1684: [Part 2] Why Good Grades Often Lead To Failed Businesses by Steve Chou of My Wife Quit Her Job

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Work Daily. Why Good Grades Often Lead to Failed Businesses. Part 2 by Steve Chu of MyWifeQuitHerJob.com Grades force you to conform to someone else's style. Getting good grades also requires you to conform to your professor's way of thinking. This is especially true for classes that are fuzzy and require you to write papers as part of your final grade.

[00:01:25] I took an art history class my freshman year in college where the final grade was based on two essay exams that were taken in the middle and at the end of the term. I took a keen interest in this class and for my first midterm exam I decided to write an essay that captured my own interpretations of the art. I wrote a pretty good essay that compared and contrasted my views to that of the professor. While I mostly agreed with the professor's points, I also provided arguments that contradicted him as well. This resulted in a B-.

[00:01:53] Fearing a bad grade, I decided to not make the same mistake on the final. For the final essay, I wrote a canned paper that essentially regurgitated the lectures. I used similar terminology that the professor used in describing the paintings. I used verbiage like resilient suppleness and textured reasoning, both phrases that would normally never come out of my mouth. I got an A on the final and for the class, but what did I learn? I learned that I had to imitate someone else to do well.

[00:02:21] Grades teach you to plug and chug. Sometimes getting an A requires no brain power at all. This is especially true for classes such as math, where various formulas are used to obtain an answer. Because many classes don't emphasize the applications, getting an A often entails plugging a bunch of numbers into a formula. Sure, the teacher derives the formula for you, but unless you have context for what the equations are used for, you often end up plugging and chugging to get the answer.

[00:02:48] Now, why would you use your brain when you can simply use a canned method to obtain the answer? How many of you actually remember calculus or differential equations from college? How many of you actually know when and how to use it? Solving problems based on formulas is problematic because it trains you to see the world in terms of right and wrong answers. It makes you less likely to take action unless you have all of the information. Grades force you to complete rather than collaborate.

[00:03:15] I remember being shocked when I discovered that my college classes were all graded on a curve. For my freshman physics class, my professor outright announced to the class that only 10% of us were going to get an A. What did this do to my mentality? Immediately, it put me into competition mode. I didn't try to help anyone out with their problem sets, nor did I collaborate with anyone on the assignments. As far as I was concerned, it was every man for himself, and I carried this frame of mind into business for the longest time. Grades and Entrepreneurship

[00:03:45] When I look back at my high school and college career, I fully understand the need to assign grades to students. But the skills required to get straight A's in school are not conducive to success in less structured environments like the business world, where there is no set path. Now, I'm not an expert in education. But what I can say is that thinking outside the box, nonconformity, and collaboration are the pillars of entrepreneurship.

[00:04:09] There is no magic formula for success, and in order to succeed, you have to stand out from the pack and make up your own rules. Here's the irony of my life. I spent 16 years following a rigid set of guidelines, trying to please everyone and fit in with my peers, when the complete opposite is what made me successful in business. When I graduated from college, grades were the only thing that I was good at. I was great at following rules and not making them, which made me second-guess myself a lot. Am I doing this the right way? How are other people doing it?

[00:04:38] Am I even qualified to do this? For example, when I first started writing for MyWifeQuitHerJob.com, I tried to blend in with other blogs in my niche. I avoided controversy at all costs, and I mimicked other popular authors. I was afraid of upsetting anyone with my writing, and I copied other people because I was searching for rules to follow and role models to imitate. It took me several years, but I eventually learned to trust my own voice and worry less about rejection. And that's when my blog really started taking off.

[00:05:07] Anyway, here's my dilemma with my own kids. On the one hand, I want my kids to get good grades in order to develop a great work ethic. But on the other hand, I don't want them turning into mindless, grade-grubbing robots that can't think outside of the box. I also don't want them to fear rejection like I did for many years. And it's a delicate balance that I'm still trying to figure out.

[00:05:33] You just listened to part two of the post titled, Why Good Grades Often Lead to Failed Businesses, by Steve Chu of MyWifeQuitHerJob.com. And thank you again to Steve. And one thing that I didn't mention yesterday in my comments about him is that he also started his own podcast. It's called the My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast with Steve Chu. And it's all about entrepreneurs who quit their jobs to start successful online businesses.

[00:05:58] Through a series of personal interviews, Steve uncovers the exact strategies that led to their success. Again, it's called the My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast with Steve Chu. And you can find that wherever you get your podcasts. But that's going to do it for today. I hope you have a great rest of your day. And that you'll be back with me here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.