[Mentavious]

Let me tell you from my experience as a person with their masters in engineering and someone with a managerial role in my company...

GPA matters with getting into graduate school. So yes, you should focus more on school so that you will at least be on par with the thousands of other students applying for graduate/professional school.

As far as in the career field well I can only speak for myself. I never look at a persons GPA but mostly the research they did in college or/and past work experience. There is always 12-18 month learning curve for new engineer workers in my line of work. So if it's between the guy with an internship and 3.0 and another guy with a 3.7 and no experience, tell me who would rather have?

Engineering is not like math or history where knowing an equation or fact is the end goal. Having hands on experience and being able to work with others are the most important factors you can have in my eyes. Get your degree, do your best in school and get some experience!

[jake1720]

3.0 plus it is.

gotta work harder

[The Beast1]

(05-06-2015 12:10 PM)rungoodinc Wrote:  

(05-06-2015 10:42 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

Here's a question:

What if you have a lackluster GPA (a 3.3) in a joke of a degree program? Will it affect your chances in the future of going to grad school?

I don't plan on any graduate program unless my work pays for it, but in the event they do will my choices be limited because i "followed" my heart in my early twenties?

If you are good at tests, then you can get into a decent MBA program if you have solid work experience. When I say good, I mean top 5% percentile at the minimum.

I'd switch degree programs or try to boost your GPA if it's not too late. 3.5 looks a lot better than 3.3. If you already have a job lined up then who cares?

Probably should have added, i'm three years out of undergrad and already working. I'm also being relocated to the UK and to top it off and finally I am a terrible test taker.

Hilariously, I make more than most people with graduate degrees. Yet I have aspirations to attend some top rated school like Oxford. I should probably start adjusting my expectations downwards.

[MidWest]

I took a Career and Practice Theory class this semester and it was extremely helpful. The professor was an interviewer at a big company and apparently he told us that GPA is pretty much irrelevant. They don't even look at GPA at all and also major is irrelevant too. They want a candidate who shows leadership skills, has critical thinking skills, and good decision making skills. You can have the highest GPA in the world, but if you suck at all of the above you aren't getting hired.

The biggest career myth is that having a good GPA equates to a good paying job or that you need to have a good GPA to get hired. Companies do not look at it at all.

[Menace]

(05-07-2015 02:14 PM)MidWest Wrote:  

I took a Career and Practice Theory class this semester and it was extremely helpful. The professor was an interviewer at a big company and apparently he told us that GPA is pretty much irrelevant. They don't even look at GPA at all and also major is irrelevant too. They want a candidate who shows leadership skills, has critical thinking skills, and good decision making skills. You can have the highest GPA in the world, but if you suck at all of the above you aren't getting hired.

The biggest career myth is that having a good GPA equates to a good paying job or that you need to have a good GPA to get hired. Companies do not look at it at all.

How did he say they cull the resumes to decide who gets an interview? GPA matters more or less, depending on the field. Consulting it matters. Law it matters. Others I have no idea about. I agree with TripleG that you should not advertise it if it's only so-so.

[rungoodinc]

Quote:

Probably should have added, i'm three years out of undergrad and already working. I'm also being relocated to the UK and to top it off and finally I am a terrible test taker.

Hilariously, I make more than most people with graduate degrees. Yet I have aspirations to attend some top rated school like Oxford. I should probably start adjusting my expectations downwards.

Yeah, graduate degrees are not worth it unless you are going in with a specific plan/purpose. Seems like people often go through the motions when it comes to graduate school (ironically, I am in grad school now I have a good reason to be). Like it's just another accomplishment in life we are supposed to check off to show that we are doing well. But then it ends up costing them crushing amounts of debt in many cases.

People lose sight of the purpose of school sometimes. We focus on the prestige aspect of it, when it's really about stacking that paper.

[tallandblonde]

In an engineering major you'll survive with bad grades. Other ones it will haunt you.

I graduated with a 2.65/4.0 in computer science and cognitive science. Not really any good excuse for my grades besides immaturity and taking on a double major when I shouldn't have. I was also an athlete in college so free time wasn't exactly a thing I had.

Anyways, starting salary for my first job in consulting was/is 83k. Bad GPAs can be salvaged, but you have to work harder in other areas. Just getting a better GPA will make things easier, I had to work my ass off to find the job I got. I'm also hoping I can kill the GMATs and get into a semi decent business school down the rode a little.

