High school was like boot camp for a desk job
How school does not prepare you for work At school I was one of the high achievers. One of the highest in fact. Top of my Maths class, 8 A*s (and an A) at GCSE, 4 As at A-level. I just about managed a first class degree from university, but it was clear from a few weeks into my very first year that no more would I be top of the class, or anywhere really near it. Now, seven years into my career, as I struggle with things that 3rd years have long mastered, as I watch my more talented junior colleagues get promoted ahead of me, it becomes ever clearer that my mediocrity is not going anywhere. There is no-one and nothing but myself to blame for this, and no I'm not ragging on the system, but my story shows quite plainly how being academic and good at exams is but a small part of what it takes to succeed in the workplace. A shining example of this is a colleague of mine, my age, albeit a school year above me, who failed nearly every actuarial exam at least once, (I f...