Anonymous wrote:I didn't even attend Ivies (former UVA grad) and I am making 275K/yr working for the Federal government as a SME in Cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). I am in my 30's and most of my former classmates are making a lot more in the private sector.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i did not read all the posts. but op you sound so very very normal. i remember thinking getting into a highly selective school was some grand ticket (pure 20-something naivety). i also in hindsight squandered lots of opportunities while there to both take some risks and really learn and grow. but smart ivy league grads who are gainfully employed but not next level wealthy are so extremely extremely widespread/commonplace. you just notice/focus on the extra successful peers more. some of its luck. some of its connections. sometimes its a skillset beyond being academically high achieving. but yes the grass is not always greener. let it go. no reason to be forever dissatisfied.

This is so true. I worked my ass off to get into an Ivy and thought I wouldn’t have to work hard after that. Now I love my job but people from midtier schools have the same job as me with the same pay. It’s ok though, I’m very happy with what I have. I just wish I knew I could have relaxed a little more in high school and gone to a cheaper college to achieve the same.

Anonymous wrote:I didn't even attend Ivies (former UVA grad) and I am making 275K/yr working for the Federal government as a SME in Cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). I am in my 30's and most of my former classmates are making a lot more in the private sector.

Anonymous wrote:i did not read all the posts. but op you sound so very very normal. i remember thinking getting into a highly selective school was some grand ticket (pure 20-something naivety). i also in hindsight squandered lots of opportunities while there to both take some risks and really learn and grow. but smart ivy league grads who are gainfully employed but not next level wealthy are so extremely extremely widespread/commonplace. you just notice/focus on the extra successful peers more. some of its luck. some of its connections. sometimes its a skillset beyond being academically high achieving. but yes the grass is not always greener. let it go. no reason to be forever dissatisfied.

Anonymous wrote:i did not read all the posts. but op you sound so very very normal. i remember thinking getting into a highly selective school was some grand ticket (pure 20-something naivety). i also in hindsight squandered lots of opportunities while there to both take some risks and really learn and grow. but smart ivy league grads who are gainfully employed but not next level wealthy are so extremely extremely widespread/commonplace. you just notice/focus on the extra successful peers more. some of its luck. some of its connections. sometimes its a skillset beyond being academically high achieving. but yes the grass is not always greener. let it go. no reason to be forever dissatisfied.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.

Would love to hear your journey from LMC roots to a high paying career. What field/job?

$200k is not a "high paying career". It's pretty standard pay for your 30s so long as you have a college degree and aimed for jobs with higher comp vs lower comp. Like, did you do a marketing or museum internship during college? Or did you look for a data analyst summer job for a middle of the road company? the latter jobs weren't any more competitive than the former out of college, though a little less glamorous.

This isn’t at all aligned with my experience. I’m in my 50s, Ph.D. in a lucrative STEM field, and have lots of professional colleagues with similar hard-working, top institution backgrounds. Few of us make over $200K, and nobody in their 30s does.

Really? All the CS PhDs I know are rolling in it...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.

Would love to hear your journey from LMC roots to a high paying career. What field/job?

$200k is not a "high paying career". It's pretty standard pay for your 30s so long as you have a college degree and aimed for jobs with higher comp vs lower comp. Like, did you do a marketing or museum internship during college? Or did you look for a data analyst summer job for a middle of the road company? the latter jobs weren't any more competitive than the former out of college, though a little less glamorous.

This isn’t at all aligned with my experience. I’m in my 50s, Ph.D. in a lucrative STEM field, and have lots of professional colleagues with similar hard-working, top institution backgrounds. Few of us make over $200K, and nobody in their 30s does.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.

Would love to hear your journey from LMC roots to a high paying career. What field/job?

$200k is not a "high paying career". It's pretty standard pay for your 30s so long as you have a college degree and aimed for jobs with higher comp vs lower comp. Like, did you do a marketing or museum internship during college? Or did you look for a data analyst summer job for a middle of the road company? the latter jobs weren't any more competitive than the former out of college, though a little less glamorous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.

Would love to hear your journey from LMC roots to a high paying career. What field/job?

$200k is not a "high paying career". It's pretty standard pay for your 30s so long as you have a college degree and aimed for jobs with higher comp vs lower comp. Like, did you do a marketing or museum internship during college? Or did you look for a data analyst summer job for a middle of the road company? the latter jobs weren't any more competitive than the former out of college, though a little less glamorous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.

Would love to hear your journey from LMC roots to a high paying career. What field/job?

$200k is not a "high paying career". It's pretty standard pay for your 30s so long as you have a college degree and aimed for jobs with higher comp vs lower comp. Like, did you do a marketing or museum internship during college? Or did you look for a data analyst summer job for a middle of the road company? the latter jobs weren't any more competitive than the former out of college, though a little less glamorous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.

Would love to hear your journey from LMC roots to a high paying career. What field/job?

$200k is not a "high paying career". It's pretty standard pay for your 30s so long as you have a college degree and aimed for jobs with higher comp vs lower comp. Like, did you do a marketing or museum internship during college? Or did you look for a data analyst summer job for a middle of the road company? the latter jobs weren't any more competitive than the former out of college, though a little less glamorous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.

Would love to hear your journey from LMC roots to a high paying career. What field/job?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if OP attended a school that was not super pre-professional? I was a MC kid who went to a top 10 in the late aughts. Agreed that the internet became a HUGE resource at the turn of the century and I buy that getting this information would have required some - but not exhaustive - effort to obtain via visiting the career center etc in the late 90s. But even if I hadn't had the internet around, I was in clubs and classes where affluent students talked about finance/consulting/the path to professional school. I saw students walking around on campus in suits every winter/spring. It was just really hard to miss.

Maybe OP went to a school where most of the class wasn't that interested in Goldman/McKinsey/Harvard Law? And there was a huge emphasis on more do-gooder work? I could see that being the vibe at Brown or a SLAC.

Also OP, I wouldn't let DCUM convince you that everyone who goes to an elite school earns $500K+. I'm a late 30s HYS grad making $225K in house after several years in Big Law. Hoping to make the leap to $300K+ in a few years when my kids are older. My former classmates making $500K are in big law. Even the in house lawyers aren't really there yet. If I had to guess, I would say most of my class, including public interest, are $100-300k range, again outside of Big Law. My friends who went to more normal schools are probably $50k-150k. So I wouldn't agree that anyone with a college degree, moderate effort, and a pulse makes $200k easy. It's a lot harder than that.

I’m sorry but I make a little more than $200k and I’m in my early thirties. It wasn’t that hard at all.