Albert Einstein is one of the best-known scientists of the 20th century. Yet he was not a particularly good student. At school in Munich, Einstein got fairly good grades in nearly all subjects and was excellent at mathematics and physics. However, he disliked doing what he was told. He didn't like exams and neither did he like attending classes, so he left school early.
After failing the entrance exam, Einstein was eventually admitted to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 1896. Although he did well, he was unable to get a job at a university after graduation, mainly because he was thought to be very lazy. Instead, he worked in a secondary school, where he taught maths and physics, both of which he was good at.
About two years later, Einstein received a job as a clerk in Bern. Shortly afterwards, his special theory of relativity was published — one of the greatest scientific achievements in the history of mankind.