Exams

My comments on Mare's blog re: exams.

I don't think that's fair at all. Just how much babying is going to go on? There are some legitimate needs, like for a quiet room or such, but you still have to write the exam.

I'm tired of the seemingly endless examples of people being babied through life. The "my kid doesn't do anything wrong" or "everyone's a winner" scenarios. What kind of generation are we creating, anyway? No one ever loses? I'm sorry, but when you can't pay your hydro bill, NB power doesn't come along and say, "Oh, it's *you*. I know you're really a good person, so we won't cut you off this month." Real world, people. You don't always win.

Radio contests - why bother? You're going to give them the prize anyway, what's the point. That pisses me off.

Exams are basically a test of performance under pressure. If you can't handle the pressure of a 2, 3 or 4h test, then how will you handle the pressure of the work environment, no matter what type of employment you have? Since leaving university, I've been faced with deadlines and crises that I had to resolve as quickly and accurately as possible. Exams taught me how to prepare, how to concentrate, and how to get the job done. But I am glad I don't have to do them anymore.

I had to write four 4h exams worth 100%... of my career. I'm biased, but no, I don't want the person next to me getting through a course because they had the luxury of doing a project. In life, some people pass and some people fail at many things. I didn't pass that set of exams, despite taking it twice and studying my ass off. I wasn't babied into passing, no one offered me the chance at doing a project. Either everyone should get the option, or no one should.

Different people are good at different things. I was not good at accounting, so I didn't pass those exams. I went forward and got a different career in something I am good at and [most days] enjoy. Learning happens from failures, maybe more so than successes. If you never stick yourself out there when there's a chance at failure, how do you expect to learn?