Skills Matters More Than Marks : Real Life Story of Toppers

Yes, Skills Matters More Than Marks. In this blog, i am gonna break the myth of education where parents and teachers think – academic success is a direct route to career opportunities. Every schools, colleges, universities in this world emphasize the importance of marks. They create an illusion inside every student’s mind that achieving top grades guarantees happy life with good income. This is the mentality of every society. Students all over the world are pressurized to get above 90 % either by hook or by crook. Generally, students mug up the questions and answers and write it on the day of exams. Mugging method can definitely help them to fetch good marks but is it good to mug up before the exam and forget everything soon after the exam gets over????

Does skills really matters?

In your school days or college days, you might have seen few students inside your classroom whose grades are really excellent and also they get praised by the teachers and their parents . Yet , they are not enough capable today for a simple job. There are more than millions of students who graduates every year, but only few thousands get job while you’ll find the toppers of elite universities unemployed. So, is being top student a curse???

No, academics is as equally important as skills. If you go for a job interview, no one will ask your certifications, your school grades, your college grades. They will ask – What is your skills? The main thing in this competitive world matters is skills.

In this blog you will explore the stories of those top students around the globe who had faced the stark reality of unemployment. Despite of achieving highest CGPA, they were stunned after facing harsh reality of the real world where their grades were useless without skills. Henceforth, skills with decent marks is enough to live a life with good income source.

Marks vs. Skills

You might have often heard from your elders that the marks are a reflection of one’s abilities and potential. But the reality of the world is totally different from this myth. Later, students realizes that only A+ grades do not define success. You will see, the real world actually demands more than memorization and theoretical knowledge. The companies are increasingly looking for those candidates who can demonstrate practical skills, problem solving abilities, creativity and adaptability.

Global Recruiters Words

The top companies like – Apple, Google and IBM no longer require a college degree. These three top companies now mainly prioritize :

• Experiences in projects
• Problem solving skills
• Tech and digital fluency
• Communication and collaboration

Do you know – There was a 2022 LinkedIn Global Talent Trends Report showed that 69-70% of hiring managers say : Skills-Based hiring improves jobs improvement. Rather than hiring a university topper with zero skills, companies nowadays focuses on hiring the people with skills although their academics are average or worst , it doesn’t matter.

Toppers – Who Struggled to Find Jobs

John Doe

John was the college Valedictorian, still he couldn’t secure a job. He was a brilliant student who took engineering as his major from MIT. John Doe was graduated as the valedictorian of his class with highest grades. The whole university knows him for the brightest mind. He also received accolades, professors and his friends praised him for being a bright student. Although after graduation, he spent over a year applying for numerous companies. He faced constant rejection. Even after being a valedictorian, he was rejected by many companies because of his lack of practical experience. John Doe neglected the real world projects, he didn’t developed the hands-on skills that employers valued. These were the reasons which makes his degree useless.

Sarah Lee

Sarah Lee was a computer science genius. She struggled with interviews. Sarah was a top graduate student in computer science from Stanford. She usually ranked highest in the whole class. Her genius mind was capable of solving complex algorithms with ease and also she was a perfect example of coding prodigy. Besides all these, Sarah found herself at a loss when it came time for interviews. Her drawbacks were that she had never worked on team projects. She hadn’t developed soft skills like communication and leadership which made her loose the chance. Her skills in coding was unquestionable but due the the lack of her communication skills, she loose every job opportunities.

Rajesh Patel

Rajesh was an elite student who completed his MBA from Harvard Business School. He secured the highest score among his fellow friends of his class. Rajesh had an impressive portfolio of academic achievements and he was also expected to secure a high paying job in one of the top consulting firms. However, despite his achievements and degree, Rajesh faced a lot of problems finding a job. He was so focused on academic excellence that he did not gave importance on building a network, also he did not focused on developing soft skills which was necessary to stand out in the corporate world.

