As an academic tutor, I read a lot of papers written by students who don't seem to realize that spelling is essential in the real world. I've had to correct resumes & cover letters for countless young people who failed to get past the initial interview or to even get an interview and I had to point out the fact that incorrect spelling is the fastest way to lose the interest of potential employers. After all, if you're not willing to put in the effort on your resume, then what can they expect from you if you get the job. Spelling errors are also a killer on marks at school, especially at the college/university level & a quick way to lose 10-20%. I know because for four years I was a Teaching Assistant at UBC & I had to "teach" many of these 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year Engineering students the need to put in more effort on writing a good lab report, including proper spelling. During my time at UBC, the best compliments I received were from Engineering profs who would actually come up to me and mention how they could usually tell which of their students had taken my lab courses, since they were among the few who could write proper lab reports & paid attention to details like grammar & spelling.
I know that when you're in high school there are a lot more "important" things to worry about than spelling, but bad spelling becomes a life-long bad habit that can really hurt your chances of success later in life, both academically and when you get into the working world.
Writing on the boards is different, but even here, if the spelling is really bad, many of the more experienced reefers will ignore the post & you'll lose out on learning from their experiences.
Anthony
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