Went to a networking event tonight where there were a lot of Finance industry professionals of great stature. Had a great time, appies were delicious, some very nice conversations with the pros.
The one thing that bugs me is that knowing I'll be graduating from a Western Canadian University with a subpar BComm diploma, as opposed to an MBA from a prestigious business school (any Ivy League in USA, Richard Ivey School of Business, for example) and the capital markets won't even give my resume a second glance because of it!
I spoke to one very successful managing director who very explicitly told me that -fact- out of the 6000 applicant resumes they receive, a UBC student wouldn't be given the light of day unless he had done something truly sensational in extracurriculars. And that's because firms know that all the really good students head over to the eastern Universities, so that's where all the stellar applicants are and that's where they pick from. The smartest and brightest know better than to stay in the West!
The worst part is, even if we had top notch quality of education here, it wouldn't matter much unless the world can perceive the institution as such.
Now that's a bit unsettling. What am I going to do with my degree? Where will I find a job?
Anyway, point of the story is, a U's reputation is infinitely more highly regarded than its education quality. Fact.
Wow that must be seriously frustrating for you.
ReplyDeletemake your own company, problem solved. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's true. Which is why I'm happy my school is back in the NCAA Basketball tourney this year. Exposure helps, as long as its not negative. Then again, I also had the advantage of going to a school outside of Washington DC and the school is involved on the hill, even though a decade ago GMU was considered a commuter school.
ReplyDeleteinteresting post
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the shitty things about it. It's not what you know, it's who you know. As far as marketability, I know I wish that I had participated in more extracurricular activities in college. Give those a try. Make yourself marketable. Don't let some POS try to bring you down. Besides, you can always get your master's from a more prestigious school if you work hard now. Don't give up man, keep working, keep trying.
ReplyDeleteGo to europe, everyone will get a boner there if you'll say that you've graduated University in Canada.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteI go to an old polytechnique in the UK and feel this would happen to my resume when I apply to jobs at Barclays Capital, Deutche bank and Goldman sach etc.
That has to suck. It seems pretty unfair too, but I'm sure you'll find something :]
ReplyDeleteThere's only so much you can tell about a person from a resume. I suppose you'll have to hope you're given a chance at an interview, where you can prove yourself in person. If you're right for the job, it will show through :)
ReplyDeleteThe cream rises to the top, they say.
its true :)
ReplyDeleteOne would think a student should be judged by their skills and achievements and not their location of study. Sadly, I guess that isn't the case.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing a bcomm diploma is the same as a BA in the USA, so why not just go to grad school somewhere good?
ReplyDeleteFind this becoming a trend in all job opportunities...and I'm extremely worried as well.
ReplyDeleteinteresting! good luck
ReplyDeleteand keep posting
follow you from now
I hope things work out.
ReplyDeleteI shoulda gone to uni.. =3
ReplyDeleteScrew education, work as a drug dealer.
ReplyDeleteThe old saying is it's who you know, seems truer everyday.
ReplyDeleteSo true :D
ReplyDeleteIt's a harsh reality, and I hate it. This gives me more and more reason to look outside of Florida when considering my MA or PhD in French. It's not the same as in Business, which can be very cutthroat, but you're totally right. Reputation matters. I guess the best you can do is really put work into the networking aspect. Write letters to people now. Start making contact. In those letters write what you can do for them, don't ask what they can do for you. Just be friendly and kind, and generally, people will remember you when the time comes. And when it does come, you don't even necessarily have to ask for a job. You could say that you're looking, and do they have any suggestions, etc. Just some thoughts. I wish you the best of luck with your search. :)
ReplyDeleteMeans you'll have to work from the bottom of the ladder and spend more effort than the lucky ones, life's unfair, fact.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shocking truth to some, but as you enter the world of business, academic credentials tend to give way to the importance of reputation and work history.
ReplyDeleteIt is true. Sadly, it does not matter how great the education system is. My University is attempting to become a tier 1 school. They have a fantastic engineering program. It doesn't matter though. If your school has star power, they will always be chosen first.
ReplyDeletebummer, sorry to hear of your predicament. maybe transfer? I dunno.
ReplyDeleteyea, college degree is becoming worthless these days
ReplyDeleteYeah I hate when that happens, they consider a lot the university instead of the capacity
ReplyDeletethat sucks.
ReplyDeletethe last 3 jobs i applied where not at all interested at all in my degree
ReplyDeleteDepressing but true. Could you go to a school w/ a better rep for grad school, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteAlways been that way.
ReplyDeletesame thing happened to me here, it sucks big time.
ReplyDeleteYou'll find out eventually that just because you went to a prestigious college doesn't mean you'll be successful. A lot of success is going to have to do with YOU and how well you're able to communicate and work with others.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could start a company with your fellow graduates. The current generation doesn't necessarily have to work for the previous one.
ReplyDeleteIt's a dog eat dog world brochacho.
ReplyDeletebigunicorn.blogspot.com
well i used to thinkg things like you just post, my university is not the most respected in my country, and soemone who studies the same as i, at a working place he will win the job.
