Do you think good grades are worth the effort?

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It shouldn't but it does. The people who make the tests don't care whether or not some people can't do tests, the care about the results of the test. Cyanide was right to say that they have a bigger effect even though they SHOULDN'T be so important, it doesn't matter to the people who mark them and send the results.

And yes, you wanted a college course that was tough to enter, of course you needed the grades, without them you wouldn't have had as high a chance of entry. I also learn best hands on, quite a few people do. More than the school system thinks anyway. For example, I remember how to solder a resistor into a printed circuit board, but I don't remember trigonometry, even though it hasn't been too long since I learned how to to do trigonometry.

I even remember how to smooth the edges of plastic using a file, but I did that two years ago, I don't remember anything else I did in that year other than the technical learning.

And what's a better use of time during high school years?

Yes, I think it is important to get good grades, if you want a decent career! But, it isn't the end all of be all things.

I take the Mark Twain approach: "Never let your schooling interfere with your education."

Being rather young, I'm in a stage where any grades I get don't count towards a GPA or similar. Which means that as long as I learn enough for the right subjects, and get good grades on the subjects which are easy, I can do next-to-nothing for other subjects as long as I make it to the next year, when I can drop them.

I do think getting good grades later on is important, though. It helps with getting into college and in college there's advantages, too. It also gives a sense of satisfaction if you had to work hard (e.g. an A+ on English is irrelevant to me because I find it extremely easy) and got good grades.

As a wannabe electrician in the US, you'll go to a technical training school or do an apprenticeship program with a trades organization. Grades won't matter a blip then, other than they may make you look like a better candidate for what may be a limited number of apprenticeships. Check the entrance requirements for whatever training option you have, and tailor your work towards that. Be sure to pick up what general math you can in high school, it'll help.You won't need calculus. Almost nobody really needs calculus, ever, in life....

If you plan to try to get into a University, you'd better have the grades. Otherwise, there's more to life. Go for the material and don't worry about playing the game. Just make VERY sure you have no intentions of going to University before you blow grades off.

Good question, I would say that it depends on what you plan to do after High School. Perhaps learning more about that? Or, perhaps enjoying life?



It's pretty much the same in Australia, according to the Apprenticeship broker I was talking to yesterday. I plan on getting a school-based Apprenticeship so that I don't have to spend all week at that place.

I don't plan on EVER going to University either, though I still could, I've maintained Straight A's (except Math, which is a B due to me having trouble with the teachers accent) even though I haven't done any homework in weeks. Not to mention I've just not gone to school twice in five weeks because I couldn't be bothered going.

Still, I seem to be an exception to the rule, a friend of mine who actually NEEDS good grades for his eventual university course has a harder time getting them than I do, not much but enough. And he's better at manual work than I am. We need to swap skills.