Why ‘A’ Students Work for ‘C’ Students and ‘B’ Students Work for the Government”

“Why ‘A’ Students Work for ‘C’ Students and ‘B’ Students Work for the Government” by Robert T. Kiyosaki — the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad 

Book Summary - Central Idea

Robert Kiyosaki explains why academic intelligence alone doesn’t guarantee success in the real world.

He argues that schools teach students to become employees, not entrepreneurs or investors.

As a result:

A students (academically brilliant) often become employees who work hard for others.

B students (average performers) often find stable government or corporate jobs.

C students (poor academic performers) often become employers, entrepreneurs, or investors, hiring A and B students to work for them.

The book emphasizes financial education, entrepreneurial mindset, and teaching children to think differently about money.

Key Concepts and Lessons

1. The Real-World Skills Missing in School

Schools reward memorization, not creative problem-solving or financial thinking.

Students are taught to avoid mistakes, but in business, learning comes from failure.

Financial success requires understanding money, investing, taxes, and cash flow, none of which are taught in school.

 Quote: “School teaches you to work for money, but not how money works.”

2. Types of Education

Kiyosaki divides education into three categories:

Academic Education – Reading, writing, math, and general knowledge.

Professional Education – Career skills like law, medicine, or engineering.

Financial Education – Understanding money, investing, and building wealth (the most ignored type in schools).

 The rich focus on the third kind.

3. The Cashflow Quadrant

Kiyosaki explains four ways people earn income:

E – Employee: Works for someone else.

S – Self-employed: Works for themselves.

B – Business Owner: Has a system; others work for them.

I – Investor: Makes money work for them.

To achieve financial freedom, you must move from the left side (E/S) to the right side (B/I).

4. Mindset Difference Between the Rich and the Poor

Poor and middle class say: “I can’t afford it.”

Rich say: “How can I afford it?” — They look for solutions, not excuses.

Rich people focus on assets that generate income, not on liabilities that drain money (like cars or big houses bought on credit).

5. Parents’ Role: Teaching Financial Intelligence Early

Kiyosaki urges parents to teach their children:

The difference between assets and liabilities

Importance of entrepreneurship

Budgeting, saving, and investing

How to think independently, not just follow rules

 Schools teach children to look for security, while parents must teach them to look for opportunity.

6. Why “C Students” Succeed

“C students” often:

Take risks

Think creatively

Break rules

Learn from real-life experience

They develop street smarts, not just book smarts.

They learn to hire smarter people (A and B students) to execute their vision.

7. Financial Freedom is a Skill

Kiyosaki emphasizes continuous learning about:

Real estate

Stocks and investments

Taxes and legal structures

Building and managing teams

Leadership and communication

 “It’s not what you earn, it’s what you keep.”

Top 5 Takeaways

Grades don’t define your future — financial intelligence does.

Work to learn, not to earn — focus on acquiring skills that make you valuable.

Invest early — money works harder than humans can.

Build assets — don’t chase a higher paycheck, build sources of passive income.

Teach your kids financial literacy — it’s the real legacy.

Conclusion

Kiyosaki concludes that financial freedom doesn’t come from education, but from financial education.

He challenges readers to unlearn traditional thinking about jobs and money, and instead build systems, assets, and investments that create long-term wealth.

He encourages every parent and teacher to prepare children not just for exams, but for real-life economics — where creativity, courage, and cashflow matter more than report cards.