In High School grades are far more important than learning. Almost any kid would rather walk out of a class with an A and not know anything than a B and nail the subject down. But once you get into the real world, you'll realize that your precious grades didn't mean as much as you want it to be. Grades do matter in some contexts. Graduate schools look unfavorably on poor grades, and that may limit your career choices and therefore, income. I infer that people who tend to make these ridiculous judgment calls about those with less-than-good grades (especially when they're not doing the hiring and aren't in any position to be judging these people) are more concerned with massaging their own egos than really deciding what's pragmatic. You'll very, very seldom see grades come into the equation when looking for a job unless you're applying for a position that is tailored to candidates coming right out of college. In the vast majority of other cases, they consider work accomplishments first and foremost, since this is what the candidate actually did in his or her field of work.( Then again, if you want to pursue higher education, you should have worked on your grades.) This should be a no-brainer and I think the question at this stage is one of motivation. My grades are important to me, but my ego is satisfied just by getting them, not by letting the whole world know about it.