I am not implying that your exams are utterly useless and that you should give away your books right now. Realistically speaking, school exams hold an important part in our system, and if you are looking forward to joining any field that requires even a basic formal education, giving it up altogether wouldn’t really make sense.
But, don’t stress out.
There’s more to life than the numbers written in red pens, and you’ll soon see that.
Once you reach college, your desires will change from having the best mark sheets to the best you are making of life. Invest your time in hunting for internship opportunities in fields that interest you.
Even if you don’t like those job profiles, you’d know you have tried your hand and something, but it just isn’t your cup of tea.
Travel, as much as you can and with as little as you can. Today, you are primarily dependent on your parents for finances, so a lavish vacation seems just a matter of permission. However, inexpensive backpacking will be a wise teacher. If nothing else, it will teach you the essential art of jugaad—which will take you through the real world.
Make friends with people from different cultural backgrounds. It might seem like I am deviating from the point of studies, but small, seemingly irrelevant things like these have a significant influence on your education and career.
Making friends belonging to diverse backgrounds, and even more importantly, points of view about life will help you understand the world better. It will have a holistic effect on what you choose to do in life.
Research on people who have done exceptionally in the field that interests you.
This might be more helpful to those who feel pressured by peers, parents or society to pursue a certain stream of education.
Knowing what your precedents did, what challenges they faced and how they overcame those challenges will not only help you take an easier path to your career but might even convince others about why you should follow your dreams.
If you don’t have a set goal in mind, that’s fine too. You just need to eliminate what you most definitely do not want to pursue. You get to explore a range of options before you know what you like doing.
Life in college might not be as simple as it seems in this article. There will be several obstacles in your way and even then, you may not get what you want, immediately. However, the point is to not put so much pressure on one set of exams, on one academic year or on yourself, that you crumble under it.