Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, author says

A high GPA or SAT score doesn't necessarily mean you're smart--it means you're good at maneuvering within a system and doing what's asked of you. Understanding that will lead you to a far more satisfying adulthood, in my opinion.

World changing products often don't come from just billionaires, they come from all over. Billionaires just tend to be the ones that are good at monetizing them. Others are good at doing other things with them. How many valedictorians won a Nobel, Pulitzer, etc.?

This is a classic case of survivor's bias. You're explaining away the failures as people who must've broken the rules too much. But that's circular reasoning. A simpler explanation is that rule-breaking has little to do with financial success.

Our school systems have been built with the idea of creating great workers and citizens not necessarily leaders so it's not surprising valedictorians are rarely millionaires. Kids are rewarded for following the rules and not causing waves. By definition changes come from those that don't like the rules and make their own. That doesn't define a valedictorian.

I don't have any kids but I've always thought that sending kids to a school that uses the Montessori system would be my first choice for my kids. The way I understand it they focus on teaching kids to be more reliant on their abilities rather than going to someone to get things done. It gives kids the confidence to tackle problems where they don't have a defined path to an answer. They learn problem solving tools to reach their goals.

I think this is a better way for kids to reach their goals in life as opposed to always relying on someone to help them.

By the way, Jeff Bezos was a Montessori student.

I happen to agree. I also think that standing back a little, albeit with support and encouragement, and giving kids space to develop their own intrinsic motivation is far more likely to lead to a happy adult.

I'd rather my kids grow up to be happy than some false measure of "successful".

By itself, that's not in contradiction with it being a rare event.

Thanks for the balance.