HN Explorer

Ask HN: Is it possible to be successful if I never got into any top schools?

2 points by laidoffamazon ↗ HN
I went to a fairly mediocre state school, and it seems like everywhere I look the only successful folks got into top CS schools (though not all went), especially in the HN comment sections. This implies ability at college admission age determines future success.

I’m a mid level engineer at unicorn fintech company but I make below average for my payband and I’ve never worked at selective tech companies like Google etc - if anything, it seems like I’m considered intellectually inferior to subhuman by society. I’ve considered grad school to increase my status but I didn’t get a 4.0 in undergrad (got a 3.9x) and only had second author papers, no first authors. Is there any hope for people like me? I feel like I’ll never be able to retire, own a car, or even upgrade from the tiny studio and austere lifestyle I have. Meanwhile the people that went to top schools have it all and get unlimited validation to boot. What’s the point of living if these top school admissions committees considered me stupid 8 years ago and no matter how much I work I’m still considered mentally defective today and forever?

6 comments

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theCrowing
The problem with your assessment is not that other people consider you "intellectually inferior to subhuman" it's that you do. Nobody cares about degrees or names if you excel in your field of work.
frontman1988
You are correct in your assessment, it's over. You might as well go and work at McDonald's cause that's where people like you who don't go to top schools belong.
zeroCalories
I don't have any stats, but anecdotally I went to a mediocre state school and ended up at FAANG. I have also never heard of discrimination based on school, as long as it's a real degree from a real school. This sounds so bizarre to me I almost suspect you're trolling. Maybe things are different for positions requiring a graduate degree.
laidoffamazon
I mean I ended up at FAANG after undergrad too, but that was Amazon which isn’t considered impressive.
WheelsAtLarge
Success is more than what school you attended. It's about doing things. Many of the people that attend top school succeed because they are actively trying to move forward not necessarily because they went to an elite school. The best advice you can get is to be a "doer". Don't stand around hoping someone will pick you for their next project. You need to be the one creating the project and getting the people to help you. You learn by doing and eventually you learn enough to be successful. The elite school is only a small part. It's all about the individual.
orzig
I guarantee that whatever challenges you are facing, they are not because of your lack of credentials. I strongly suspect they are also not because of a lack of intelligence. I again GUARANTEE you are not mentally defective in an IQ sense.

I suspect that you have other struggles, which I have neither the information or credentials to diagnose, but I urge you to drop the college distraction and take that possibility seriously.

It’s a shot in the dark but if you can’t think of any other first step towards success, trust me enough to listen to this: https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/depression-anxiety-i...