Comments by "Pepe Le Pew" (@pepelepew1227) on "Being A Top 1% Student in Korea | Street Interview" video.

@justinekim4102 competition starts at elementary school in east asia. good grades gets you to good high school, more good grades good university. the standards are higher at better schools and, if he's not working harder relative to his peers, personally he doesnt see it as a big deal. entitlement is minimal in meritocracy and early sacrifice yields huge dividends in old age. people who lead leisurely lives shouldnt be complaining abt flipping burgers their whole lives and the instability/lack of security that comes with the job.
43
yes the meritocratic system is stressful, yes our parents guilt us into studying, yes as adults we feel our youth are not fully lived ..... but do you regret the life you have today (im 35) compared to those with lax lives? do you regret having a trained brain able to process things faster & better than the global average? a huge part of me regrets the burden but for the most parts im grateful.
39
@1988kcmo are you from a first-world country? i started reading western media 16 years ago and notice the pattern of making excuses for not succeeding based on a small subset of the population (that 'what about' argument). on my side of the world, the government helps with squat and that breeds self-reliance. arguably it's the government's job to clear a path to success for those willing to work hard. the job of giving kids today an equal start (or as close to one as humanly possible) lies with their parents and ancestors - blame them. the jews started with nothing in a new country after world war 2 and the east asian diaspora started as laborers (my grandfather was a copper miner) at the turn of the 20th century. it's generations of hard work with successive ones doing better. if you do come from a first-world country with the luck of a govt providing living expenses as charity (it's not a right) and avail student loans for everyone willing to study, i only have this to say: "if you dont work as hard as we do, you dont deserve a better life than we have." here's my recipe for those who wants to follow: my first job was $300/month so i spent 6 years studying taxes, cfa (chartered financial analyst), marketing (coursera - selected subjects) and supply chain(also coursera); all while holding a full-time job, putting off marriage until 32.
13
@1988kcmo people in first-world countries are entitled. thats my main point. there's no such thing as "inherently" inferior - genetics are not to blame.
10
@1988kcmo i can honestly tell you not everyone work as hard as us. there are only a handful of students entering ivy league-like schools through the donation route; it's the meritocratic way for everyone else, even the rich kids arriving in chauffered mercedes every morning work as hard as i do. we saw that, my parents pointed that our very early to contrast the sacrifices many families are reluctant to make.
3
@superduperfacts3936 and survivors of that gruesome competition all left for america, leaving the losers behind voting for modi 😆😆😆
3
@1988kcmo i know, my parents personally tutored maths & mandarin with 3 tutors for other subjects/interests. as an adult, i estimate my parents only spend 20% of their disposable income (salary - living expenses) to achieve that for their 4 children, something i irritatingly can never follow. they are not rich but everyone make sacrifices and in several years im obliged to provide at least the same quality of life (for 2 kids max 😄).
2
@elmocat9946 meritocracy
1
@printerink697 you are making excuses. my big career break comes mainly from passing the cfa exams (chartered financial analyst). coming from a non-business background, it took 5 tries to pass all 3 exams. the exams cost around us$700 each with a one-time registration fee. how did i pass without prep school? 1) i clocked 600-700 hours to study for each exam on top of a full-time job that has a lot of unpaid overtime (3rd world country). 2) i went to the forums and facebook to pester dozens of people to help my study. smart people arent always nice and thats how i grow a thick skin. 3) everytime i fail an exam, i shed a dry tear knowing i had put my best foot forward and register for next year. i eat rice. if you eat rice too, you can do this.
1
@printerink697 sounds like singapore. here's what i did: 1) put in 2x the hours as the average. 2) persevere and cut your parents off once you work - use this as your motivation. i have called the cops on my mother before for harassment and blocked her number for half the year. when you reach 30, nobody will care about your childhood sob story because only results matter. be ruthless ! 3) subscribe to 20 serious forums and start asking for solutions. follow up via dm to those giving you serious answers and write down everything. nobody says it's easy. if you are not getting a leg up, blame your parents not society. either be determined enough to succeed and give your offspring an advantage, or live a normal simple life. if all else fails, study mandarin by taking the highest hsk tests and apply for jobs in rich countries.
1
nah these guys are humble bragging. im a cfa charterholder (finance) in a 3rd world country and won a bet applying for a competitive job i had no intention of accepting. you do need to prepare for the interview - due diligence abt the company, score well on the psychs, make up a fake motivation to join, swot and all that crap; but being labelled as smart goes a long way. the hr more friendly, the user interviews are less hostile and gives you the benefit of doubt on resume kinks. it's not a guarantee but the odds are that much higher.
1