[MidWest]

(05-07-2015 02:58 PM)Menace Wrote:  

(05-07-2015 02:14 PM)MidWest Wrote:  

I took a Career and Practice Theory class this semester and it was extremely helpful. The professor was an interviewer at a big company and apparently he told us that GPA is pretty much irrelevant. They don't even look at GPA at all and also major is irrelevant too. They want a candidate who shows leadership skills, has critical thinking skills, and good decision making skills. You can have the highest GPA in the world, but if you suck at all of the above you aren't getting hired.

The biggest career myth is that having a good GPA equates to a good paying job or that you need to have a good GPA to get hired. Companies do not look at it at all.

How did he say they cull the resumes to decide who gets an interview? GPA matters more or less, depending on the field. Consulting it matters. Law it matters. Others I have no idea about. I agree with TripleG that you should not advertise it if it's only so-so.

Yes. It matters in graduate school and if you want to get into law school. For school it matters. But if its for a job straight out of college it matters very very little. Employers look a lot for experience and if you fit their company, the things you did in college, and how well rounded you are. If you've experienced situations under pressure. GPA does not matter whatsoever and should only put it on a resume if its like a 4.0 or something.

[jake1720]

(05-07-2015 11:27 PM)MidWest Wrote:  

(05-07-2015 02:58 PM)Menace Wrote:  

(05-07-2015 02:14 PM)MidWest Wrote:  

I took a Career and Practice Theory class this semester and it was extremely helpful. The professor was an interviewer at a big company and apparently he told us that GPA is pretty much irrelevant. They don't even look at GPA at all and also major is irrelevant too. They want a candidate who shows leadership skills, has critical thinking skills, and good decision making skills. You can have the highest GPA in the world, but if you suck at all of the above you aren't getting hired.

The biggest career myth is that having a good GPA equates to a good paying job or that you need to have a good GPA to get hired. Companies do not look at it at all.

How did he say they cull the resumes to decide who gets an interview? GPA matters more or less, depending on the field. Consulting it matters. Law it matters. Others I have no idea about. I agree with TripleG that you should not advertise it if it's only so-so.

Yes. It matters in graduate school and if you want to get into law school. For school it matters. But if its for a job straight out of college it matters very very little. Employers look a lot for experience and if you fit their company, the things you did in college, and how well rounded you are. If you've experienced situations under pressure. GPA does not matter whatsoever and should only put it on a resume if its like a 4.0 or something.

I'm going to do this. Thanks.

For some reason this past semester is scaring the shit out of me. Like I can't sleep scaring the shit out of me. I guess if it comes down to it I can retake a few classes and get it up.

Worse is i'm on "vacation" for the summer...and I haven't been able to game properly. All I can do is freak about this and finding a job after graduation. Is this normal?

[The Beast1]

If you graduate college with a bad GPA, simply remove it from your resume. No need to broadcast it. I went so far as to remove the "type" of major I got as well since it really is BS. Gainfully employed.

[samsamsam]

OP, all you can do is your best. Worrying about something you can't change doesn't help. Also take those stories of others finding jobs with bad GPAs with a grain of salt. So many variables, how well you interview, how much they like you, which field, a particular need, etc.

I didn't read the entire thread so I don't know what year you are in etc. I'd try to get an internship and do a good job obviously. Just try and do better in school and don't dwell on it. Years from now, unless you are applying to grad school, these grades won't matter.

[jake1720]

It does suck. Bad.

That is true ^^^. Most of my current friends have jobs. It is definitely not fun though.

It's more than being about gainfully employed. I'm hoping to grab something engineering related (That's why I went through all the crap. This was a pretty dumb move on my part to work on other projects while studying engineering. Live and learn. Life sucks sometimes.

I guess the worst case is technical sales? Even then it's not too bad. I see a lot of people do very well selling technical equipment.

[fiasco360]

Speaking to recruiters and engineers in industry, GPA matters. Especially considering some schools are inflating grades quite a bit.

If you can get some stellar experience somehow though, that will outshine it but you MUST get your resume in the hands of the right person. Recently spoke to a friend who got a position at SpaceX with a 2.5 GPA but he's a smart guy and was involved heavily in his projects (he also knew someone.)

The thing is this, focus on what you can now to maximize your chances. You can't change the past - if your classes can be retaken, maybe consider that but ultimately focus on getting out of school and don't waste another year of debt.

High GPA, internships, project experience and networking. Hit it from all angles.

[christpuncher]

...

