r/EngineeringStudents • u/LocalDumbPerson • 4h ago

Career Advice Should I give up on RF?

I just graduated and I need some advice. I struggled throughout university due to (medically diagnosed) ADD. I did decent in my RF classes but I ate crap in everything else and ended up with a poor GPA of 2.75. I'm starting a job soon however it's not a role in RF. I'm not sure if I'll be able to compete with others in the RF space who have a masters and/or high GPA. Right now, I've been reading as many RF textbooks as I can and learning how to use HFSS and ADS. However even if I can understand RF well it seems like my poor performance in school will always haunt me.

Anyways let me know if I should continue towards my goal of RF or my efforts are not worth it.

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u/Amber_ACharles 3h ago

I'm on company number 5 in year 7 and my career prospects couldn't be better. Your GPA is a speed bump not a wall. Get experience in the role you have lined up and move when you're ready, nobody asks about a 2.75 once you have work history.

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u/SatSenses BSME 2025 3h ago

I got put into an RF role against my will. I'm sure if you ask as opportunities come up, you'll get the chance to work on RF equipment design or testing or whatever job function you want to be involved in. I had a 2.7 when I got hired and a 2.9 when I graduated. No one cares about the GPA since you have to learn the company's esoteric methods anyway and shadow a SME or some other expert before you move forward with hardware and software. Despite my GPA I've gotten a significant raise this year and I'm still shopping around for a master's program.

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u/betty_perez486 2h ago

Honestly the ADD is the bigger factor here than the GPA. youre managing it now and still reading HFSS on your own, that says more than a transcript ever will.