If you were a high achiever in school, what's your life like now?

[Marsmon]

Just curiosity. A lot of the students who won all the prizes at school and were champions in this or that have fairly mundane lives now. Me included.

Whereas I look at those from school who've gone on to do some fantastic things, like run large companies or have a series of books published, or work at the forefront of Covid epidemiology and lots of them never achieved much while in school.

What about you? Does your achievement level in school match how successful you feel your life has been as an adult?

I always did well at grammar school but didn’t get the prizes. I think my teachers would be surprised to learn how far I went in my career. It seemed to me that the ones who did get the prizes weren’t the brightest or the most intellectual at all. I suspect they just didn’t have a social life (and boy, did I!) I left school at 18 and didn’t go to uni till I was 30 but I went on to get a Ph D (just hard work and determination) and have a successful career in teaching before I moved into academia. My art teacher would be the most surprised - she asked me to leave the class in yr 9 and sit in the corridor because I couldn’t paint a portrait and I now I sell my landscapes.

I was a high achiever, went on to get a good degree...
Now work as a TA in a special school ... so I don't think anyone would describe me as 'successful' if we are talking in career and monetary terms
However... I have a 30 years + marriage, four happy (and for what it's worth MUCH more successful) children, including one who was never expected to be able to have a job (autistic, special schooled) and does.

I am able to work part time, which enables me to look after my baby grandson, take long walks with my dog and I have a home which suits my needs and budget.

So in money terms no, in life terms.. I've been very lucky!

That's funny, I know a few Oxbridge people and they are doing fine but the three I can think of that are super successful weren't great back at school at all. They all are entrepreneurs, and don't work for a company, don't know if there's a reason for that (maybe not fitting in?)

I was very successful academically at school and uni, now work as a teacher. Was HOD but stepped back when I had kids so wouldn't be considered very high achieving at work probably. But I have a good work/life balance, love my job and get to see the kids more.

I’ve noticed the same! Although caveat that I went to a private all girl’s school so everyone was probably pretty capable & pretty privileged as a starting point. But yes I was a high flier at school, work in a basic admin job at the local council now. Looking back I realise how important attitude & drive are in terms of career, which are the aspects I lack rather.

I suppose I was a high flyer at school but not at university and my life has been a resounding failure by some metrics. But I'm happy enough, have a home and a child and friends, still fairly close to family etc. I now in my 50s earn more than the national average salary, which I'll be honest is a bit of a shock to me. I spent years earning quite low wages abd getting stressed whenever my income increased.

I wasn’t very high achieving in school… typical middle of the road type. Mid grades, popular, never won or entered anything. Didn’t do A levels…. Went to college and did a btec, smoked too much weed.

But I got a degree when I was 24, had two children by 30, did teaching degree at 34. I’m now 38 and work in an SEN school as a subject lead.

So the success happened… but at a slower, more drawn out rate.

I had quite a high flying career in London which could have been quite successful had I stayed in it as it was very niche. I gave it up to become a SAHM, I retrained and am now a ASN teacher a job I love.

I wasn't a high flyer (girls grammar) but the ones who were all have successful careers, mostly in medicine. One of the absolute highest flyers seemed to have some sort of extreme mental breakdown during medical school and has never worked.

Not me but Dh. He was a high achiever all the way through school, not just academically, but captain of all the sports teams etc.. very competitive.
He’s a hospital consultant now. So he’s done alright for himself. But his Uni friends (who didn’t do medicine),all earn much more than him and live much fancier lifestyles.

He’s not competitive anymore, the NHS has beaten all enthusiasm for that out of him

@DistrictCommissioner

I’ve noticed the same! Although caveat that I went to a private all girl’s school so everyone was probably pretty capable & pretty privileged as a starting point. But yes I was a high flier at school, work in a basic admin job at the local council now. Looking back I realise how important attitude & drive are in terms of career, which are the aspects I lack rather.

I agree with that. It seems like being ambitious and confident are more predictive, career-wise, than getting good marks at school or always being on stage up the front, or getting prizes.

