenge, one that had nothing to do with textbooks, exams nor lecture room.
I had just finished my from the higher institution, filled with hope and excitement, believing the world would just open doors for me because of my academic excellence.
I was ready to excel but then, life asked me questions that my academic records or certificates can't answer.
How do you build financial stability when there are very minimal or No jobs waiting for you??
How do one navigate relationships, business or office partnership and deal with heartbreak, betrayal or rejection??
How do you develop emotional intelligence, effective communication and resolving conflict ??
How do you push through segregation, self-doubt and imposter syndrome ??
Well I had no answer to all that questions.
It was interesting how I could solve complex equations, analyse data and statistic, even write research papers, but I didn't know how to manage stress or make strategic life decisions for hard going periods.
And that's when it came to my realisation:
ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE IS NOT INTELLIGENCE AND EXPOSURE.
ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE IS NOT WISDOM!.
For years, society and "only student gatherings" had conditioned me to believe that excelling in school alone meant I would automatically excel in life.
But that was a lie, school is one thing and outside school is another. There's was more to life not till when I graduated I felt it personally.
Intelligence is more than just passing exams
It's about understanding people in regards to psychology, navigating emotions, making life decisions and adapting to life uncertainties.
Academic knowledge is far different from wisdom.
It's about divine knowledge, learning from failures and making choices that align with purpose not general takes.
The world now do not reward an individual for memorizing textbooks rather it rewards those who solve real problems, take initiative(mastering a skill) and create value.
So if you're a student reading and going through this write up, I reaffirm I am not saying academic isn't important, it's a must to be educated.
But don't make the mistake of thinking that a first-class degree will guarantee a first class job and life all together automatically.
Learn beyond the classroom. Be exposed on things about life too.
Create emotional intelligence.
Improve communication skills
Learn how to be dynamic in networking, sell yourself and seize opportunities.
Because at the end of the day, life doesn't care about the cumulative grade point average rather it cares about what you know and can offer.
What's one lesson life has taught you that textbooks and school didn't ?
Let's talk in the comment.
