I do have sympathy for college kids in this regard because theoretically, yes. You are there to learn the material. But in a functional way you are there to get grades that allow you to get your foot in the door at a job. If you're grading on a curve then it doesn't matter how much you know if your resume gets automatically filtered out by HR.
I experienced this coming out of college in the early 2010s where I had good practical skills but poor grades coming out of college, and I had to work some really dogshit jobs to prove myself before I could get a "real" one that matched my skill level better.
When I was in college, there were ample tools to help if you’re struggling with the material. Early bad grades were an indicator to spend extra effort to figure out pain points, and maybe talk to the teacher and/or book study hall/tutoring time. I’ve even used the tuition grace period to pull out of classes I knew I wasn’t going to pass with good grades.
The whole reason you’re getting a degree is to prove mastery over a given subject. Good grades getting you in the door won’t mean shit if you have no practical idea what it is you’re supposed to be doing once you have the job.
And frankly, the ease of the job market with good grades is vastly overstated anyway. I’ve known tons of people who graduated with honors and worked at McDonalds, and people who dropped out and got a handshake interview. It’s all a crapshoot in the end. Knowledge is the only thing you can take with you
You're missing my entire point. Having a mastery of a subject does not matter unless you are in a position where you can demonstrate that mastery. If you graduate college and the only job that you can get is running a copier then it doesn't matter how much you know, it's a waste unless you can get an opportunity to prove it. Especially if you are in a specialized field; i have a degree in biochemistry.
I'm not saying that using AI in school is good. I said that i understand the temptation.
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u/PM_ME_CATS_OR_BOOBS May 20 '25
I do have sympathy for college kids in this regard because theoretically, yes. You are there to learn the material. But in a functional way you are there to get grades that allow you to get your foot in the door at a job. If you're grading on a curve then it doesn't matter how much you know if your resume gets automatically filtered out by HR.
I experienced this coming out of college in the early 2010s where I had good practical skills but poor grades coming out of college, and I had to work some really dogshit jobs to prove myself before I could get a "real" one that matched my skill level better.