Kuala Lampur, Sept. 29 -- I've been in the education sector more than two decades. What always surprises me is how many folks (especially parents) draw a strong causal line from "school performance" to "career success".

As if doing great in school automatically and infallibly produces what society outside of school needs.

But maybe it's time to remind ourselves why this may not only be untrue, it may actually be the opposite.

Because school respects certain qualities NOT highly valued outside of school (especially in the corporate world), anyone who unthinkingly believes that doing well in one domain surely leads to success in the other domain could be in for a shock.

So let's look at a few key differences between school and non-schoo...