My GPA this semester is going down the toilet. What really sucks is that I’m actually trying hard.
Where are some GPA cutoffs you think that will leave me with better jobs, good jobs, bad jobs and no jobs? I do make up for things in an interview setting, however, the first thing that the employer will see is my GPA.
Also, how much does this affect me long term?
FWIW, I also have 2 co-op experiences, one with GE Aviation.
How bad it it? For some, “going down the toilet” means it slid from a 3.98 all the way to 3.77, and for others, well, they have no GPA…
we’re talkin’ say, 3.25ish to 3.10ish
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School and program also matters.
A 4.0 from Univ. of Cincinnati in Vibrations might get you a job.
but 3.0 from Mich. Tech. Univ. will get you any job you want in the Vib’s industry (ok, maybe you should get a 3.5)
{just fishing to see if there are any school rivals out there).
Seriously, The school and program do mean a lot along with the grades.
Although I’m not in the engineering field (I could never keep the train on the tracks)…
How far are you into the program? Are you working on you Major courses or GE? Do you have good references from teachers/employers? Are you getting any type experience related to your field of study (volunteer work/internships/paid) that will show application of your knowledge?
A lot goes into an interview and an employer that only looks at grades will be doing their business an injustice (most of the time).
Chris
a 3.25 to 3.1 is not that big a deal. Though, I hate to say it, 3.25 is already down with the ‘also rans’. If you interview well, that what matters to most people. Don’t put anything on your resume that you can’t back up on the spot in an interview. A friend of mine who often interviews ME’s will have them go to the white board and solve a problem or goto the machine shop and set up a mill if they have “machining skills” written on their resume.
The good news is that no one cares about your transcript after your first job, my wife graduated in engineering with a similar mediocre GPA and she runs 80M$ projects.
I, personally, would not reject your resume for 3.10 GPA. That’s a B average. And some of those classes were probably in some stuff that’s terribly uninteresting to me, as a potential colleague (because I’m interviewing you in this scenario). If you are interviewing for a job as a nuclear engineer, I’m pretty uninterested in your grades in Small Craft Sailing, Music in the Rennaisance, and Accounting–unless you’ve just invited me out sailing for the day on the lake in your sunfish.
I’d likely be more interested in talking to you than some 4.00 dork, onnacounta you’d prolly be more fun to work with, as you probably have some non-work-related distractions in your life. And since I have to spend 8 hours a day with you, if you’re no fun to work with, well… It probably also means that you took some classes that sounded interesting, or you have a hard minor (part of my ‘problem’ with my GPA…I minored in a physical science discipline that I found interesting…but it was also harder, and required more study and harder classes than if my minor had been something ‘easier’). Just Say (tmPL) I’ve seen my share of straight-A student young engineers over the years.
At least that’s how I look at it, as an engineer with 20 years experience, and a pretty solid B average 20 years ago, which no longer matters at all.
The flip side of the coin is that the HR-bots may use your GPA to help set you salary they offer in your first job, which is probably more likely in a big company than a small one, but I doubt that even that will be that huge of an impact on your life.
Was never asked my GPA coming out of engineering school. Have never been asked about the grades. All they care about is that you have one from an accredited program.
It most likely won’t be an issue as engineers are in very high demand.
This isn’t an excuse to slack off but keep working hard and do your best.
I work for a Fortune 500-ish electronics manufacturer. At our place, you generally get interviewed by the engineers you would be working with in the positions. They want to see how you’ll fit in and whether you actually know your stuff. Your GPA will get you in the door, but it won’t get you the job. A 3.1 is good enough. IF.
When you get to the interview, you’d better know your chops. Be able to talk intelligently about some of the projects you’ve worked on and what YOUR contribution was. If you can speak well about some of the issues you confronted, analyzed, and solved, that’s good too. Bottom line, you’ve got to show you understand how to engineer stuff. How to look at a problem, break it down into its parts, analyze the relevant factors (including tossing out the irrelevant ones), make a judgement, and deliver the goods. Confidence and comfort with the material and subject matter counts a lot, too.
