Is GPA a Useful Predictor of Future Performance? - RF Cafe Forums

 Post subject: Is GPA a Useful Predictor of Future Performance?

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 9:32 am 

Greetings:

The topic of GPA came up in a discussion the other day as it applies to predicting the future success for a new college graduate. There was no general agreement on the importance of GPA. Those with excellent GPAs and proven engineering abilities, as well as those with not-so-excellent GPAs but with proven engineering skills seem to be more willing to divulge their GPAs than are other mixes of proficiencies. Here is a chance for all to anonymously make your opinion known. Thanks for your time.

Is GPA a Useful Predictor of Future Performance?

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- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster

 Post subject:

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 12:29 pm 

I have to say that my experience has been that those who graduate from university with a high GPA are much more likely to make significant contributions to engineering. With the exception of those very few who are supernaturally gifted, most who earn the good grades worked hard to do so, and took pride in the accomplishment as well as in the challenge of achieving the grades. It is a form of competitiveness that carries over into a lifetime of engineering.

As such, I vote that GPA is usually a good indicator of liklihood of success. That is not the opposite of saying that a low GPA portends failure, because it does not. Let us dispense with the politically correct philosophy of trying not to hurt anyone's feelings and simply tell the truth.


Cheers

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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:42 am 

My opinion:

I have many times seen (At least from where I come from - Israel) that in many job advetrtisements it says: Graduates with high GPA/2 years experience. That means that those with higher GPA are considered by employers as quick-learners and with high ability to perform quickly.

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Best regards,

- IR

 Post subject:

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:50 am 

I think a high GPA is only an indication of a potential. That potential has yet to become a kinetic force.

In the mid 70's I had three MSEE engineers working for me designing a universal backplane interface for an ATE system we were designing. The approach required that the board's address move with the board's location in the backplane. These three were struggling with a concept. A tech in our prototype department came forward with the design (using exclusive OR gates). A second project for my three MSEE's was to design a scheme to read/write data to memory at a 50 MHz rate when the technology of the day was a max of 25MHz. Again, they struggled and my tech gave us the design (ping ponging memories). The tech was not uneducated. He had pre-med degree and electronics was his HOBBY. We made him an engineer and what do you think happened? HR told him he needed a degree in engineering to get ahead or salary increases. He eventually quit and started an engineering consulting company with some friends. What a loss for us.

Many enter the field of engineering with the illusion or high pay, prestige and becoming a "professional". When these dreams are seen to be just illusions they lose interest, their work ethic goes away and their work quality goes down. I have seen it to many times. In the past 3 years I have interviewed some new grads who tell me during the interview that they really don't "love" the profession but had to take some course of study. Do you think I hired any of them?

HR departments use a degree and GPA as tools to justify hiring someone and to remove responsibility for their failure from them (HR) because they can always say - "they have a degree....high GPA". Several failures at companies I worked for have had the HR depart answered (in fear) this way when we had to let a poor performed go.

There are mitigating circumstances that may affect a persons GPA. Does he/she work during their studies - supporting themselves? Are they dealing with taking care of a chronically ill loved one during their education? I'll take a GPA of 2.5 with these situations because that person probably had to work hard to get that GPA and will probably work just as hard to get your tasks done rather than some daddy-pays-it-all while I "play" in school premodona with a 3.5+ GPA who will want it all (the work output that is) handed to him.

Don't get me wrong, I value education for what it is - giving you knowledge in the area you are studying. I have two undergrad degrees, an MBA in corporate finance and I finished my schooling at age 36.

A high GPA only offers hope. It is not the only or final answer.

RFTEJerry

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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 12:22 pm 

RFTEJerry, well-put! U da man!

Max