Society Is STILL Telling Young People They're Not Good Enough! This might be why... | Joe Seddon, Forbes 30U30 Founder
Why Does Society Keep Telling Young People They're Not Good Enough?
There's a quiet violence happening in our education system. Every year, millions of talented young people are told they're not good enough—not explicitly, but through a system that measures them against impossible standards whilst ignoring their extraordinary circumstances.
We've built a society where your postcode predicts your future more accurately than your potential. Where A grades from a private school somehow carry more weight than B grades achieved whilst working night shifts to support your family. Where the "bank of mum and dad" creates an entirely different playing field, yet we pretend everyone's running the same race.
Joe Seddon knows this reality intimately. Born in Leeds and raised by a single parent, he defied astronomical odds to reach Oxford University—a feat achieved by less than 1% of students from his constituency. Rather than simply celebrating his individual success, Joe recognised the systemic problem: we're measuring the wrong things.
The Broken Promise of Meritocracy
We tell young people that hard work guarantees success. It's a beautiful lie that keeps the system functioning whilst systematically failing those who need it most. The truth is far more uncomfortable: traditional education systems are fundamentally broken for measuring real talent.
Consider this: a student achieving B grades whilst caring for younger siblings, working part-time jobs, and attending an under-resourced school may demonstrate more capability, resilience, and potential than someone achieving A grades with private tutoring, no external pressures, and elite school resources. Yet our system rewards the latter whilst dismissing the former.
This isn't about lowering standards—it's about recognising that raw achievement often reflects privilege rather than pure talent. When we judge people on absolute performance rather than contextual performance, we're not measuring ability; we're measuring access to resources.
The Rise of Contextual Performance
Joe's company Zero Gravity has revolutionised this approach by focusing on contextual performance—evaluating someone's achievements relative to their starting point and circumstances rather than in absolute terms. Since 2018, they've helped over 8,000 students enter top Russell Group universities, including 800+ into Oxbridge, by recognising potential where traditional systems see failure.
This shift matters because it identifies something crucial: the students who overcome the most barriers often possess the exact qualities we need in tomorrow's leaders—resilience, resourcefulness, and the ability to thrive under pressure. These aren't nice-to-have characteristics; they're essential skills for our rapidly changing economic landscape.
Why Individual Mentorship Breaks Cycles
The most powerful insight from Joe's work isn't about changing university admissions—it's about the transformative power of individual mentorship. When someone believes in your potential and provides practical guidance, it doesn't just change outcomes; it changes how you see yourself.
Joe's journey from his childhood bedroom with £200 of student loan to founding an organisation that's awarded £1.8 million in scholarships demonstrates what's possible when we invest in people rather than just systems. His recognition in Forbes 30 Under 30, receipt of the British Empire Medal, and feature in The Sunday Times Young Power List aren't personal achievements—they're proof that contextual performance matters.
The Technology Factor
As AI and technology reshape what skills actually matter, our education systems are becoming increasingly obsolete. We're still using Victorian-era methods to judge modern talent, measuring recall rather than creativity, conformity rather than innovation.
The students who've learned to adapt, overcome obstacles, and think creatively about problems—often those from challenging backgrounds—may be better equipped for a world where change is the only constant. Yet we continue to filter them out based on metrics that have little bearing on future success.
Building a Fairer Future
The solution isn't to abandon standards—it's to modernise them. When we shift from absolute to contextual performance in education and recruitment, we don't just help individuals; we unlock human potential on a massive scale.
This means recognising that resilience and agency are more important than raw academic achievement. It means understanding that systematic barriers prevent talented young people from succeeding, not lack of ability. It means creating systems that nurture potential rather than just reward existing privilege.
The young people we're telling aren't good enough today could be the leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers we desperately need tomorrow. The question isn't whether they have the talent—it's whether we have the wisdom to recognise it.
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Sources:
- [UK StartUp Awards profile of Joe Seddon (2023)](https://www.ukstartupawards.com/joe-seddon)
- [Wikipedia entry on Joe Seddon (2025)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Seddon)
- [Entrepreneur author bio of Joe Seddon (2024)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/joe-seddon)
- [Living North interview with Joe Seddon (2024)](https://www.livingnorth.com/joe-seddon-interview)
