Globaltraveler

My undergraduate GPA was so sub-3.0, that I still hate mentioning it. Still, I was able to get a job right out of college with a decent firm. Of course, I had to build up over 8+ years of experience before applying to grad school. I have a B.S. in Computational Mathematics (basically a hybrid Math/Computer Science degree). This was my path.... 1) I enrolled at a lower-ranked California State University branch campus and completed an online graduate certificate in Software Quality Engineering. That was 3 courses with 9 graduate semester credits. All A's, so that was a 4.0 Graduate GPA...albeit a lower-ranked school. 2) I enrolled at my desired online graduate engineering program at the University of Wisconsin. I declared myself as a "non-degree" graduate student which allowed me to take up 3 courses before applying. The dean was aware of my undergrad grades but kept telling me "just do well in your courses". Well, I aced those 3 courses. That is now 6 courses with a 4.0 graduate GPA. When I applied for full-standing, the dean said it was just a formality. I was admitted (hell, I only had 4 courses left anyway). I took 3 more at U-Wisconsin and one more at another school (transfer limit was 12 credits) and I was awarded my M.S. Engineering degree. Since I already had work experience, the degree qualified me for advanced positions and MUCH higher salaries because I can now be billed at higher rates. Of course, I went for a non-funded, coursework-only M.S. program but still wanted to share this.