Does the college I go to really matter in landing a good job?

Question

Do employers really take into consideration the college one goes to or do they just care if one has the required degree or not?

Answer 1

Ehhh, somewhat. But it's always true that it's more of what you put INTO the college you are at. Such as going to Harvard and floating by with a 2.5 or 3.0 GPA because, hey, you got into HARVARD...it shouldn't matter how you do once you're there.

It really, really is what you put into it. If you made the most of your college years, you will be just fine. If you took advantage of internships, other opportunities, that will give you an advantage to the ivy-floater.

But! All things being equal (and I mean everything), the Ivy League person has prestige and name-recognition as soon as they walk through the door. You just have to work that much harder than they do to show you are deserving of the praise they get (just by virtue of the fact that they attend an Ivy League school) based on your achievements, and not by going to a top ranked school. It can be done.

So in a way, it matters, and in other ways, it doesn't matter. There's no simple answer.

Answer 2

It depends on what you mean by "a good job".

If you go to your local community college and look at the list of firms that interview there, and compare it to the list that interview at Harvard and Yale, you'll see the difference.

However, you can probably still land a job with a Wall Street firm from a generic college. You'll just have to pay your own way to the interview, make a lot less starting out, and have to prove yourself every day for a long while.

Answer 3

For your first job, yes, the college you go to really does matter. With no experience, companies are going to want the most qualified college graduates. This often means going to the top colleges in their field. If you want to get recruited by a top business company, you need to go to top business schools like Harvard, Sloan, Wharton, etc. If you're in engineering, the top companies will go to Stanford, MIT, and some of the top state schools like UMichigan, Georgia Tech, etc.

Recruiters are not going to waste their time going to low-ranked schools. While there might be a few hidden gems (students), they stand a much better chance of getting top quality students from the top ranked schools.

While it's not impossible to get hired to some of these top companies coming from a low-ranked college, recruiters won't be swarming all over you either like they would be if you had graduated (and done well) from a top school.

Answer 4

No. Your employer will not even bother to ask you where your degree is from except during casual conversation.

Let me tell you a true story. Robert Kennedy (JFK's brother) attended the "prestigious" Harvard Law School, where he earned his law degree. When he went to take the New York State bar exam he failed. Then he failed again. Finally, he passed (he cheated someone was in there with him as he took it). So you see if you don't learn the material or you don't work hard, who cares where you went.

Another famous example. Everything regards Einstein as like a supergenius yet he failed the entrance exam to get into a university and had to attend a technical college.

Bottom line: Attain the skills and knowledge you need to perform in a given career (aka get the degree) then work hard.

Answer 5

Yes and no. Some companies definitely see where you go to school--who has more credibility in your eyes, the lawyer who graduated from Harvard or the one who graduated from Arizona State?

Having said that, where you went to school is not necessarily the deciding factor. Your GPA, your experience and, quite frankly, your attitude are all crucial. You can certainly find a good job regardless of where you went to school, even if you don't find one immediately. And as you progress in your career, where you got your degree becomes less important than what you did with it.

Answer 6

i imagine grades are major touchdown a first interest with a wide corp., assuming you're even requested. yet, depending the position you pass, and in case you are able to promote who you're, then, you'd be ok. no longer to assert you aren't from now on wise, notwithstanding the final analysis is, lots of the least wise persons can promote for instance. Or in case you handle a job it is not any longer administration, and would stick with course, and be a crew participant, you are able to strengthen from there. difficult question. it really is gonna count upon what field you land in, and the corporate you opt for to adhere to to.

Answer 7

It depends on the company. Some will hire any college graduate, while others limit their recruiting to the top five or ten schools. It also depends on subject matter. For example, a company might hire broadly for sales, but hire engineers only from a few schools.

Answer 8

There are two names on your diploma: yours and the school's. It would be nice if the employer recognized one of them.

Answer 9

Absolutely!!!!!!!

This is especially true if you want to work for a well known corporation or on Wall Street.