Doing Well in High School is Actually a Great Disadvantage Later in Life

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An individual sparked a firestorm of debate on social media when they shared their perspective on Reddit. Their post garnered an astounding 139,000 “upvotes” and 5,400 comments in response – proving that it struck a chord with many people.

The Shower Thought

The commenter’s opinion was as follows:

“Being able to do well in high school without having to put in much effort is actually a big disadvantage later in life.”

Do you agree or disagree with this “shower thought”? Redditors took to the comments to share their opinions on the matter. We compiled a list of the top responses.

Slower Work Ethic

“Oh yeah. Never had to try to pass through high school,” one user commented. “Graduated, got to university, and got a rude awakening. My work ethic is slowly getting there, but I was definitely stunted in that area.”

This comment was echoed by many users in the form of 22,000 ‘upvotes.’ It often takes a few years of college or even entering the workforce to learn how to be an effective worker and develop a more focused work ethic.

College is a Struggle

Another responded. “College was a real struggle for me; I was so used to “naturally” doing well. I had previously (incorrectly) associated studying with not being as smart.”

“I’m currently dragging my body through college; wake-up call,” another person said.

College is a Struggle

To illustrate the differences between high school and college, one person cleverly personified them:

High school: “Hey, you’re pretty smart. Here’s your diploma!”

College: “You think you’re pretty smart, huh?” stabs knife into the side, leans closer to your ear, and whispers, “f***ing prove it!”

Expects Success to Come Easier

One user highlighted the difficulty that comes with expecting success to come easily after coasting through school.

They shared their experience of attempting to take on something new, such as music lessons: despite putting in two days’ worth of effort, they were still unable to remember how to play a song.

“Why don’t my fingers remember how to play this?! I studied for TWO WHOLE DAYS!”

Doesn’t Build Discipline

“This is honestly one of the biggest slaps to the face your ego can get,” one user said and received more than 12,500 upvotes for their comment.

No matter how talented or intelligent you are, the most essential ingredient to success is having discipline. This can be a harsh lesson to learn when transitioning from high school— where it was easy to get good grades with minimal effort— to college, where more hard work and dedication are required.

Doesn’t Build Discipline

It may take some time for those who haven’t had to develop a strong work ethic before to adjust. Many people can relate to feeling frustrated when they put in a lot of effort and don’t get the desired results. Ultimately, having discipline is essential for achieving success.

“Hard work, work ethic and consistency,” one person noted.

Teaches How to Maximize Results

On the contrary, one person believed that high school taught him a valuable skill that benefited him in his career: how to achieve maximum results with minimum effort.

“High school taught me how to do the minimum amount of work for the best results possible,” he wrote.

This response had an interesting spin on the original perspective and received over 1,300 upvotes. Being able to maximize your efficiency is a skill that can come in handy at any stage of life.

College Was a Breeze; High School Was The Problem

One person had the opposite experience to many of the commenters when it came to high school and college. High school was a struggle for them, requiring them to spend their summers in school making up credits and even taking the 12th grade a second time.

In contrast, college proved much easier; they were able to get 90%+ grades with hardly any effort. Rather than attending classes regularly, they preferred to spend their days at the bar or socializing with friends, only showing up for exams.

Doing Well in High School is Actually a Big Disadvantage Later in Life: Agree or Disagree?

Evidently, the original “shower thought” struck a chord with countless individuals – yet some people found benefits in taking their high school classes. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!