Forget about grades!
I’ve been browsing the internet on my girlfriends computer since mine died (and no, I can’t go a week without using a computer). Since I don’t have any of my bookmarks I’ve been forced to click links and browse new sites and I’ve been finding some really good stuff.
I’m sure a lot of people have seen this article, but I think it’s worth posting, especially since my site targets college students (like me). Your College is not a Technical School explains the importance of doing more in college than earning good grades. It actually explains that getting a 4.0 is not necessarily a good thing…shocking, right?
I’ve always kind of followed this philosophy, but this explains what else I should be doing: taking risks, trying new things, meeting new people, and making good friends are the most important things to take away from college. Obviously I’m at Ohio State to learn, and I realize that I can’t get a 2.5 GPA. But why do I need a 4.0? Just because it’s the highest I can get?
As it turns out I don’t need a 4.0 and an internship at a huge international corporation where I make spreadsheets to outline the expenses of the marketing department - which I’ve always realized, but Paul Graham verifies this:
I asked managers at Yahoo, Google, Amazon, Cisco and Microsoft how they’d feel about two candidates, both 24, with equal ability, one who’d tried to start a startup that tanked, and another who’d spent the two years since college working as a developer at a big company. Every one responded that they’d prefer the guy who’d tried to start his own company. Zod Nazem, who’s in charge of engineering at Yahoo, said:
“I actually put more value on the guy with the failed startup. And you can quote me!”
So there you have it. Want to get hired by Yahoo? Start your own company.
On that note, I do work hard in my classes and take my education seriously, but I have no intentions of working in finance or marketing at Procter and Gamble or Citigroup or any of the other huge companies in the United States. I’d much rather work at (or start) a small startup and build things that people talk about and make decisions that have an impact on what the company does and what direction it takes. I can’t get that at P&G.
Related Articles:
- How to sell to suckers (I mean, your classmates)
- Top 5 tips to become a productive student entrepreneur
- How to handle success
- Should Professors Recruit Students To Blog For Money?
- Five time-wasters for the college entrepreneur
Related Ads:
Amen to that. I came to college to learn, no more, no less. I don’t put a high importance on getting good grades beause honestly, I don’t care. I’d rather learn the material, learn more about the world, and graduate debt-free than gain a point on my GPA.
People who hire people always feel the same. They’d rather hire an Engineer with a 2.5 GPA & 2 years work experience than a kid with a 3.8 GPA and is now 23 and finally realizing that electricity costs money.