“I am an Intentional Learner. I learn to add incredible value, not to make grades. I add value by meeting people’s needs. My grades are a reflection of my performance, not the reason for it.”
The problem with judging someone based on measurements is that no measurement completely describes someone. What does your high school GPA say about your ability to run a business? Is your SAT score indicative of the lives you’ll change as an art teacher?
We all have limited time (read my post from last Friday for details). Recruiters have limited time to screen applicants and select those who will be interviewed.
The problem isn’t new, but it’s getting worse
The internet gives recruiters the ability to pull a much larger list of applicants. That’s a good thing because when the best person is hired for any job, the entire world inproves. That’s how economics work.
The reason that the recruiting problem is getting worse is that when a job is posted online the pool of applicants grows. If a recruiter reviews 10,000 applications, she isn’t getting very deep into each resume. And so they filter first by numbers: GPA.
From a student’s perspective, the GPA becomes the most important thing.
It’s a source of pride, or guilt. Motivation or resignation. It’s placed on a pedestal as the goal: great grades equal a future of unlimited opportunity.
Partially true: the grades get you past the first round of the selection process.
But it doesn’t end there.
Once you’re hired, you need to actually DO SOMETHING. The reason they hired you isn’t because you got good grades in school. They don’t care about your grades. They hired you to do a job.
Can You?
Do your grades reflect your ability to make a difference? Or are you so focused on gaming the system into giving you the points you want that the course material is secondary?
ANYONE can refer to a solution manual and get 100% on their physics homework. ANYONE can build a formula sheet and plug the numbers into it on a test. That’s one way to get good grades. But it doesn’t mean you know anything about the material.
The mindset of an Intentional Learner is to focus on learning to add value by mastering the course content. Let your grades be a reflection of your capability, rather than your ultimate goal.
The Intentional Academy is here to help. We’re creating content that helps you rethink your approach to learning. If it’s helping, let us know by leaving a comment and hitting those “like” and “share” buttons!
