[hardwaregeek]

This is why I think college should be saved for the adults. Because, sorry, this is a pretty basic lesson in adulthood. Competence is only a small part of getting hired. Contacts and charisma are a huge huge factor. If you don't understand this, you should probably take a year or two to work, learn a bit about the world, then go to college. I've met so many students who have been judged purely on their grades, who then encounter the job market and are mystified to discover that their grades matter zero, zip, zilch. It's not their fault; that's what they've been taught in high school and earlier.

I've tried to explain that for 99% of CS majors, your grades do not matter. If you're spending your time in college constantly studying and worrying about getting an A in your test because oh no your GPA will be a 3.8 otherwise, you haven't really assessed what's important. Go to college; do your best to learn because the material is useful and pretty neat; socialize, have fun; then find a job. That's it. A 4.0 isn't that important.