I feel this needs to be said...(Grades & FIRST Dedication)

[Rick TYler]

While I really, truly appreciate the comments made in this thread, I can only say that I recommend that you never let schools and grades get in the way of getting an education.

Very little of what I use on a daily basis in my career are things I learned in my formal education, but when I was young I developed a passion for learning that has stood me in good stead during 23 years in the high-tech industry. Learning to learn on my own and writing clearly are the two most important results of my early education. The content of what I learned in high school and college has largely been made obsolete since I graduated, but thinking and learning never go out of style.

As for grades, the less said the better. Grades are a bizarre artifact of the educational industry that ought to be eliminated -- and the sooner the better. I have a whole rant that I do on the subject, but let's just say that the older I get, the less sense they make to me. (And for the record, I had good grades in school. This isn't sour grapes.)