I had someone turn me down for a programming job because they said my GPA was too high
That's called a lie. Similar to the it wasn't a good fit one, most of the time there's another reason, maybe you weren't not that great of a programmer, or they didn't like your editor or tools.
From 10 years of experience working for a lot of companies and starting and failing some companies I can tell you, if they like you, they'll hire you even if you're an ex-convict. At a company I worked at we hired a guy with a recent conviction (battery). Great programmer nonetheless and he said was trying to get his shit together. There was something weird about him, like he smoked crack in the morning... But hey, he wrote good code and was never a problem, in fact he was the first one in the office.
I've got a buddy who has a mail order business, he hires people to put things into envelopes and stick on labels.
He tells me when he hires people with degrees and advanced education and stuff they tend to quit because the job is boring, as well as being poorly paid and having no career advancement opportunities.
Perhaps the job was the programming equivalent of putting things into envelopes.
I've heard a story that someone with a PhD couldn't find a job in his field after being laid off, so he started applying to other lower-paying fields. He eventually removed the PhD from his resume, because he realized he was not being hired as employers saw him as 'overqualified' and likely to quit.
That's called a lie. Similar to the it wasn't a good fit one, most of the time there's another reason, maybe you weren't not that great of a programmer, or they didn't like your editor or tools.
From 10 years of experience working for a lot of companies and starting and failing some companies I can tell you, if they like you, they'll hire you even if you're an ex-convict. At a company I worked at we hired a guy with a recent conviction (battery). Great programmer nonetheless and he said was trying to get his shit together. There was something weird about him, like he smoked crack in the morning... But hey, he wrote good code and was never a problem, in fact he was the first one in the office.