Help with a decision

[Jimmy_Leppard]

Hi, guys. I need your help with something or just an advice.

 

Every year, my high school oranizes a competition known as ''Young entrepreneur''. It's a competition where 2 groups of 3 students are needed in order to begin. Their assignment is to make up/create a fictional company and their ''business plan'' containing everything about the company and the product given to them. Two students in the group are assigned to make almost every aspect of the plan, while one student is assigned to make a presentation of that same ''business plan'' in a foreign language. We have to present that ''business plan'' in our language and in foreign language in front of 8 professors, my whole class and about half of the school. Who gets more points, goes to a regional competition. Who wins the first place there, goes to national competition.

 

My class is next this year and out of 28 students in it, our professor said to us that we have to put out 6 students whose grades are very good and form 2 groups of 3 students to present the ''business plans''.

 

Now to the problem. The principal said that students don't have to go to this competition if they don't want to. However, there's a problem. Our school has been in the top 3 schools in the region for the past 5 or 6 years in this competition. Once, a generation of students won the first prize on a national competition. Now, one of my older professors, who was a mentor of all these groups over the years, forces students to go on this competition just so our school wins another prize again, but not considering how much work we have to do in order to keep our grades in balance, our personal life etc.

 

Since the principal said that students don't have to go to the competition, nobody in my class, including me, doesn't want to go to it. Some of them don't want to go cause they're scared, some of them don't know how and don't want to embarrass themselves in front of half of the school (which is normal) and some of them (this is me) doesn't want to go because they have so much other stuff to do and have no time for a competition with all these things together. And to be clear, I ain't a great student. I just know foreign language the best in my class.

 

So, today my whole class said to the professor that they don't wanna go due to various reasons. And you know what he has done? He blackmailed us. He said that if we don't come up with 2 groups of students that will go to the competition soon, he'll decrease whole class'es grades and make it impossible for us to get an A in that subject.

 

I'm at home, ill and my friend from school sent me a message about it a while ago and I'm shocked. Now, already 3 or 4 people decided to go cause they have no other options. He actually made it impossible for us to decide for ourselves or to choose. Now I ask you: Is that legal? I mean, how can he do that? I'm in a very tough spot now cause of him. Since I haven't been in school today, professor didn't get the chance to write me up just yet. But, now I need to choose between going to that competition against my will next to all this exams, driving school and private life problems I gotta deal with or my class, cause if I don't accept to go to that competition, my whole class will suffer and obviously they're gonna start to hate me then. But, the thing is, just because I have good grades in foreign language, I have to go. Professor wants just the best students from certain subjects to go and since I'm the best in foreign languages, I have to choose between two things that are both very delicate.

 

I'm really pissed right now and I don't know what to do. I absolutely have no time for that sh*t. Is there any way I could get myself out of getting to that competition and not making the professor decrease everyone's grades in that subject?

 

Please, I need an advice.

Edited December 3, 2011 by Jimmy_Leppard

[Ari Gold]

Harden the f*ck up. Life isn't easy; most of your problems in life are going to arise from (a) not being able to schedule things to your individual liking (like in your example), and (b) doing things you probably don't enjoy doing (like in your example). It would be much more fruitful for you as a person if you take all of these things in your stride and be a man about it, doing it all to the best of your ability and not letting anything faze you, then sitting back whining and complaining about whether what your principal is doing is "legal" or not. Who gives a sh*t? He's a school principal, he's meant to be enforcing some form of discipline in his students, even if it is pretty minor.

 

Every great man has had to make great sacrifices. You want good grades? Convince others to go to the competition so you can continue to barrel down with your studies, or do the competition yourself, and make the most of your time not working on your competition on your studies. If you want to achieve anything, you need to work your butt off. Work-life balance only becomes important once you've set yourself up, but if you're truly as competitive as you sound about your school performance (I'm the exact same), then f*ck your work-life balance, because success doesn't reflect what you do in your spare time, it only reflects the things you do which actually count. No point in complaining about the situation - just put up with it and work with it.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you're ill since that can only demotivate you, but don't let it. You have personal problems? Deal with them directly, or ignore them. Hell, just ignore them - unless they're your first priority, they shouldn't matter to you at all. Figure out what matters to you (unless I'm sorely mistaken, it seems as if they're your grades), and focus on them, and work towards them! Don't complain about the things holding you back, man, your future employer is not going to give a sh*t.

 

Edit: So, yeah, to answer your question directly: either try and get other people to go, or do it yourself. If you're a smart kid who's truly interested in getting top grades (it seems like you are), you've got to take one for the team, strap on a helmet and do the work. If you work hard enough and believe in yourself enough, and don't sit back and relax and start bitching and whining, the personal satisfaction you'll get from achieving your goals despite all that crap thrown at you is indescribable. Trust me.

