Why academic achievements still matter

I know there is a lot of talk, especially among those who do not do well academically, that academics are useless. For those who are poor at academics, this kind of thinking provides a sense of self-worth. That it is okay to fail at academics, because life does not revolve around it. Right?

I know people who have no university degrees but yet, they earn more than the average degree holder. And my dad, being a degree holder, earns very little for a graduate. His income is slightly above average, but very low for a graduate. The fact that there are people who, despite not being graduates of junior colleges and universities but have millions in their banks, convinces me that academics is not a guarantee for career success. Now the question is, how many people are like them? Not very well educated, but arguable successful. These people are not very common.

Marty Nemko is a very successful career consultant in the United States. He once said on TV that people who succeed after graduating from college, will succeed even without going to college. In other words, those naysayers of good academics may be right. The contribution of academics to career success may be very little. Look at the Beatles. Geniuses who were not inclined towards school, and very much loved all around the world. One day, Singapore will have its own Beatles, as soon as everyone starts supporting our local bands. That is, if the majority of the population even bothers to notice them.

Playing for an indie band as a career in Singapore, is more likely to lead to failure than good academics (Someone please correct me if I am wrong). So how do we encourage musical talent under such circumstances? The easy way out is to encourage academic achievements instead.

To the naysayers who have accomplished nothing, please face the facts. It is not the lack of academics that prevent you from success. So to support your believes, please support our local bands. Here's a link: The Great Spy Experiment.

P.S. For those of you in the comics industry. Please tell your family, friends, colleagues and enemies about this blog. I think we can get more Singaporeans to support local comics and music and art if we put in more effort to sell ourselves... I mean promote ourselves. And I notice one thing that seems to get me more readers. PAP is the best party in Singapore! Opposition parties suck!