Editor Lyndon Keane – no prizes for guessing which one he is in his year 12 class photo – is urging this year’s graduating Cape York cohort not to get hung up on the pressure of grades and instead keep an open mind about experiences and opportunities. Photo: Supplied.
If you’re part of the graduating Class of 2024 who farewelled what feels like an eternity of schooling last week and are now anxiously awaiting the results of your exams, I’m going to spill a little secret: the grades you receive next month will likely mean little in the overall course of your life.
Before parents, principals and teachers across Cape York pick up their pitchforks and torches and come hunting for me, I am not dismissing the importance of education and applying oneself to achieving the best academic outcome possible as a strong foundation for the future – far from it.
What I’m saying is the result we get in our final year is often framed as the single most important facet of what becomes our adult existence on this mortal coil. I don’t know whether it’s done intentionally by sadistic educators attempting to shore up their careers, or good-intentioned parents just wanting the best for their children – the only thing I’m completely positive of is that the myth has caused more unwarranted pressure on year 12 students than any other aspect of adolescent life.
As a visual aid, I’ve included my year 12 class photo from 1998 in this missive. Go on, have a look. Try not to laugh. Weren’t we an incredibly cool, fashion conscious lot? There are no prizes for picking yours truly out of the line-up, so please don’t email or text to say you know which one is me. The point of the photo is to demonstrate that less than 20 per cent of the kids you see ended up doing what they thought they would be doing when they sat their final exams. Me included.
What they don’t tell you in high school is that when you step out into the real world, bumps in the road and changes of course are almost guaranteed. The result showing on your Queensland Certificate of Education won’t play a huge role in most cases. I can count on one hand how many times since 1998 someone’s asked what my OP – an ATAR for old people, for the benefit of those who have graduated since 2020 – was. Did the result play a part in the direction my life took? It did for a little while, but the beauty about life is that there’s generally plenty of time – and myriad options – for academic improvement if that’s something you want to do to chase a burning career ambition.
In short, the result you get on 11 December will not make or break your life, nor will it diminish your schooling achievement or worth as a member of the community. Don’t let anyone – including the person in the mirror – tell you otherwise.
Some of you will get the result you want. Some of you won’t. Some of you will go on to tertiary or vocational education. Some of you won’t. An incredibly small percentage of you will go on to do world-renowned, life-changing things and become household names. Most of you won’t. And you know what? All of these options are fine, no matter what the stress of exams and waiting for a ranking of how you compare to other students across Queensland may make you otherwise feel.
If you’ve got passion, curiosity and a sense of community, it doesn’t matter what ATAR you get. Getting a number 90 and above isn’t going to automatically arm you with those traits, and it sure as hell isn’t going to make you happy. That’s not how the script for the reality show called life reads. Only you can work out what drives you, and what direction you want your journey to take.
To our combined Cape York and Torres Strait Class of 2024, congratulations. Remember to trust your gut, be willing to make mistakes, embrace new experiences and be open to the distinct possibility the career path you’re currently certain you’re going to embark on doesn’t end up being the road you follow. Life’s an unpredictable, amazing adventure. Make the most of it.
To the Class of 2024: congratulations, now go get ‘em. Photo: Supplied.
