The Illusion of Productivity
Engineering colleges across the country enforce a strict 85% attendance rule, operating on the assumption that time spent sitting in a classroom directly correlates to knowledge acquired. In reality, this outdated metric creates an illusion of productivity while simultaneously draining the most valuable resource an engineering student has: deep, uninterrupted focus.
The Good vs The Bad
I won't deny that college attendance has some benefits. It forces discipline, gets you out of bed, and surrounds you with a peer network. But the disadvantages are severe. By the time a student commutes, sits through 6 hours of legacy curriculum lectures, and commutes back, they are completely burned out. The energy required to sit down and learn a modern tech stack—like React, Docker, or Go—is entirely depleted.
Surviving the System
The greatest engineers I know didn't become great by listening to someone read off PowerPoint slides; they became great by building projects at 2 AM. The 85% criteria actively punishes self-directed learning. My advice to juniors? Treat college as a networking event and a foundation, but fiercely protect your remaining 15%. Use it to build, break, and deploy real-world applications.