When you see someone who attended a low-tier college working in a highly coveted position, does that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:make you think the person is extremely privileged? Especially if they’re white and/or male? I was surprised to hear that viewpoint from someone I know. I am especially IMPRESSED if I see someone who went to a low-tier college working in a really-hard-to-get job. It makes me think that person had to work especially hard to get that job. I see the college tier system as a frivolous “tax” that may have little to do with someone’s abilities.

They are lucky. Things aligned to get them where they are. Your ability and efforts are only part of the equation, rest is pure luck.

[Anonymous]

There is one little tidbit you may want to know. Elite college admissions aren't meritocratic. Lots of much smarter students pick colleges for scholarships, not everyone is rich or eligible for financial aid. Life is different for middle tier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would a privileged person end up at an embarrassing low tier school? Wouldn't they use privilege to get into a good school they weren't qualified to attend?

It’s very easy to end up at a low tier law school. You have to be in the top 10% to get into a top law school. There’s no bottom to how low you can go in attending some law school, any law school. But these people do not get good jobs afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people I know who graduated from top tier schools have very average successful careers. Also, they have below average social lives. It may be due to poor soft skills. I know several people with lower tiered schools who have great careers (maybe due to good soft skills), even a couple people without college degrees. Yes, one is a SVP at a major company another is in sales and makes tons of money.

Totally agree!

And I’m not saying this out of spite. I have three Ivy League degrees but totally acknowledge that the striver circles I came up take an enormous toll in terms of basic human decency. The constant competitiveness and smugness generated by being in “elite” places generates some awful personalities.

[Anonymous]

I went to what people would consider a middle of the road state university. I had better college options but the school I went to gave me a full ride. I came out of school with zero debt. I went to UVA for grad school but I have had people ask about my undergrad choices. I have a great tech career and love that I cam out of school debt free.

[Anonymous]

^^^ came up in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:make you think the person is extremely privileged? Especially if they’re white and/or male? I was surprised to hear that viewpoint from someone I know. I am especially IMPRESSED if I see someone who went to a low-tier college working in a really-hard-to-get job. It makes me think that person had to work especially hard to get that job. I see the college tier system as a frivolous “tax” that may have little to do with someone’s abilities.

I assume the organization is a meritocracy and that raw talent has been recognized and rewarded?

[Anonymous]

I've seen it work both ways. People with grit and ambition and raw talent who start low and make it to the top, and people with every advantage but no natural intelligence or charisma that get pulled up by relatives and connections even when they don't belong.

IME you can tell the difference within 5 minutes, and the second kind is much more arrogant and posturing than the first.

[Anonymous]

OP, I assume you did not go to a "low-tier college" whatever that means, but whatever college you did go to did not teach you much about how life works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:make you think the person is extremely privileged? Especially if they’re white and/or male? I was surprised to hear that viewpoint from someone I know. I am especially IMPRESSED if I see someone who went to a low-tier college working in a really-hard-to-get job. It makes me think that person had to work especially hard to get that job. I see the college tier system as a frivolous “tax” that may have little to do with someone’s abilities.

Get over yourself. You sound like a snob. Perhaps if you rephrase the above there’s a real issue there but right now you’re just coming off of some sort of school snob. Who are you to determine what your schools are in??

[Anonymous]

The most successful executive I personally know got an undergrad degree from University of Georgia. She ended up head of North America for one of the largest beverage brands in the world (you absolutely know the company). No MBA from a fancy school, she just spent 20+ years working her way up this company. Left that company to become CEO of another beverage brand and then took that company public. Big windfall.

I think the main advantage she had was that her parents were business leaders and modeled good professional behaviors.

Probably the wealthiest person I know is a guy who employee #25 at Google. He started working for them as a high school student, building out their server farms. He barely graduated high school, but was a self-taught hardware expert who cut his teeth hosting servers for multiplayer online games. No college degree, raised by a single mom. Owns homes in NYC, a penthouse in SF, ski house in Tahoe. Retired in his early 30s.

People get too hung up on the market signaling of a brand name degree which is, essentially, just a lottery ticket these days. Really what matters is taking advantage of the opportunities you are given and putting in an all-star performance. Grit and focus matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a thread on here about an early Google employee who’d become an exec there. He went to Providence College in RI. People were saying that if he weren’t a white male he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near there with that college pedigree.

Several thoughts.

PC is a great school. Not surprised. Regional for sure but tends to be Catholic kids that just miss ND or BC.

When I see a person like this I think they worked their ass off and frankly are better than most if not all. Maybe they could not afford anywhere else. But the extra work required to make the right connections and have the right experience is amazing. Nothing was handed to them.

Law firms partner ranks have lots of people with lower tiered schools. Just not same schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know the college that your colleagues went to?

I don't know about PPs but I work for a law firm that lists everyone's undergrad and law school in the firm directory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a thread on here about an early Google employee who’d become an exec there. He went to Providence College in RI. People were saying that if he weren’t a white male he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near there with that college pedigree.

That is what many people want to believe. Well adjusted, happy people with full lives don’t think that way.

+1. I'm not sure if the obsession of where you went to school is is a northeast thing, or a thing among people that were made to feel like going to HYSP is the ultimate achievement, but despite inherent privileges of some groups in society, almost no one I know in real life thinks this way.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't think that much about it. Mostly because I don't tend to judge successful, professional adults by the circumstances they were in at 17 when making the decision of where to attend college. So many factors that have nothing to do with our day-to-day lives later in life.