Hey guys,
As some of you may know I just got married over the summer. I moved out of state, but to avoid losing credits, I never transferred to a different college... so I commute an hour and 45 mins, one way, three times a week and am in school full time. I am in my senior year. I also have a part time job and work 24 hours a week (a job I really don't like, but I decided to try to at least stick it out until after the holidays.) Needless to say, I am a little stressed. I have done really well in school all my life... right now I have a 3.94 GPA. However... I have this one class this semester that is killing me. The teacher does nothing but talk about his boat all day, and most of the work is online. It's easy to forget about his class, honestly. And that's what I did... yesterday I completely just MISSED an assignment. Considering that, I would say I have somehwere in the C range in his class right now. Anyways, to make a long story short...

How much do grades really matter once you get out into the real world? I am a business student and my goal is to be the head coordinator of an animal shelter. If I do end up getting a C, and bringing my GPA down to like a 3.7 or a 3.8 or whatever... how much does that matter? I feel stressed out about it, but I wasn't sure if I am making too big of a deal... just looking for honest answers from those of you who have gone and gotten jobs after finishing college. What is it like?

depends on what your major is. My opinion is one C will bring your gpa down...but honestly it's not going to kill your GPA. Overall some places do like to know, but others go by experience, resume, and interview. As for how much your grades will help in the "real" world..once again it depends...if you have common sense and know how to do your fields well..that's all that matters. Grades are a small portion of what you really can do (some people are bad at taking tests). I think you just need to keep up the remainder of you classes....and know how to "sell" yourself in interviews. It really varies though depending on your field

From my work history and my husbands, college grades only matter for that first job out of school. And even then, i dont know if that was what got us hired. But i know at the other places we have worked, we didnt even mention our grades. We both graduated suma cum laude and it was never commented on.
If you are wanting to work in an animal shelter, i would think past work experience in an animal shelter would be WAY more benificial than grades. Especially if you volunteer in one after the holidays, when your temp job ends.

I agree with gatorgal - not just because we are on the same team either! Don't slack off, work for your best grade, but don't let is over stress you. I graduated and now work completely out of my field. It is amazing how many people don't even work in their field. Especially with majors like business. It is such an open field....you could work in a ton of different areas. I also worked through college at a K-12 school and we never looked at a person's GPA - we just verified that they graduated. I know - different field from your's but just something from the real world!

Hi I work in a college myself (in fact I work along side with something called PLAR... "prior learning assessment and recognition").

If you are interested in transferring credits, you can check with other institutes around the area and see what the credentials are for it (pricing, grade requirements etc).

USUALLY when you transfer credits and continue the program from another institute, it should NOT effect your overall gpa at all. Like I said, you should find out.

As for the instructor who is in lala land with his boat... I would make a complaint to the Dean of the department (or school). He shouldn't be getting paid to goof off in class. There are certain programs in my institute where the instructors are paid based on the average grade their classes achieve. In a way, it's a good incentive. BUT everyone has their own teaching styles... and everyone has their own learning styles.

I would encourage you to do the best that you can in that class.

Do grades matter when getting jobs in the future? Not really. A lot of employers would want to hear what you do beyond school. If you were getting a 2.0, then they might look at that questionably but difference between 3.7 and 3.9 isn't much.

If you are going to grad school then grades are a bigger concern. And even if you don't think you'd go, you never know. I never thought I'd go to grad school but I did and I'm thinking of going again to get another degree.

I would worry about the grade for two reasons. One is if you are ever going to have to attach a transcript to a resume. An employer won't see the sea of A's. The one C will stick out and she/he will ask you about that. Secondly, in the real world there are lots of bosses who will also bore you to tears talking about their boat, or their vacation or their golfgame. The ability to deal with that and still do the best job possible might as well be a skill you learn now. Advancing in your future career may someday depend on buddying up to a boss who bores you silly.

Robin has a point and that is definitely something to think about. But, I also feel that any GPA over 3.5 is good and I doubt that it will affect getting a job.

But, as Robin said and others said, try to do your best. There will be obstacles as you go into your job and future.

Hey guys. I really appreciate your advice- and I guess I understand a lot of it. I am trying to bring that grade up- he just gave me an extension on that assignment and I finished the assignment this morning. However, I want to get it out there that I am not slacking off... I just have so much on my plate that one particular assignment got forgotten (actually, it wasn't even forgotten... I just didn't know it was due by noon that day, and I was sitting down to do it after work, which was at 6pm, and the computer wouldn't let me submit it). I am doing really well in my other 4 classes, and other than this assignment, and 1 quiz, I have gotten A's and B+s on all my other work in that class. Sorry if I am getting defensive, but I feel like it's assumed that I just said "ah, whatever, I don't need to do that assigment" and I just didn't do it- and that's not the case at all.

I think grades are important if you lack in other areas. I suppose you could walk into that first interview with a glowing transcript and rely on that to get you in the door.

I am an awful student. Really, I hate school. It's not for me in any way but I need that slip of paper in my industry. As a reflection, my grades suck.

This has not prevented me from landing an internship with the nation's largest concert promoter, an international publishing company in Nashville, or the Grammys. I have landed a fabulous job in my home state and have an open offer to return to Nashville. The world is my oyster. Only for one of those positions have I had to attach a transcript, and my so-so grades didn't matter one bit (in fact, I doubt they read beyond the cover letter).

But I'm a great interview and I make what I bring to the table apparent from that first handshake. And I now have the experience to wander into any area of my industry that I wish (and it's a tough one to break into).

Grad school, though, would be a complete shot in the dark. I have no intention of going beyond my bachelor's, but I'm going to have to work my connections in the coming years if I choose to shoot for a masters. Grades alone won't do it for me.

I bet there are some fields where grades might make a difference, but in yours, I think they would look at experience and DEFINITELY character and approach- grades would not be a stand-alone factor. I can imagine being such a great student would make a less-than-stellar grade hard to swallow, but you are almost done, you have an extension, and you are above a 3.5.

I think you're ok.

There are very very few jobs where a 3.7 vs a 3.9 will make a difference. As Nelie said, grad school would be a different deal but even there, depending on the school and the class, one C in a bunch of A's will often be ok

This is true...but it isnt necessarily a bad thing. A lot of times it is as much because potential employers are a little leery of the straight A student...like maybe you were never really challenged or faced any real obstacles. Often they will ask about that one low grade just to see how you will handle the question "what happened". So if you do end up with a lower grade than you would like, be prepared to answer the question in a way that would be more acceptable to an interviewer. Focus more on "prioritization of time and importance of the class to my future" vs boring and bad professor.

Ennay, that's a great answer... "prioritization of time and importance of the class to my future"... I'll have to remember that

Also, Junebug, Congrats on all your success. You sound happy with your career choices... and that's a really great thing, since it seems so many people abhor their jobs.