There’s a lot college teaches you — how to survive on three hours of sleep, how to cry in the library without anyone noticing, and maybe even some engineering. But when I started my co-op, I quickly realized there are a lot of things the classroom just doesn’t cover.
Let’s start with the one that used to haunt me: grades.
In school, a bad exam score feels like the end of the world. But in the workplace? No one is checking your Linear Algebra midterm. Some of the most brilliant co-workers I met casually mentioned they had GPAs between 2.5 and 2.9 — and guess what? They were absolute rockstars at their jobs. I even spoke to a few recruiters at my company who said they don’t even consider GPA as a major factor. In fact, one said they get suspicious when someone has a perfect 4.0 with no internships or experience. (Of course, this varies by industry — med school kids, please don’t sue me — but for a lot of fields, it’s something worth remembering.)
Next up: math.
I hate to break it to your Differential Equations professor, but I have not once had to pull out wave and heat equations or the Laplace transform on the job. Half the math I’ve learned is still sitting somewhere in a dusty corner of my brain, untouched and unbothered.
But here’s the key difference: in the real world, you have tools.
Calculators. Spreadsheets. ChatGPT (shhh). You have teammates you can ask for second opinions. You’re not expected to remember every equation or derive every formula from scratch. What matters more is whether you know what you’re trying to solve and whether you have a clear and logical approach to get there.
And then there’s communication — the underrated skill no one truly talks about.
I think everyone has heard the “ask questions” and “check in with your team,” but what no one teaches you is how to communicate effectively. It’s not just about being proactive — it’s about wording things carefully in client emails, using the right tone in reports, and understanding how to navigate the weird world of legalese and technical writing. One wrong sentence can turn into a liability. One too-casual phrase in a client email can make you sound unprofessional. And no, your group project emails didn’t prepare you for that, it all comes with time.
Employers care about your logic, not your memorization.
Can you break down a problem? Can you communicate a solution? Can you adapt when something doesn’t go to plan? That’s the stuff that sticks — not your ability to recall the ideal gas law under pressure.
If you’re deep in midterms or staring at a C+ wondering if you’re doomed forever, take a breath. Your GPA is one part of your story, not the whole thing. What they don’t teach you in class is that being coachable, curious, and a good team player will get you a whole lot farther than any exam ever will.
