Here's a piece from Career Journal that says the path to the corner office often starts at a state school. In other words, you don't need to go to a top-flight college to have a successful career. Here's how they put it:
The college diplomas of the nation's top executives tell an intriguing story: Getting to the corner office has more to do with leadership talent and a drive for success than it does with having an undergraduate degree from a prestigious university.
Most CEOs of the biggest corporations didn't attend Ivy League or other highly selective colleges. They went to state universities, big and small, or to less-known private colleges.
Not surprising information here. I'm a firm believer that the person's individual drive and skills are the main ingredients that determine success or failure.
The article continues:
What counts most, CEOs say, is a person's capacity to seize opportunities. As students, they recall immersing themselves in their interests, becoming campus leaders and forging strong relationships with teachers. And at state and lesser-known schools, where many were the first in their families to attend college, they sought challenges and mixed with students from diverse backgrounds -- an experience that helped them later in their corporate climbs.
As you might imagine, not everyone agrees with this line of thinking. In the follow-up article to this piece, there are a variety of differing opinions on how top-tier colleges impact career success. From that piece, here's the thought that most closely mirrors my own feelings:
As a parent, Krishna Memani, a bank analyst from Livingston, N.J., writes that his job is to improve "the odds of success" for his kids, and to that end, he supports going to the right college. "It does not guarantee success -- that will always be up to the kid -- but it certainly helps," he says.
My opinion is that a degree from an elite school may help in a couple different areas:
- First, it can provide you with connections that last far into your career. Many people from top-tier schools favor others from top-tier schools, not to mention the fact that your college roommate may end up running a company and giving you a job. But this can happen to state-school grads as well.
- Second, and probably the more important issue, top-tier schools can help you start your career at a better company with better pay. After that, my experience shows that most of a person's success is determined by how he/she performs in the business world. But having a leg up at the start is a big financial benefit as a high starting salary is worth almost $1 million throughout your career.
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