I was a terrible student who really disliked school. At the time (late 90s), I found the curriculum staid and obsolete on delivery and didn’t see a way to explore things that interested me.
Things turned out ok. None of the big companies that visited campus would interview me. I ended up at a late stage startup that had taken a hit in the dotcom crash and did really well there. Then the company was bought at a premium a year later and I got a nice deal from the stock conversion.
Later I joined a big mega org and moved up to the VP level there over the years. A have a friend who did something similar - he’s some big shot at a bank now.
The key is getting in the door and kicking ass. Be good to people. At the end of the day, once you have a track record, nobody gives a shit about your 2.0 GPA after a few years unless it’s a company that likes to collect Ivy diplomas.
Funny story - I interviewed for a gig apparently by mistake. The interviewer scoffed and said they rarely hire anyone from state schools, and that I’m wasting my time. 6 months later, I’m making 5x as a consultant to do same thing and pull their chestnuts out of the fire. I got a very touching gift from the same dude, who didn’t remember me.
Also consider that development may not be your jam. Devops, analytics or other disciplines may be more your speed.
Comments
I was a terrible student who really disliked school. At the time (late 90s), I found the curriculum staid and obsolete on delivery and didn’t see a way to explore things that interested me.
Things turned out ok. None of the big companies that visited campus would interview me. I ended up at a late stage startup that had taken a hit in the dotcom crash and did really well there. Then the company was bought at a premium a year later and I got a nice deal from the stock conversion.
Later I joined a big mega org and moved up to the VP level there over the years. A have a friend who did something similar - he’s some big shot at a bank now.
The key is getting in the door and kicking ass. Be good to people. At the end of the day, once you have a track record, nobody gives a shit about your 2.0 GPA after a few years unless it’s a company that likes to collect Ivy diplomas.
Funny story - I interviewed for a gig apparently by mistake. The interviewer scoffed and said they rarely hire anyone from state schools, and that I’m wasting my time. 6 months later, I’m making 5x as a consultant to do same thing and pull their chestnuts out of the fire. I got a very touching gift from the same dude, who didn’t remember me.
Also consider that development may not be your jam. Devops, analytics or other disciplines may be more your speed.
The key is someone gave you a chance. And for this to continue you need to give others a chance.