Are good GPAs a predictor of good programmers, or good employees? I would argue the latter, though they certainly aren't mutually exclusive. My take on it is

Are good GPAs a predictor of good programmers, or good employees? I would argue the latter, though they certainly aren't mutually exclusive. My take on it is that those with good GPAs are probably more likely to work well within a structured framework (show up 9-5, work, go home) and with more feel-good rewards ("here's an A+" and "here's a $5000 bonus this year for consistently working 50 hours/week"). Those who don't care about things like GPA are more interested in what they're getting out of it (what they actually learn, making FU-money, working for themselves, etc) than rewards bestowed upon them by others for their great work. Of course that's a huge generalization and entirely anecdotal but I don't think it's all that inaccurate.