
Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, author says - rb808
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/05/26/why-valedictorians-rarely-become-millionaires-author-says.html
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WheelsAtLarge
If you look at the people that become billionaires you'll see that they are
the ones that break the rules just enough so they don't end up in jail or
become social outcasts. They are not the great rule followers. Great students
can have a nice life but will never become the ones that fight their way out
of social norms to create world changing products.

They are followers that need to become leaders and get out of that shell. They
have the self discipline but need a way to stop being ruled by others.

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diafygi
World changing products often don't come from just billionaires, they come
from all over. Billionaires just tend to be the ones that are good at
monetizing them. Others are good at doing other things with them. How many
valedictorians won a Nobel, Pulitzer, etc.?

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rb808
Its interesting to me because I'm conflicted to how to raise my children.
There are a lot tiger moms around and you have to be confident that pushing
kids academically might not be the best thing to do.

My touchstone is my super academic cousin who has always topped their class in
ivy league universities and who is also one of the most screwed up and unhappy
people I know.

So any article that says top grades aren't the best thing to strive for is
worth reading. Self selecting I'm sure but a good counter balance to what is
out there.

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WheelsAtLarge
Our school systems have been built with the idea of creating great workers and
citizens not necessarily leaders so it's not surprising valedictorians are
rarely millionaires. Kids are rewarded for following the rules and not causing
waves. By definition changes come from those that don't like the rules and
make their own. That doesn't define a valedictorian.

I don't have any kids but I've always thought that sending kids to a school
that uses the Montessori system would be my first choice for my kids. The way
I understand it they focus on teaching kids to be more reliant on their
abilities rather than going to someone to get things done. It gives kids the
confidence to tackle problems where they don't have a defined path to an
answer. They learn problem solving tools to reach their goals.

I think this is a better way for kids to reach their goals in life as opposed
to always relying on someone to help them.

By the way, Jeff Bezos was a Montessori student.

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dafty4
Bezos was valedictorian:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos)

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sparky_z
By itself, that's not in contradiction with it being a rare event.

