When I ask a family what their kid has going on, what they do, what honors they've picked up, there's one answer that comes out first almost every time.

"Well, she's National Honor Society."

Let me tell you about the night my daughter Lizzie got inducted.

She was in 11th grade. I'm sitting next to her in the audience, and I start doing what I apparently cannot stop doing, which is counting. There were about 220 kids in her graduating class. I'm looking around the room trying to work out how many of them are getting this same honor tonight.

So I lean over and say, hey Lizzie, this is awesome. Congratulations. You made it into the top 75% of your class.

She did not think that was funny.

She was right to be annoyed, and I was right about the math.

Here's the test I want you to apply to any credential on your kid's list. Have you ever, in your life, heard an employer say "get me the National Honor Society kid"?

No. Nobody has ever said that.

That's a participation trophy. Not worthless. Ju...