[Peregrine]

Asking if GPA matters is like asking if height matters in game. Yeah it does.

But if you were born 5'0", do you quit life? Of course not. You go with what you've got and max out everything else. And let's be honest: we've all seen a 5'0" chill ass mofo do (way) better than an awkward 6'0" nerd.

[jake1720]

Agreed with all the points above ^^^. It seems like the factor with lack of all other evidence.

Worst case technical sales. Probably pays more than engineering anyways. Thanks everyone.

[BlueOcean]

I hate to say it, but GPA does actually matter a lot.

Below a 3.5 GPA and it's hard to get into a decent grad school program.
Below a 3.0 GPA and it's hard to get into any grad school program or even get a corporate job.

That may sound harsh, but it's the truth. There are definitely those who succeed despite a low GPA, but it's tough.

Here's how you fix your problems.

1. Take lots of easy filler classes (ie pottery 101 bullshit courses) to raise your GPA.
2. Double-major in something really easy that also allows you to raise your GPA.
3. Lie about your GPA on your resume.
4. When you get your first job, do an online engineering masters degree. That'll give you a chance to do a degree on your company's dime and, if you do well,
your low undergrad GPA will matter less. Also, online programs are usually easy to get into.

If you want more specific advice and further discussion, you can send me a private message. I have a lot of experience on this topic
and I think I can definitely help.

[booksarefun666]

(05-05-2015 10:55 PM)rungoodinc Wrote:  

It depends on how good your school is, but Engineering is a pretty transferable degree in general. Major consulting/banking/finance firms prefer Engineers over finance or econ majors for sure, but it's a lot better if your school has a brand name in this kind of situation.

Also, Engineering + MBA down the road is a sick combo. A lot of engineers have a stable salary but they are sort of capped at where they are (usually because they don't have good people skills).

From what I heard from experienced engineers (aspiring to be one myself, so I'm always hitting up people in the industry) the only way to get a raise in engineering is to constantly move between jobs and go to the higher paying one.

Of course there's salary negotiations but job hopping seems to be commonplace.

[jake1720]

^^^ MBA ==> Finance.

Some go into sales.

Some start their own companies/consult.

Lots of ways to do it.

I seem to have dug myself into a hole. Time to dig myself out.

Not the first time this has happened.

[emuelle1]

I've never seen GPA matter in any context in the workforce. All that matters is you have a degree from an accredited institution. That's all they look for.

[jake1720]

Sounds good. Still going to get it up for grad school and such if I decide to make that happen.

[jake1720]

A few people offered to help me fix the situation. I was stupid and pretty dumb. I appreciate all the advice. Terrible, terrible decisions. In the moment they were fun. I have finally accepted that I needed to accept my situation.

If anyone in college or high school is reading this. Pick a useful major and take everything seriously. Don't try to start a business during classes (Unless you know what you are doing). Don't party your ass off to the point it affects your grades (too much). It's MUCH harder to recover if you choose a bad major -- sometimes a low GPA you can get passed (I've seen lucky breaks). All my old classmates are off doing their own thing doing mostly well. I'm sitting here trying to catch up.

I have seen guys in their 30s-40s recover. But it is a much, much, much longer road than if you had done it right the first time.

I should be OK (Mostly due to my parents - otherwise I would be extremely screwed, as stated in a different thread).

If anyone has any advice for me (I heard to get an online engineering MBA to cover this) I'm all ears. It's relatively easy to fix. But don't play with fire, do it right the first time.

The other thread (on the history major) information as well. It sucks, but it is what it is.

Lesson: Do it right the first time.

[Soyouz]

A lot of candidates don't put their GPA on their resumes.

What really matters is your work experience. Recruiters will care more about what you've done, than about your GPA.

Most Recruiters/Hiring Managers would rather hire a graduate who has a normal GPA, but some interesting work experience (ex : internships, part time job) over a student with a perfect GPA who has limited work experience.

[jake1720]

I'm sure I will make something work.

Thanks

[Orichalcum]

I recruited software developers in the past, I vetted some for venture capitalists as well (due diligence). The subject of their GPA or their education never came up - I mostly discussed their work experience, asked them to tell me about a project of theirs that they liked workign on (if they got excited retelling it, good sign), did some coding tests on pen and paper. These days I would ask for their github as well. Past successes and getting things done is a great predictor of success for hiring a new guy as far as I'm concerned. I don't know what kind of engineering you're majoring into, but in other words, do your utmost to get some real-world experience under your belt.