For those that did badly in High School (C,D,F), where are you now?

I was pretty much a C student in high school; C in Math and English, but B in Business. My high school education was from a third-world country that has an even lower standard (I would say absolute shit standard and what makes me more mad is that my high school prides itself for accomplishing a 100% graduation rate) than compared to the United States. I am a U.S. citizen so naturally I moved to the U.S. after high school and I struggled to get a job, keep a job, and lived pretty much in poverty. I eventually got a part-time job that paid me enough to survive while attending a community college.

I was so grateful for the privilege to go back to school and attain a real education that I intentionally selected my classes one level lower than I was placed in because I intended to rebuild and fortify the foundation of my education.

When it came time to transferring to a four-year university, my counselor looked at me as if I was crazy when he saw my grades and the university I intended to apply to; I had straight A's, 4.0 GPA, and I wanted to apply to a Cal State university--being a failure, having a crappy job, working my ass off for crap pay, and being degraded all my life really lowered my personal integrity and standard of what I can achieve. Instead, my counselor pulled out UCLA, UC Berkeley, and USC application forms. I was able to apply to USC first because I fulfilled all of the reqs before the other two, but it didn't matter because USC offered a full-ride education, had a better undergraduate business program, and I never ever dreamed of ever attending a top 50, nationally ranked university.

The day I began classes at USC marked 12 years and three months since I graduated high school. I was a C-student when I started because some classes were so difficult, so hard that I would take the C and run. But also, I continued to work part-time, and actively participated in student organizations; I was exhausted and didn't have my classes as full-priority. After realizing how illogical it was to maintain a part-time job at the cost of getting C's, I quit the job (took student loans) and focused on my education--I eventually graduated as a B student.

I now make more money in one year than I did in the last four years combined prior to attending community college. I have no student loans or debt. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with. I am actively finding ways to improve my department and add more value to my job. The great thing is that as I continue to improve the company, I face challenges that require me to either learn a new skill or develop a creativity, all of which increase my value for higher positions. And this fall, I will apply to the M7 business schools to pursue an MBA.

And just a side note, I don't live a fancy life. I perform the same routine every single day, wake up, perform my duties, do additional research/acquire new skills, exercise, and studies. I don't go partying, eating out, traveling the world, and etc. (Saving has become an addiction, I love r/personalfinance, and personally for me it's been nicer to save up and buy one big expensive item than buying several cheap items). I cook my meals and pack my lunch every day. I used to contribute about 20 hours a week in community activities but right now I am focused on preparing MBA applications and training for a race in the summer.

/r/AskReddit Thread