Academic performance just forms the base
Marks are important for you to get into a good place to start from but once you are in an institution or an organisation, it is your skill, talent and real-life experiences that make a difference. In terms of academics, I have been a second-rank holder at college, but I feel that is not the only thing that has pushed me ahead in life. It is about how you take up a job and relate to the work and add value to it. You need to be a smart worker, not just a hard worker, and hands-on with your job.
Yes, you need to have a good academic base, but that is all it is — a platform for me to showcase to the world that I am much more than just marks.
We are living in an age where smart work is necessary, not just hard work. So, in addition to what we have learned within the school environment, we need to incorporate our own skills and strengths to make life and work more rewarding.
Intelligence is something we are born with but hard and smart work is something we can develop. You need to find a balance between all the three.
We all have unique talents, which set us apart from one another. If we all just recognise and work on polishing those talents, there is nothing stopping us..
From Ms Nazia Jalal Irfan
Merchandising executive living in Dubai