Grades are no longer good enough...

For a long time, good grades at school (and university) were the answer - work hard, revise properly, get the right marks and you will be able to walk through the doors to university and employment. It was clean, linear and understandable.

Over the last few years, having worked closely with students, parents and professionals across different countries and continents - I’ve noticed something shifting, quietly at first, but now unmistakably disrupting the future of work.

Grades are no longer good enough.

They still matter, let me be clear about this, academic discipline continues to build resilience, thinking ability and structure. Strong grades still demonstrate commitment and competence. Universities still use them as filters and employers still look at them.

But they are no longer the differentiator.....and that’s where the problem begins.

The illusion of certainty

Many students, globally, still believe that if they secure the grades, everything else will take care of itself. Parents often believe it too and the logic is understandable. It worked for previous generations, so it should work now. Obtaining a good set of grades and education was the main lever, the key to unlocking your future. Do well academically, and the rest followed. But, the world of work has changed faster than the education system has adapted.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, 44% of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2027, and 6 in 10 workers will require additional training before 2027. Today, universities receive thousands of applications from students with near-identical academic profiles. Straight A students are no longer rare - they are common. UCAS data shows that the proportion of A and A* grades awarded at A-level has almost doubled over the past decade. What was once exceptional has become far more common, dare I say expected.

So the question becomes:

What separates one high-achieving student from another?

Increasingly, it’s not the transcript, nor name of the school or university you attend. It’s career clarity, exposure, experience and skills.

What I’ve observed

Over the last few years, I’ve watched thousands of students engage with professionals across various industries - law, medicine, engineering, finance, psychology, media, architecture. What strikes me most isn’t their intelligence.

It’s their uncertainty...

Many high-performing students don’t lack ability. They lack understanding. They don’t truly know or understand what the future job involves or what skills are really required. They know the job title, but not the rhythm of the work - not the pace, the pressure, or whether they would truly enjoy the environment. I often see students pursuing careers that sound impressive or secure, not because they have explored them deeply, but because those paths have been reinforced by teachers, parents or cultural expectation. And yet these same students are making significant subject and degree decisions, commitments that shape years of their lives, based largely on grades and other people’s opinions

I’ve watched students with outstanding predicted grades sit opposite a professional and quietly recognise that the path they had been pursuing doesn’t feel right. Not because they lack ability, but because they lack alignment. And I’ve watched students who doubted themselves begin to light up when they see how their natural strengths connect to something practical and meaningful. That moment, when understanding replaces assumption, is powerful. But it doesn’t fit neatly into an academic transcript

The skills gap no one talks about

There’s another layer to this. When employers speak candidly, they rarely complain about academic knowledge. They assume that can be taught. They assume capable students will achieve the required grades.

What they talk about instead is the growing importance of qualities that sit beyond the curriculum:

• Communication

• Initiative

• Commercial awareness

• Problem-solving

• Professionalism

• Confidence under pressure

  
  

These are not exam skills.

They are developed through exposure to real-world environments - through interaction, responsibility, feedback and, at times, discomfort (getting our of their comfort zone). And this is often where academically strong students can be underprepared. Many have been rewarded for producing correct answers, for following structure and meeting clearly defined criteria.

The workplace operates differently. It rewards:

• Judgement

• Curiosity

• Adaptability

• Collaboration

  
  

Whilst grades demonstrate that you can learn and perform within a framework, it is skills that demonstrate you can apply knowledge in uncertain environments - with people, pressure and ambiguity. Increasingly, it is the latter that determines long-term success.

The pressure trap

Another dynamic at play, particularly in high-achieving environments, is pressure.

In systems where a single exam can shape future pathways, everything narrows. Performance becomes measurable and success becomes numerical. There isn’t always permission (or encouragement) to question. The focus shifts towards optimisation of marks. While that may maximise short-term academic outcomes, it can come at the expense of broader capability.

Employers are increasingly vocal about this. Research from the Chartered Management Institute indicates that a significant proportion of employers (80%) believe graduates lack practical work-ready skills, particularly in communication, resilience and professional confidence. Surveys from the Institute of Student Employers echo this concern, highlighting declining confidence in graduate readiness, especially in areas such as self-awareness and adaptability. The issue is rarely intelligence.

It is preparedness.

And sometimes, the relentless pursuit of grades delays the development of long-term career clarity.

Some of the most confident young professionals I’ve met weren’t the ones who simply chased marks.

They were the ones who:

• Asked questions early

• Sought real-world insight

• Tested their assumptions

• Reflected on what energised them

  
  

They treated their future as something to understand and build towards, not something to hope would fall into place.

What this means for parents

If you’re a parent, this can feel unsettling. The system still talks in grades. Schools still measure performance through exams and league tables. University entry still begins with numbers. But, the competitive edge is moving, encouraging academic discipline remains important. But alongside that, we should be asking:

• Does my child understand how work actually functions?

• Have they spoken to professionals?

• Have they seen what a typical day looks like?

• Can they articulate their strengths beyond subjects?

• Do they know what skills they need to build next?

  
  

It is true grades open doors, however; it is understanding that decides which doors are worth walking through.

What this means for students

If you’re a student reading this, here’s something I wish more young people were told clearly:

You are not your grades. They reflect effort in a specific context. They do not define your value. And they certainly do not guarantee fulfilment.

I’ve seen students achieve extraordinary academic results and still feel uncertain, restless, even quietly disappointed a few years later. Not because they failed - but because success on paper did not automatically translate into alignment in real life. Fulfilment in a career rarely comes from prestige alone and certainly not by grades alone. It comes from understanding who you are, what energises you, what kind of problems you enjoy solving, and the environments in which you do your best work. Direction is not created by marks. It’s created by awareness. When students begin to understand themselves - their strengths, motivations and values - their choices become calmer, more intentional and far more likely to lead somewhere meaningful

Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, captured this perfectly when he wrote, "if the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take simply gets us to the wrong place faster".

Effort matters - but alignment matters more. Take your studies seriously, absolutely, but please also take your future seriously - ask questions and seek exposure. Understand the reality behind job titles. Develop skills that no exam measures.

The shift that’s happening

We’re entering a period where career journeys will be less linear, instead they are becoming more portfolio-based, more skill-stacked and more iterative. Sideways moves are no longer setbacks. They are strategic expansions. The professionals who thrive will not simply climb - they will adapt. Roles are evolving whilst industries are blending. Technology and AI is reshaping not only the workplace but also the future expectations of employers.

The students who thrive won’t simply be the ones who scored highest at school. They’ll be the ones who combine academic discipline with self-awareness, communication skills and real-world exposure. They will understand how their strengths translate into value. They will adapt as industries evolve and make decisions based on insight, not assumption.

Academic excellence still matters. It lays the groundwork; but it does not, on its own, determine the outcome.

A better way to think about it

Instead of asking,“What grades do I need?”

We should also be asking:

• What skills am I building?

• What exposure am I gaining?

• What do I now understand about this career that I didn’t before?

• What makes me different from someone with the same transcript?

That shift in thinking changes behaviour and behaviour shapes outcomes.

Grades are not irrelevant, they are simply incomplete. The students who move forward with confidence are the ones who combine academic discipline with self-awareness, exposure and deliberate skill development. In my experience, when that combination clicks, something shifts. Decisions feel calmer and motivation becomes more intrinsic. Conversations become more thoughtful and the future feels less abstract, more intentional.

That is the real advantage; not simply achieving high grades, but understanding what you are building and where it is leading.