I sailed through school and got a good degree whilst partying hard. I gave up my career when my first child was born and had 13 years at home. Now work in a flexible part time job that I enjoy, but certainly doesn’t match my original “potential”.

I’ve loved my life and I’ve been lucky to have choices.

Dd is extremely bright but will never have a high flying career as she definitely doesn’t have that drive and ambition either. She tried it and hated it.

Top of my class at school and university (I hated the spotlight it put me in). I underachieved in my twenties because I was struggling with an undiagnosed health condition and an abusive relationship. But I spent my thirties career (and children) focussed and now very successful professionally and content that I have a job I love and that means I have fulfilled my potential, whilst at the same time having been able to still work around my children.

What we mean as "success" will be different for everyone. For me it meant I wanted to be very successful at work but also be able to be there for my children.

Very interesting thread! I was top of my class in terms of ability and intelligence, but I caved under pressure and ended up underachieving and dropping out. Worked a manual job for years and then after having kids, decided to retrain and chase my dream. I'm now in a fairly senior position doing a job I love (and am good at) on a decent salary. Many of the top pupils from my school work in standard admin type roles. I had a nosey recently, and it struck me that nobody (myself included) had gone on to really set the world ablaze at anything.

I think there is way too much emphasis placed on intelligence and academic performance in school during the formative teenage years.

I moved away so lost contact with the school crowd. Reconnected through a local FB page so have chatted to a lot of them now.

Reality is that only one of the high flyers has materialised into a high paying job and he is a GP. The others haven't really...which surprised me. I was more average run of the mill but through hard work and study after leaving school am highly paid in an executive level role.

I have found that experience and post school/graduate study is more highly valued. The degree can act as a threshold for sift (often a minimum requirement) but not much after that unless very role related, ie engineering

I was a high achiever and am now a very high earner. But most of the people I know from school who are extremely successful were entrepreneurial and made millions that way. I think it’s to do with not having anything to lose and therefore being able to take risks. If you’re on an academic professional career track it’s difficult to step off that track with the expectations that come with it.

I was a high achiever (state school). Got four good A levels and a first class honours degree. My big mistake was then going into nursing really. Soon realised I didn't want to climb that ladder, but two DC later my priorities changed anyway and as DH is a high earner I simply stuck it out pt to make life easier, and am now counting down to early retirement.
Never really used my academic qualifications at all, but nice to know I earned them.

I don’t think anyone from school has been particularly successful. Children I knew who were super clever have opted for more artistic or travelling/surfing type lives (you could argue this is the clever choice…).

Other academic girls had children late 20s and no more career. I can’t think of any high achieving boys from school, and I’m not aware that any of them have gone on to do anything great. One was determined to be a millionaire by the time he was 21. He’s nearly 50 now and if he is a millionaire he’s hiding it exceptionally well on Facebook.

I think I went to a crap school though.

I moved to adifferent country and had to start again. The study skills definitely helped me get to where I am now. Im not hugely successful but Im doin alright and am happy with my lot.

My sister who went to the same school is senior level at the bbc.

I agree with a lot of this.

The over achieves go to high school and meet the other over achievers and have competition they’ve never had before and start to struggle. It’s like the top prize has been snatched away.

The under achievers have to work, learn to fail and pick themselves up - makes them much more resilient.

DH for example failed all his GCSEs - went back to resit - and on to university - he’s done well and now has choices.

I did well at school but was more the obedient and diligent type which I don't think translates that well into becoming a leader in your field later in life, compared to being driven and ambitious. I'm doing fine but nothing special!

The conscientious kids at the front of the class often end up working for the entrepreneurial types more likely to be the kids messing about at the back of the class.

The behaviours valued in schools don't necessarily set you up to be as successful in the big wide world.

I was a high achiever.

I now run my own business, own my own home, have a happy marriage and four animals and live in my dream location by the coast.

But the 10 or so years between leaving school and getting to where I am now were pretty horrendous. Two mental health crises', lots of "menial" retail jobs as I couldn't cope with anything else, bullying in one workplace and several bouts of sick leave due to severe anxiety and depression.

I'm doing well now though

I think the problem is that a lot of people think education is the answer, and it isn’t, in itself anyway.