do tech employers look for good GPA?

[eliteorange]

Im about to get my undergrad degree in comp. networking next yr... was wonderin if i should stay an extra semester to boost up my GPA... How important is good GPA for IT fields?

 

[DDCSpeed]

I believe so. All of the recruiters suggests a 3.0 gpa or they wont look at it. I personally think it reflects how well you learn your job.

 

[vi edit]

Only if you have no experience. Last two employers I've had didn't give flying fart about my GPA. One of them a large corporation of 10,000+ employees, the other a small private business. All they cared about was if I had any real world experience to get the job done.

 

[Garet Jax]

I have been involved in hiring a number of tech and non-tech people. I never base my recommendation on their GPA. Everything else is far more important to me (their appearence, how they carry themselves, how they speak, how they discuss topics, how they deal with pressure and how they deal with conflict).

This is my take, I know I have interviewed with people who do care about GPAs. If this is one of their most important criteria then I lose a lot of respect for them and their hiring practices immediately.

This is because I have worked with and dealt with a lot people who have had lots of different GPAs. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty is that you cannot tell anything about a person based on their GPA. It is like judging a book by its cover.

For the nay sayers in the crowd, I did graduate with a good GPA from University.

 

[Viper GTS]

Here in the real world, GPA doesn't mean much more than your shoe size.

Viper GTS

 

[eliteorange]

hmm... say if this kid has a 2.7 GPA... does that make him dumb? but hes got lots of internship/co-op experiences in IT/tech related stuff... and hes very nice and kind to people.

 

[SuperCyrix]

A large pair of boobs definitely helps.

 

[Shelly21]

Are you kidding? I don't think they would pull up your grades.

Maybe some will... but not my company... I have a degree... and that's it.

I don't think they care that I flunked Organic Chemistry, and Women's Study....

 

[Paulson]

If you know what the hell you're doing and can prove it, I don't think it matters... or at least I wish it was this way...

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: Shelly21
I don't think they care that I flunked Organic Chemistry, and Women's Study....

Organic chemistry is my unicorn. Assuming I pass my next Organic Class, I am done with chem.

 

[m2kewl]

Once you show experience, they won't give a rat's @ss.

 

[NogginBoink]

All an employer cares about is what you can do for him.

 

[stev0]

Originally posted by: SuperCyrix
A large pair of boobs definitely helps.

and a short skirt

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: EliteOrange
hmm... say if this kid has a 2.7 GPA... does that make him dumb? but hes got lots of internship/co-op experiences in IT/tech related stuff... and hes very nice and kind to people.

i think your better off then 90% of the other people in your class.

 

[Vette73]

Some say 3.0 is starting point, but I have found from people that were even as high as CEO that this is a good measure...

MIS (Information Systems) 2.7 or higher B-
MGT (Management) 3.0 or higher B

All IS internships here want a 3.0, and guess what, they have a hard time filling them. I am a MIS and MGT major, one good, two better. And I can sleep through a MGT class and get a B, but some MIS classes I work my tail off and get a C, as the teacher does not curve and does not give +'s or -'s.

I have a 3.2 in MGT and 2.67 in MIS. So all I need to do is rock out a MIS class or two and I will be happy.

BUT right now with the markert so tight, every GPA point helps.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Here in the real world, GPA doesn't mean much more than your shoe size.

Viper GTS

Pretty much right. Straight out of school it was never a consideration and it never will be. I'd actually laugh if I was asked for it now and I've only been out of university for a few years.

It depends though - if you're straight out of school trying to get a cool internship or something I imagine it would matter but once you get your first job it almost certainly won't and chances are great it will never be an issue for the vast majority of people looking to get a tech job.

 

[jteef]

I didn't think they meant much when I graduated either. But that isn't the case in this economy unless you already know the person who's going to hire you or have some real experience. Our school used this JobTrak thing for scheduling interviews and whatnot. It made it convienient for employers to not allow you to sign up for an interview unless your gpa was a certain level. Phone calls and emails I sent to ask for interviews went largely unanswered. I bitched at the career services office. I dont know if they changed their policy or not though. I also had a number of instances where my interviews were cancelled after I told the interviewer my GPA. That happened with Boeing, Honeywell, and Panasonic and a few smaller companies.

jt

 

[roncarter]

Originally posted by: stev0

Originally posted by: SuperCyrix
A large pair of boobs definitely helps.

and a short skirt

but big boobs is the best

 

[CrazyDe1]

engineering companies do...hp, intel, xilinx...otherwise its just 3.0 and above in most othercases....
I know for a fact HP won't look at you unless you ahve at least a 3.5
Now, if u can get into a large company like AT&T or qwest where they have at leats 10,000 employees...they prolly don't...and you'll end up doin nothin at your job and gettin paid a lot more than at a small company

 

[LordSnailz]

I agree with CrazyDe1 - GPA matters if you have no work experience, a lot of the companies use this as a filter for interview candidates afterwards, it's how you carry yourself and go through the interview toture session. Basically, a GPA gets you the phone/on-site interview.

 

[quirky]

so what do you guys think is a good GPA? 3.5 seems way too high, esp a 3.5 from a very competitive public school. i dont know if i can finish above a 3.5, but definately i wont go lowre than a 3.4.

 

[josphII]

it all depends on the company

 

[ManSnake]

I am talking about entry-level positions for people straight out of school with some or no internship experience. Medtronic won't consider you unless you have a gpa of 3.5 or above (so are most other medical instrumentation companies). For Intel it's 3.0. I don't think Microsoft cares. For most other companies, they usually want 3.0 or higher.

 

[LostHiWay]

Most of my friends who have degrees have told me that their employers didn't even check to make sure they actually had a degree. They just took their word for it.

All I know is that after spending close to $75k for college my employer better check my degree.

 

[guyver01]

I know when I do interviews... i couldn't give a rats a$$ is you were on the deans list, or participated in "after school activities" .... i just care about your experience, and knowledge... if you can't pass the test i give you on first interview... you have no shot.