ReplyDeletebut you don't have to let that affect you, is the degree you do something you wanna live? that makes you at least a bit happy? then do it, and do it hard, and you will get recognition
True story,why im stoked that osu's football team is doing so well.most ceo are old whitemen who spend there sundays drinking and watching football
ReplyDeleteI wish you luck in everything!
ReplyDeleteI'm going out on a limb with saying that I think this is the fear of every college student who isn't in an Ivy League school.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to a college that lets pretty much anyone in their front doors. The only reason I'm really going there is because they have the best engineering program anywhere near my area. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have even bothered with college until I could move to a different state.
I wouldn't worry too much, a lot of people end up with jobs where their degree is irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you
ReplyDeleteUhm... I'm lucky to live in Spain, where no one gives a f**k about what university you went to, they just want good grades in your expedient and you sounding somewhat smart on job interviews.
ReplyDeleteIf you do really good, companies will come find you instead of you having to look for a job.
I don't know I find that hard to believe. UBC has a stellar reputation out east (I've lived in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal) and is considered one of the hardest schools to get into as well as one of the toughest. Then again I don't hear much about their business programs it's more often than not ranting and raving about it's law, engineering or sciences programs among a few others.
ReplyDeleteAlso if you're getting a graduate degree the reputation of the school you attended is absurdly important. For an undergrad though, especially in Canada it REALLY doesn't make a lick of difference where you go to school as long as you have the grades to back it up and some sort of work experience to set you apart (as long as it isn't one at the complete ass end of the spectrum like Brock). Your experience helps you far more than your schooling will regardless of where you went.
A Bachelor of Comm diploma will always lose out to an MBA from any school anywhere, to be honest there aren't too many people with that degree that I know who've gone on to do amazing things (no offense, I graduated in history and am in the same boat, hence why I'm going on for a masters).
Wanna go to an Ivy league school in the states? Good luck getting in/getting the 30 000$-50 000$ a year to pay for it. Get an MBA from UofT, McGill or any of the other premier business schools in Canada and you'll be far better off than accumulating over 100 000$ in debt in an effort to complete a degree at an Ivy league school.
Forget looking for a job now if you truly want to be successful, take advice from someone that's a year or two ahead of you in the process. Find something you can stand learning about (be it business, etc...) and go get a Masters degree in it. An undergrad without impeccable extra-curriculars, sheer luck, or some sort of job experience that stands out is going to get you no where. A university bachelors degree is the new High School diploma.
If you'd like to talk a bit more about this with someone else that's living through it let me know because trust me I know how absolutely demoralizing it can get (I've already dropped out of one graduate program and am starting another one in September).
You are correct there and it's a pain in the ass.
ReplyDeleteThat sucks man, but im sure you will find a job. If I was hiring somebody I wouldnt just choose someone because of what school they went to, but thats just me.
ReplyDeleteI graduated in Biochemistry, bummed around europe for a year and then sat in a call centre (getting over my phobia of phones) ...so not the best start to a career...but now I run two service streams in a government department. You'll find opportunity to shine where ever you start out.
ReplyDeleteI feel you, it's one of the reasons I transferred out of my U to a new one. Even though I am a computer engineering major the reputation is still highly important. Silly really when you look at it. Hope the best for you man
ReplyDeletetrue. I haven' spoken to any pros yet, so I can't speak for the situation in Germany. But we have so called elite universities and they earn this title not through the educational quality.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree, but hey - atleast you're done schooling d;
ReplyDeletegreat post. very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird. Adults tell kids to work hard and everything will be fair and balanced when they grow up. Maybe we should the first generation to tell kids the truth. The rich stay rich, and the poor die trying.
ReplyDeletethe sad truth :/ terrible. good luck to you, hang in there.
ReplyDeleteWow sounds like an interesting day =\
ReplyDeleteWell, what would the employers know about the quality of the education. The reputation is much easier way to compare the universities.
ReplyDeleteMay be true for Universities, But I'm at vancouver film school right now for 3D animation and VFX and the hire rate from the course is +90%.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that standard existed in the university world, very unfortunate.
hope it all works out for you.
ReplyDeletei kind of have the same problem, the best thing you can do is be the best at what you do.
ReplyDeleteno matter where you graduated from if you're the best they will look for you.
most firms do this though. Just except you probably will never make as much had you gone to a prestigious institution. Those student carry great debt though, many times for years after graduating!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if something like this was true. As i am in University, but not a top university. I was wondering how it may effect my for choosing one University over another.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I hate hearing that. I guess you gotta do it the old-fashioned way - hassle the companies you want to get into and get to networking asap :/
ReplyDeletea sad fact...
ReplyDeleteWon't let the school you went to speak so much of yourself. Yeah, sometimes it is a big of a deal. But if someone is hiring, they should focus more on what YOU are capable of, not how big your school's name is. I say if they care more about the school than the student, you are better off searching for a job elsewhere
ReplyDeleteThat really sucks, you need to make some connections and sneak your way in.
ReplyDelete