Maria Gomez

Maria was graduated from the top engineering school in Spain. She was a top student in her class and also she had won multiple awards for academic excellence. Maria was tired of sending applications, every time she got rejected. In real world, employers seek for engineers with practical skills and ability who can apply their knowledge to solve real world problems. But, Maria’s main focus was to pass the exams with high points and ace assignments. Later, she realized that while her academic knowledge was strong but she lacked the hands-on experience. This made her loose everything even after being a wonderful top student.

Why Skills Matters More Than Marks in the Real World?

1. Practical Application is Key

Remember that the employers aren’t just looking for the people with only theoretical knowledge. The main focus is to hire those people who can apply their knowledge to solve real problems. In this fast paced and ever changing job market, you should have the ability to adapt and you must use your skills effectively. You will earn on the basis of your skills , not on the basis of having a flawless academic records.

2. Soft Skills are Crucial

Besides the technical knowledge, you should have the ability to communicate, work in teams and manage conflicts. Sarah and Rajesh were world class performers, but they struggled in interviews due to their lack of soft skills. Always mark this point – a person who is highly skilled professional with great communication abilities will always thrive in any job environment.

3. Employers Seek Problem-Solvers

In the world of high competition, companies need the people who can solve problems creatively. For this, you must know the essential skills which are beyond the knowledge of book. Not everything is provided inside an pile of papers, you must explore and discover new things and have experience of the real world of economy. Basically, the job market is full of unpredictable challenges. Meanwhile, employers are looking for creative skillful people who can approach problems from different angles and find innovative solutions.

4. Experience Trumps Theoretical Knowledge

There are many industries where employers prefer candidates with hands-on experience , even if their academic record is not perfect enough. Students with internships, projects and practical work experience gives the best opportunity to prove their capabilities in real world situations, only the academic marks cannot provide you a job.

5. Adaptability

In this digital world, the job market is constantly evolving. Companies need employees who can adapt new tools, technologies and work environments. The person who posses variety of skills and who has a growth mindset are much more likely to succeed in this ever changing world. Those people who solely rely on their academic qualifications will just get constantly rejected and unsuccessful.

Improve the Chances of Getting Hired

• Focus on developing soft skills
• Seek out internships and real world experience
• Build a portfolio of work
• Build network and professional connections
• Develop a growth mindset

Students Worldwide are Shifting Mindsets

• Nowadays, Students are creating personal brands via blogs and create their own YouTube channels and social media accounts for earning independently.
• There are many young skilled people who build apps, games and businesses while still in school.
• Few students on the other hand who knows the value of skill go for internships, open source contribution, hackathons and competitions which shape their real skills.

One of the most unbelievable example is of a 17 year old kid, named – Avi Schiffmann who built a COVID-19 tracker. It was used by millions. She didn’t even have bachelor degree.

Key Skills That Matters More Than Marks

1. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
2. Communication
3. Digital Literacy
4. Emotional Intelligence
5. Entrepreneurial Mindset
6. Resilience and Adaptability
7. Team Collaboration
8. Project Execution
9. Creativity
10. Learning Agility

Real Life Comparison

Global Companies Supporting Skills First

• No degree is needed in Google’s Career Certificates.
• You can learn how to code via real-world projects from Apple’s Swift Program.
• Get ready to focus on job ready skills with IBM’s SkillsBuild.
• You will get certified based on cloud skills by Amazon AWS Training.

Final Thoughts

Maybe you are a topper or an average student. It does not matter whether you get highest or lowest marks, and your achievements like – your medals, trophies, and certificates. At the end, the recruiters will only choose the person with skills, not some toppers with zero skill.

The companies in this competitive world needs someone who can :

• Solve problems creatively with different mindset.
• Communicates clearly and politely.
• Keeps learning and adapting in this changing world.
• Leads with empathy.
• Turn ideas into action.

FAQ : Skills Matter More Than Marks