I was never dumb, but I don't quite fit into society's idea of smart. When people asked me about my career prospects I always based it around what I loved like music or the internet rather than my potential salary (although this is important). I didn't do well in high school, my teachers always said that I talked too much or that I asked too many difficult questions. Growing up I always thought that it was good to ask questions, at least that's what my parents taught me.
But that's not what loyal workers do.
Trust me, I am not here to shit all over your careers. I have huge respect for people of academic achievement and entrepreneurship, perhaps even greater respect for the "normal" people out there working 9-5 to provide for themselves and their family.
Bare with me, I'd like to make some observations of the school system.
If you're anything like me you've been interested in maths, science, nature, philosophy, politics, music etc for a long time. But when you got to high school any wonder and ambition you had in these fields was slowly and systemically squeezed out by the tunnel vision style of schooling we deal with today.
Obviously there is some clear exceptions. One is that you were lucky, you didn't go to a high school full of its own ambition to strive as a business, one free of prejudice, religious influence and far-fetched curricula. Other people were quite literally born to strive in the schooling system and they do so from the get go, credit to them also.
I guess I wasn't really your typical 7-12 year old. I played outside like every other kid but at home I was little geek obsessed by such things as geology and robotics. I was a maths wiz, even well into high school I got complimented on my ability to do equations in my head efficiently and pick up mathematic processes quickly. I was on my way to being the golden child of the family, I think my parents certainly thought it. Mum, dad, my sister and her husband are all engineers, I felt pressure early on to continue the family tradition of higher education and a respectable career. Truth is they never put this pressure on me themselves, but I did feel the weight of high expectations early on.
Ahh high school, it means a great many different things for most people, even two best friends usually have entirely different perspectives and experiences from high school. What it meant for me and others was the end of excitement in school and the end of being recognised for our creativity and natural skills. After all, everyone's skills are so varied. I feel like success in high school is found in a tiny cube that is built for a couple of students in each classroom.
The joys of studying hours for a test, only to forget it all by that night and never use the knowledge that you crammed in just to keep your parents happy. Now, I haven't used Pythagorean theorem since my high school days, nor have I uttered a word of William Shakespeare since year 12 english. Some parents know this fact too, but they also know that "to do well in life you have to do well in high school". To do well in high school you have to play the game. If you don't follow the curriculum, a strict set of rules designed to create mindless workers, you will fail. Now, everyone knows what bad grades in high school means, it means a shit life apparently.
Wait, a shit life? Hold the fuck up, I thought something shitty in my life was the fact that I was never taught how to do taxes in high school as I was too busy not learning about evolution all because I was learning about Jesus. Actually another shitty thing was how my voice was slowly devalued because I didn't fit the mould of a rule abiding, order following student. It's shit that I didn't tow the line and because of that I was cast to the side, placed in the quietest corner with others like me so that no one asked the tough questions.
Now, here I am,
I am sure that most of peers would think I'm bumming around and completely lost in life, well they'd be half right (bit of both). The thing is though, I'm fucking happy, despite the dreary picture that is painted by society of a person who doesn't do well in high school I'm pretty fucking happy.
There's so many things to be excited about!
Steemit has given me the confidence to write again on any platform, it's given me back the full recognition that my voice matters. I don't need a degree to have a valuable opinion nor do I need one to value the opinion of my fellow Steemer who happens to have a P.H.D. and a 30 year career in physics. Every contributor on here has an equal voice, your wealth on here doesn't make your article appear anymore than another, but you're wealth can do that for others. You don't have to follow any strict curriculum, you follow your own rules and you get to be yourself in the process. You can earn crazy amounts of money sharing knowledge, this would usually require a degree or some other higher education. Your intelligence isn't measured in qualifications.
Steemit has given a voice back to the forgotten teens.
PEACE
