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Comment by fendrak | Hacker News Reader

I think this is something many high school seniors realize at some point or another: had we known how easy it really was to game the system, we might have started playing the game earlier and earned more points. We aren't rewarded for interests, or how we approach things, or even for helping our fellow students; we're rewarded for scoring as many points as we can to the detriment of all other things.

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Or you recognize that the game is contrary to your learning-related goals, figure out how many points you need to get what you're after, and then return your focus to learning. What would I have gained with another half point on my GPA or by moving my class rank into the top tenth? Probably not much, but it would have meant a lot more time and attention spent on work I didn't find interesting.

Also, for some strange reason, work you do that is interesting prepares you a hell of a lot more for your intended major in college.

I don't think the difficult thing is figuring out that it's an easy game, but rather figuring out that it's a game at all.

The system looks like reality when it's all you know. Setting your own goals is a hard concept.

had we known how easy it really was to game the system, we might have started playing the game earlier and earned more points.

I think you completely missed the point the girl was trying to make.

Not really, he means the current system is how it is and if you want to there is a way to game it. I know people who took subjects based on their interests, the way it should work, in high school and ended up getting a much lower score than those of similar ability who sort to pick subjects to best maximise their score.

Sure the people picking the interest based subjects may have learned more and got more out of the experience but they failed to get a direct path into something they wanted to do in higher education.

As much as the tide is changing there are still plenty of occupations in which your not going to get anywhere without the relevant degree.

But yes this is a tangent from the point being made, which is a good one.

That was indeed the point. I took the "learn what you like" route and was not rewarded for that as much as I could have been rewarded for gaming the system.

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