The GPA is a Filter, the Portfolio is the Job: A 4.0 might get your resume past a bot, but it won’t help you troubleshoot a telemetry failure at 3 a.m. Companies like SpaceX and Tesla aren’t looking for people who can memorize a textbook, they’re looking for people who have “Demonstrated Agency.” Theory vs. Reality: You can study Fluid Dynamics for four years, but you don’t actually understand lift until you’ve designed, printed, and crashed five different wing profiles. Projects force you to co