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

[Anonymous]

I think nothing of it.

I don’t care what college someone went to.
I’m more interested in their work experience and demonstrated expertise or knowledge of theories or specific subject matter.

I don’t ask about schools and I definitely never remember where people attended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

How do you know where your colleagues/bosses/C-suites went to college? Have worked in private, public (fed and county), and not for profit, and have no idea where my colleagues or bosses went to college!

Someone on some other thread posted a list of CEOs and where they went to college. It was definitely a mixed bag. I highly doubt there was nepotism involved for a person in a B rated univ getting to a CEO position.

There is more nepotism with legacy admits and those types of people getting coveted positions than the other way.

[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.

He was an attractive tall white male, in the food beverage business of Google.

[Anonymous]

OP, does your friend also view every black person in a coveted job who went to a low-tier college as an affirmative action/DEI case?

[Anonymous]

Early Retired Biglaw partner here. I attended a no-name college and graduated from a law school ranked at the bottom of the top 25 and was hired way back when by a firm that at the time had virtually no associates and zero partners without top tier pedigrees. I was the first associate my firm ever hired from my law school.

Nowadays things are a little different but not all that much. The degree still matters enormously. It’s just that with so much competition even the top firms now have to dig a little deeper, so they will take in graduates of lower ranked schools if they rank at the very top of their class.

I’m also a white guy. I do think that there’s no chance I would’ve been hired when I was with my no-name degrees had I not been. I absolutely recognize my privilege.

[Anonymous]

There was also a thread on here where OP looked at a particular law firm’s associate bios and it was a bunch of folks with top tier bachelor’s degrees but law degrees were from TTT schools. Users speculated that the employees were probably the boss’s friends’ kids, relatives or neighbors.

[Anonymous]

I'd figure white male-what else? On average, white men with high school diplomas still make more than women with college degrees. The white men don't need to bother or qualify for a better school.

[Anonymous]

No, I think they worked really hard to get where they are at. Not all people have the privilege of going to college or a good college, my spouse included.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, it just means they’re better at their jobs.

College is so overrated.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd figure white male-what else? On average, white men with high school diplomas still make more than women with college degrees. The white men don't need to bother or qualify for a better school.

I know plenty of black HS graduate men who earn more than some white college graduate women. If you don’t, maybe broaden your circles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd figure white male-what else? On average, white men with high school diplomas still make more than women with college degrees. The white men don't need to bother or qualify for a better school.

I know plenty of black HS graduate men who earn more than some white college graduate women. If you don’t, maybe broaden your circles.

Read my post- I wrote about averages not anecdotes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a really hard to get job?

Journalist at NYT, tenured professor, AI researcher, MBB consultant, investment banker

There are many people from different backgrounds and colleges including low-tier in these jobs.
College rankings start to matter more when you get to executive level positions at Fortune 500 companies.

[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.

How do you know that they have below average social lives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think nothing of it.

I don’t care what college someone went to.
I’m more interested in their work experience and demonstrated expertise or knowledge of theories or specific subject matter.

I don’t ask about schools and I definitely never remember where people attended.

That's what the vast majority of people do. That's how the vast majority of companies hire candidates.
I work at a big tech company and tech do a lot of interviews. We generally don't care about the schools they attended.
Their work experience needs to show a good track record of accomplishments and they have to pass and impress during the technical interview.
Your school may only helps you get on the list for the first initial phone screen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd figure white male-what else? On average, white men with high school diplomas still make more than women with college degrees. The white men don't need to bother or qualify for a better school.

Maybe degrees/school names aren’t everything?