It gets your foot in the door for your 1st and, maybe, 2nd job. If your first job is Google or Apple or Facebook, then you have an advantage going into your 2nd job or startup. This advantage compounds over your career. I went to a giant mid-western school with no recruiters from hot SV companies. Instead only large corporations came to hire drones. This is a significant disadvantage. It's not insurmountable, but it does suck.
There is an assumption that a degree from Fancy School means you're smart. Also, I've noticed that many people from Fancy School have more self-confidence that allows them to take bigger risks. I was awed by MIT until I worked with someone with straight A's in CS there. He wasn't any smarter than me, but he did work 10X harder than me. I'm lazy.
There is an assumption that a degree from Fancy School means you're smart. Also, I've noticed that many people from Fancy School have more self-confidence that allows them to take bigger risks. I was awed by MIT until I worked with someone with straight A's in CS there. He wasn't any smarter than me, but he did work 10X harder than me. I'm lazy.