Employers care about skills, not college name

The college legacy as a defining factor of a student’s future has lost its influence to what students do during their college years.

“A series of decisions that start the moment they secure their spot in the freshman class—from choosing a major and courses to finding internships—increasingly plays a much larger role in life after graduation than where someone goes to college,” Jeffrey J. Selingo wrote for the Harvard Business Review.

That expensive degree isn’t such a bargain in the long run, it seems. It’s good news for social equality, too: humbler institutions can produce graduates with bright futures as long as they take initiative.

As college degrees have become more common, employers aren’t as impressed by the generic graduate. Instead, they want to know the skills, experience, and knowledge that a graduate gained. Cruising through Dartmouth doesn’t compare favorably against the Nebraska graduate who ran a student organization and found a few great internships.

Employers have become more discerning.