Your co-op experience, if you really had a project or two you can shine about, will count 10x your GPA, whether it’s from Louisville or MIT.
I’d suspect that if you can talk about how you and your buds in the dorm cobbled together a robot from old LEGOs and Erector Set parts to go down the hall and get a Coke out of the machine for you, that’ll count more than your senior undergrad project. Maybe even a Master’s thesis. Come to think of it why didn’t you just save yourself some time and write your thesis about the Lego/Erector/Coke-machine robot?
Oh, and the guy who said you’d better be able to back up what you put into your CV and/or resume is dead right. If it’s on there, somebody will challenge you on it or question you about it. And you won’t be able to fake it.
JMHO.
we’re talkin’ say, 3.25ish to 3.10ish
Well, as several have said, the HR bot’s and big industry are the ones who might care. People like half and quarter cut offs. Where I work, no 3.0 or better HR cuts you, people have had offers pulled cause they fell below that number. Others might use 3.25 or 3.5 So if you were north of 3.25 and slip below it COULD have an impact. If you get through to your actual boss probably doesn’t care, but first you got to get past the basic requirements.
Come to think of it why didn’t you just save yourself some time and write your thesis about the Lego/Erector/Coke-machine robot?
It’s funny that you wrote this…I kinda did that.
My senior design project was a physical model of a Turing machine. I’m such a geeknerddork.
Like others have said, your GPA is only one factor and depending on your discipline and the field you’re applying in, may not even matter at all if demand is high.
In my experience, anything 3.0 or better is fine coming out of an accredited school. Large firms will have more rigid hiring criteria than smalls. Public sector employers are usually more lenient because they can’t offer the money (or the excitement if you are a design engineer) private sector companies can.
What are you? ME, EE, CE, Chem? I see BS MEs and CEs having the hardest time these days but there’s always work in the utilities sector for just about any engineer.
So, as an AE with a 2.8 I might as well give up on applying to anywhere decent and go back for a masters?
Not necessarily. Just means you’ll have to work harder to get the job. Or take a less appealing job till you have some actual work experience.
I think the common thread here is that GPA is certainly a factor, but really only on whether you get in the door for the interview. What really gets you the job is how well you understand the subject matter. I think this is true for most all careers, but perhaps especially so for engineering or similar fields. A 2.8 GPA that can solve a tough test problem on the spot and speak intelligently about whatever the interviewer throws at him, and/or has some solid work experience (e.g. co-op positions or actual FT work that was obviously a real project and not just busy-work) will get the job over a 4.0 who can’t talk their way out of a paper bag…
The catch is with the larger firms who may have rules that don’t even get your resume through the door. Put 5 years of solid experience at a smaller company or public sector, and that becomes much less of a factor. But again, you’d better have the actual experience to back it up…
As always, it’s a balance between credentials and skills, but the scale leans heavily to skills…
As always, it’s a balance between credentials and skills, but the scale leans heavily to skills…
The Door leading to the scale opens on GPA.
DavHamm - I agree here 100%. Without a decent GPA, you don’t get invited to some of the big dances. Also, skills don’t necessarily mean hardcore engineering skills. People management and leadership skills are in my opinion as important if not more so in today’s world. Unfortunately, or fortunately, some people with super high GPA don’t have those skills.
Don’t sweat a 2.8. As I said before most employers don’t ask about GPA. As long as you have the degree from an accredited school with a good background and work ethic you’ll do fine.
Too often people get wrapped up in the grades and forget the big picture. Most schools grade inflate anyway and employers realize that grades no longer a good measure to use for success.
I forgot to mention, any degree with a University of California seal on it is like a letter from the King. Go forth and do good in the world.
Which is ridiculous btw…not because the schools are not good. They are decent. But they don’t guarantee that the students are top notch. Many sit on their butts and wait for grad day…I got the opportunity to spend several semesters in other schools and sure wasn’t impressed by the supposedly topnotch schools…
But as I get to talk to lots of recruiters, I agree that there is a lot more than GPA stuff…
I’d bet the Air Force or Navy would take a serious look at you. Ever consider serving your country?