if you asked 16 years old me why are you studying so hard, the lie would be the whole story so i can do get into college get a job etc... truth would have been so i can look good and be admired

I mean, sure, but we get told the lie the whole time

I'm 37 and I'd say this is _still_ one my largest motivators.

School, at least in the US, gives you plenty of quick rewards. In my high school, we got report cards every other week. On top of that, you get homework and quiz results back quickly as well.

While the real reward is admission to a good college, you get the feeling that you are progressing towards that goal often.

Mh, I wonder if it's my perception that's skewed. Like, ranks are not a reward at all, I expect something I enjoy, instead the rank was literally a "you must get a good rank or you are done for your life" kind of thing. It was no reward at all, it was _expectation_.