Ben Crichy from NASA on Curiosity and Perseverance

Ben on Twitter supporting folks on their struggles with education:

Got a 2.4 GPA my first semester in college. Thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for engineering. Today I’ve landed two spacecraft on Mars, and am now designing one for the Moon. STEM is hard for everyone. Grades ultimately aren’t what matter. Curiosity and perseverance matter.

Even Mars Rover Lead Engineers have struggles. We all do. These folks didn’t get there by being geniuses. Remember:

Genius = Curiosity + Persistance

Curiosity vs. Genius

I think what a lot of people call intelligence boils down to curiosity.

- Aaron Schwartz

In hearing people talk about geniuses, it’s consistent that they didn't have only talent, it’s mostly that they improved a little every week, never gave up, and they were curious.

Genius = Curiosity + Persistance