Edited December 1, 2011 by Stefche

[Jimmy_Leppard]

 

Harden the f*ck up. Life isn't easy; most of your problems in life are going to arise from (a) not being able to schedule things to your individual liking (like in your example), and (b) doing things you probably don't enjoy doing (like in your example). It would be much more fruitful for you as a person if you take all of these things in your stride and be a man about it, doing it all to the best of your ability and not letting anything faze you, then sitting back whining and complaining about whether what your principal is doing is "legal" or not. Who gives a sh*t? He's a school principal, he's meant to be enforcing some form of discipline in his students, even if it is pretty minor.

 

Every great man has had to make great sacrifices. You want good grades? Convince others to go to the competition so you can continue to barrel down with your studies, or do the competition yourself, and make the most of your time not working on your competition on your studies. If you want to achieve anything, you need to work your butt off. Work-life balance only becomes important once you've set yourself up, but if you're truly as competitive as you sound about your school performance (I'm the exact same), then f*ck your work-life balance, because success doesn't reflect what you do in your spare time, it only reflects the things you do which actually count. No point in complaining about the situation - just put up with it and work with it.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you're ill since that can only demotivate you, but don't let it. You have personal problems? Deal with them directly, or ignore them. Hell, just ignore them - unless they're your first priority, they shouldn't matter to you at all. Figure out what matters to you (unless I'm sorely mistaken, it seems as if they're your grades), and focus on them, and work towards them! Don't complain about the things holding you back, man, your future employer is not going to give a sh*t.

 

Edit: So, yeah, to answer your question directly: either try and get other people to go, or do it yourself. If you're a smart kid who's truly interested in getting top grades (it seems like you are), you've got to take one for the team, strap on a helmet and do the work. If you work hard enough and believe in yourself enough, and don't sit back and relax and start bitching and whining, the personal satisfaction you'll get from achieving your goals despite all that crap thrown at you is indescribable. Trust me.

Thanks, man. I would've got on this assignment right away if there wasn't for all this other things I gotta take care of, but my professor doesn't seem to understand that his subject isn't the only subject we need to prepare for.

 

However, I'll see what I'll do when I come to school next week. Maybe there will be someone who will actually go instead of me. If not, well, f*ck it then. I'm gonna focus on these other things and not on that competition which means nothing to me at all.

[Slamman]

If you're taking up the challenge, maybe borrow ideas straight from Donald Trump's The Apprentice, since they basically do that with judged real world success??

[lil weasel]

Turn the bugger In to the Authorities. To your self be true. Then, again being pressured is what life is about. Do the best you can.

[Viperman]

Writing, preparing a business plan is a good practice. It can be an extremely successful and rewarding career choice. Do it, and put effort into. You may regret letting this 'iinterest' pass you by.

[Jimmy_Leppard]

Writing, preparing a business plan is a good practice. It can be an extremely successful and rewarding career choice. Do it, and put effort into. You may regret letting this 'iinterest' pass you by.

Yea, I don't know about that. There is no reward for winning the first place in the school competition or the regional competition. And the only thing it does is that it takes time and nerves. As I said, I'm already covered up with exams, driving school, homework and things I gotta to do at home. I can't possibly squeeze that business plan anywhere. It's just not enough time. However, what pisses me off the most is the fact that the professor has set the terms that are absolutely bad for us. It's either: Screw yourself or screw your whole class.

[Slamman]

Parlay your interest into the idea, that makes it more interesting and fun. In other words, gaming... Mods are an interest of yours?

[Viperman]

Fair point, but you may find you have a nac for it. Writing if presentation. Or a bloody good idea that can make money. Useless now yeah, but doing it could spark a thought train.

 

Meh, if I had a pound for everytime I said 'if I could go back and do it all over again' this year alone, I would have lots of pounds

[Slamman]

Email your biz plan to The Don, if he says "You're Fired", then can the idea! hahaha

[Jimmy_Leppard]

Email your biz plan to The Don, if he says "You're Fired", then can the idea! hahaha

LOL, man.

[Slamman]

I've been brainstorming an idea for something to keep the ears warm in winter, and watching the TV show Shark Tank you also get an idea on what steps to take!

 

For those outside the USA and the typical media we get/watch;

 

http://www.tv.com/shows/shark-tank/

[Jimmy_Leppard]

Just to inform everyone who's been kind enough to give their advice here: The professor who was the ''main issue'' of this thread is fired. My whole class went to the principal's office and confirmed his ''blackmailing'', so.. yea. He's history.

 

And I don't have to go to the competition either.