Doing The Bare Minimum

When I went to both graduate school and undergraduate school, I was never really an exceptional student, and had no desire to be. For me it was not a matter of pride, but a matter of efficiency. I learned that the differential between what was required to earn a ‘B’ grade, and what was required to earn an ‘A’ grade was substantial. I already had a career, I had a social life, and I didn’t see the long term benefit of dedicating the extra time. From there I looked at the delta between getting a B grade and a C grade. Professors and instructors would often speak to me about ‘not performing to my full potential’, and I often didn’t have the heart to tell them I was not personally vested in performing up to their level of expectation. I was also afraid of being judged for having this philosophy, or having it adversely affect my grades. Back when I was pursuing my CCIE certification, all I wanted to do was pass with the minimum score. I've met other CCIEs who's first inclination when you meet them is to want to compare scores. Sorry, I'm not about that life. You know that old joke:

What do you call a C-average med school student?
Doctor.

In the end, I've still got a graduate degree and a top tier certification. I’ve maintained this philosophy in other areas of life, such as at work and at home as well. At work I am not forthright about it, as I feel it would negatively impact performance reviews, even though I feel my work is more efficient and of better quality. In short, I'm not going to bust my ass for the sake of busting my ass, though I concede there are many people like that. More power to you.

I try to advocate the benefits of being efficient or working smarter, over being inefficient or working harder. I see a lot of people who work hard, are grossly inefficient, and never seem to get anywhere in life besides a worthless award or a pat on the back. Call me a cynic.

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