This is a very good question that I get asked often by students and clients. Of course, getting the best grades you can will smooth your journey, but the answer I give may surprise some of you.
The pressure today on exam results can be quite overwhelming for some. Every time you take an exam the standing and reputation of your teachers and school is on the line, parent and social media pressure is piled on and your own expectations come into play as well.
But what is failure?
In many places, such as business and life, it can be seen as a positive learning experience. A failed exam can seem like the end of the world and certainly the end for your place at sixth form, college or university and maybe even your job if it is a professional exam.
However, all is not lost
Not everyone will pass their exams first time. What legislators fail to understand is that we are all born with a certain speed and size of processor, which no matter what you throw at it will not get any faster or develop extra memory overnight. However, it can be optimised, which is the point of education surely.
One of the most nerve racking experiences in life is taking your driving test. Fail and you cannot drive so the result is all or nothing. But you can still make a journey as a passenger in a car or as a learner driver, by bus, train, plane, bicycle or on foot. And you can retake your driving test.
The same can apply to your career journey
Every job or career is at the end of a route that you need to navigate. For the most part you may be driving and in control, but in others you can be the passenger whilst travelling to the same destination. Not doing well in your exams may mean that the route can meander and on occasions, may feel like you are going in the wrong direction. A bit like snakes and ladders…
Every career has several routes and pathways that can be taken and need to be navigated, by you. For the most part no route is in a straight line as we are all different in our abilities and experiences.
What matters is that you take the route and navigate it to the best of your ability
Obviously, you can stop on the road at any time and you may find that where you have stopped is a great place to be and in that case you don’t need to continue to your original destination. Career routes are never straightforward and may at times be both frustrating, scary and infuriating. A bit like life in fact!
Just keep in mind that in today’s fast moving digital, AI fuelled economy, it is likely that you will need to have three or four different careers during your working life. So be prepared to fail, learn and move forward.
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