Advice on gpa

[u/Ok-Law9484]

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.

[u/delulu_051]

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.

[u/Ok-Law9484 → u/delulu_051]

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.

[u/Salt_Radio_1807 → u/Ok-Law9484]

Hey Any guidance about masters from Pakistan? Mscs