[Spooky23]

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.

[anonymouskimmer]

> The key is getting in the door and kicking ass. Be good to people.

The key is someone gave you a chance. And for this to continue you need to give others a chance.