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From April to August this year, I was actively job hunting, primarily on LinkedIn and foundit (formerly Monster jobs). I often encountered job postings that preferred “Tier 1 Engineering/Management students,” which I found somewhat irksome for two main reasons:
Firstly, I am not an alumnus of a tier 1 institute.
Secondly, I believe that the brand name of one’s alma mater cannot compensate for a lack of competence. I have also written about this subject a bit.
However, I recently realized that I have been influenced by this principle to some extent too. My former gym trainer often would tell me the benefits of grounding and sitting on the floor. Despite his advice, I didn’t pay much attention. However, when a professional with a Doctor’s degree recommended the same practice in a podcast episode, I took notice of it. Since then, I have incorporated spending 30 minutes on the floor into my daily routine.
Despite my reservations about the degree culture, I subconsciously associated an advanced degree with more knowledge. However, some recent experiences have led me to reconsider this belief.
Recently, I participated in conducting interviews during a campus placement session at one of India’s premier engineering colleges, an institution I held in high regard. However, I was disappointed to find that more than 70% of the candidates struggled to answer basic questions, and their aptitude levels were also questionable. This experience was probably more disappointing for me than for the candidates I had to reject. This institute used to be one of my dream institutes.
This experience has certainly reinforced my belief that degrees cannot mask incompetence. Unfortunately, the job market does not always reflect this reality.
I believe degrees, especially those from premier institutes, follow the same principle as money. While having extra money doesn’t always guarantee happiness, but the lack of it will cause hardships. Similarly, possessing a degree from a prestigious institute doesn’t necessarily secure a good job, but not having one can certainly make the job hunt more challenging.
P.S: I have discarded the top 1-2% students. They’re “generational”.
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