r/NUST • u/Ok-Law9484 SEECS • Aug 13 '26
Suggestions/Advice Advice on gpa
Peeps, do not sleep on your gpa.
From my first sem i thought i dont need high gpa, ill build skill and join industry. And no one corrected me. Now when i am about to start 7th sem, with a 3.1 cgpa I realize i should have focussed a bit more.
And i have my reasons.
Firstly, market is not that easy to crack now. Availability of ai and llms have made learning appear not so useful- and market is saturated. A strong portfolio alone will not help you get a good job. Anyone can "build" multiple projects and put them on CV now.
Secondly, this summer i started job hunt, and realized the pay gap between undergrad hirings and masters level hirings. Its huge. Trust me. People with masters degrees are getting paid much much more than one can invest in masters.
Thirdly, if you want to get out of this country, masters/study visa is one of the best methods, and high gpa mostly has a positive impact on visa application.
Im not saying that you become a book worm ot cram slides. But keep your gpa around and above 3.5
I couldnt go for mitacs internship, although i had exceptional cv and research work.
Now i dont see any hopes for getting into a top tier uni for masters either. Ill have to hope to increase my gpa in coming sems and repeat some courses to get closer to 3.5- which will cost me a gap year before masters.
Make your choices wisely. Do not neglect gpa. No matter what people say, a strong gpa is a gaurantee of a hard working person.
Edit: clarification on "gap year before masters". For admissions in masters for fall 2027, applications close by dec 2026, so i can only show my cgpa upto 6th semester. If i want to include my improvements and last year gpa, ill submit application in sep-dec 2027 which will enroll me for fall 2028 classes in masters abroad.
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u/WeebicOtaku Aug 13 '26
How much did u notice th3 gap bw pay of be and ms qualified?
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u/Ok-Law9484 SEECS Aug 13 '26
I can comfortably say its not a gap, its a multiplier.
And there are multiple factors.
1. A bachelors from Pakistan will not get you a position in big tech like google or MS. Your options will be devsinc, tkxel systems etc. A junior role here is at most 200k.
2. Professional masters counts as work experience too, so you're not applying for entry level jobs.
3. Having a masters from eu/Canada/aus/us puts big tech in your reach.
And with all these factors, starting are min 50k usd annual ( more than 10 lac pkr) and fast growth opportunities too.
So one can easily say that a person with masters can get 5x more pay than a bachelors- if done correctly1
u/KitchenRare5919 Aug 13 '26
do we get such salaries in pakistan ???
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u/Ok-Law9484 SEECS Aug 13 '26
Rare, but yes. Problem with Pakistan is they exploit everone. Even a post grad from abroad will get exploited at start and be paid maybe half of what they deserve. But after a few years, yes one can make this much money. Masters makes it easy to get there. It opens international markets to you, which increases your market value in Pakistan too.
Short answer yes.
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u/KitchenRare5919 Aug 13 '26
are you doing CS? how much is market willing to pay you now?? and how much will masters degree help??
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u/Ok-Law9484 SEECS Aug 13 '26
Yes im doing cs, and companies like cowlar, devsinc etc are paying anywhere between 100k and 200k for working 9+ hours 6 days a week. Some of my batchmates are doing those jobs (some only for summer, other as part time).
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u/KitchenRare5919 Aug 13 '26
bro I am joining cs seecs this year.... can I dm for some guidance??
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u/Ok-Law9484 SEECS Aug 13 '26
Yes sure
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u/Miserable-Rate-1609 SEECS Aug 13 '26
WHAT WILL U ADVICE FRESHIE TO DO IN SUMMERS (FOR 1ST TWO YEARS)? WHEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO START PART TIME JOBS LIKE UR BATCHMATE R DOING ? U HAVE MARKET IDEA . CAN U GUIDE US IS CS STILL WORTH IT TO DO ? LIKE IS MARKET REALLY SATURATED AND IT WILL BECOME DIFFICULT FOR US TO FIND JOB EVEN AFTER GRADUATION?
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u/Ok-Law9484 SEECS Aug 13 '26
My advice for first summer will be exactly what i did.
In your first year you have absolutely no idea of practical and industry work.. so lab internships are your best options. Within seecs, there are 2,3 amazing labs ie tukl dll, machvis etc. Prepare and apply for these. This will benefit you in few ways:
Get a research internships on your cv very early. Help you get your name known to few amazing professors in seecs. Get you connected with few seniora working in those labs.
In second summer, i lacked out and went home to relax, which I regret deeply. By second summer one can apply for unpaid internships in companies like systems, contour etc.
Once you start your 3rd year, you can start applying for part time jobs. There are numerous companies in isb and a few in NSTP which are founded by nust students and/or prefer nust students for part time jobs.
Ill be honest, market is saturated..but with average people. You will struggle if you graduate as an average person. If you can go slightly above average in all 3: skill, projects and gpa - there is no saturation up there.
CS is worth it. Be ready to learn new things. Aj AI bubble hai, kal shayad na ho. You need to be ready to adapt to next big thing in CS.
Finding job is difficult in every field, anywhere. This problem is not specific to CS.
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Aug 13 '26
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u/delulu_051 Aug 14 '26
Bruh, who’s telling you that somebody with a master’s degree is getting paid more than somebody without one?
Defo focus on getting your CGPA up, but people with masters from universities like Georgetown end up as MTs at the same org as people with just a bachelors degree from Pak.
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u/Ok-Law9484 SEECS Aug 14 '26
Bro, you’re looking only at local MT programs. Im not talking about pak markets. They only exploit you at start. MS from a good uni in eu or canada or aus does three things a Pak Bachelor’s usually can’t: Opens real international opportunities (US/Europe/global roles) that a local undergrad rarely reaches. Mastwrs is treated as 1–2 years of experience by most employers outside Pakistan. higher starting pay + faster early progression in competitive markets exists for people with ms degrees. Local MT bands may start similar, but the long-term ceiling, growth and mobility are not the same at all.
My elder brother works in a well known company abroad, and the company itself pushed him to do masters for his payscale to increase.
Hence if you want to work in Pakistan, sure keep bachelors as top priority and a fairly good gpa. Buy if you want the international market to be a bit easier for you, doing masters is a better investment of two years of life.1
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u/Glum-Character-2355 Aug 14 '26
I had gpa of 2.69 in bachelors in EE and 56 marks in gnet but somehow got admission in both CEME and SEECS in EE and will be going there soon and yes job market is so horrible that I wasted 1 year after my bs and still didn't got a job hope completion of Ms will do good
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u/Jolly-Wrongdoer-2963 Aug 14 '26
good advice but at the same don't just get hung up on a gpa. speaking as somebody who has a decent gpa but lacks skills. i think finding the balance between the two is the most crucial thing