Is a 0.8 gpa a failure?

Is a 0.8 gpa a failure?
I came to North Carolina A&T State University on a quest to become the editor in chief of the Washington Post. I've left A&T as an entrepreneur believing there is nothing in this entire universe I cannot do, except, maybe conform to a society that controls people by the use of fear.

Not quite a communist, I feel a lot of the things Karl Marx said makes more sense than what my teachers were saying. The reason people strive so hard to get a degree is to get a job so they can make a few pennies to live a comfortable life. Though there are some exceptions, most students do not go just for the appreciation of knowledge.

It is this fear Marx spoke about that controls people. The fear of not living comfortable. Then it's heard on every block and every corner and every television station and every minute of every day that education is the only way. It gives people no chance to seek other options. They spend no time analyzing what it really is that gives them the job they slaved four, five or six years for a degree to get. It is not the degree. It is not the straight As, the 3.6 gpa, the honor societies or countless scholarships.

See, in order to achieve that scholarly status, you need particular characteristics. You need to be dedicated, able to make sacrifices, remain focused and simply keep your eyes on your goal. My brother has a signature on his e-mail that says, "You only see obstacles when you take your eyes off your goal..."

I possess those characteristics. If I set my mind to accomplish something, I set out with a vengeance and am successful nearly all the time. I've yet to go six months without getting at least one traffic ticket, but one day I'll have a clean driving record.

The only difference between me and a valedictorian is 3.2. My gpa, when I finally was booted from A&T, was a 0.8. Funny how with a 0.8 gpa, I'm making more money now with my day job than most of the graduating students in my field will make with their degrees when they walk the stage and start fighting for those low-paying jobs. And when I factor in money we make from the business my friends and I started, I cannot comprehend the importance of having a degree. Only having the right characteristics.

I'm not going to deliver any sermons; I just want to make the point that whatever it is you choose to do with yourself, it doesn't depend on your educational background, a resume embellished with a handful of awards and scholarships or a gpa calculated from correct test questions and essays rather than what was really learned while at a higher institution of learning.

It all depends on if you know how to overcome obstacles, bounce back from bad times and take advantage of the good times. It all depends on facing your fears, understanding what is needed to be successful, distinguishing the differnece between an education and true knowledge and believing in yourself.

It is not a difficult world out there. There are just a lot of difficult situations we have to face. It only gets difficult when we don't know how to overcome.