My wife is a nurse anesthetist and despite the PPE situation, I have often be jealous of the opportunities and options she's has through her career path.
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Successful career while not going to a top school or having family connections?
- Thread starter Blue Skies
- Start date
My wife is a nurse anesthetist and despite the PPE situation, I have often be jealous of the opportunities and options she's has through her career path.
You're chances are good but you'll eventually hit a ceiling and see less qualified people prompted above you because you didn't go to the better schools. Apparently companies like to brag about the credentials of whom is handling accounts rather than their qualifications.
OP
OP
Going into junior year
A bit older becuase i spent 4 years in the navy
Absolutely. I didn't go to a prestigious school, didn't do particularly well in school or anything either, and have had a good career and have a good, high paying job in an industry that I didn't know anybody in. I'm not in finance but there's hundreds of thousands of finance positions in the US and most of those positions weren't filled by family connections.
And yeah I went to a liberal arts college and I'm a software engineer so go figure.
And yeah I went to a liberal arts college and I'm a software engineer so go figure.
Nah, I think that one's on me, sorry, when I first read the OP I thought they were asking specifically for career advice in their field, but it makes a lot more sense for the thread to be a place for anyone to talk about their experience regardless of what they do.
Oh okay. Yeah, in my experience, lack of ABET accreditation is the only deal-breaker.
Management Consulting is a good career. You could pick up some programming and math skills on the side and would be set for a lot of positions. It has a lot of work, though, lots of hours and heavy workload. High salary.
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It can help, but by no means does it mean you're set up for failure from the beginning. I did everything on my own when it came to college; went to a decent public STEM university, and got ALL of my jobs (all decent to good paying) without any help from friends or family.
Get skills and experience.
I'm not in the US, but I didn't have any connections when I graduated with what would be an equivalent to a major in finance (and I mean it, only family I have is retired).
So I had to brush up other skills: language (fluent in Spanish and English), tech (if you can, see if you can get crash course on using Bloomberg terminals and SQL. If your faculty offers seminars or resources, use them!), and getting experience and good referrals through internships, I had three under my belt when I graduated. Plus, managed to land two TA positions in my senior year, which also helped round out my resumé.
Accept that you'll probably have to take a longer road to get the position you eant - I was aiming for a position in corporate finance right out of uni, but the competition was fierce. I landed a job in credit rating as an analyst, and am trying to learn everything I can from the job before trying to move into corporate finance.
Final idea would be to keep up with certifications after graduation. If you want corporate finance or to go into the investment sector getting the CFA at some moment is a must.
I'm not in the US, but I didn't have any connections when I graduated with what would be an equivalent to a major in finance (and I mean it, only family I have is retired).
So I had to brush up other skills: language (fluent in Spanish and English), tech (if you can, see if you can get crash course on using Bloomberg terminals and SQL. If your faculty offers seminars or resources, use them!), and getting experience and good referrals through internships, I had three under my belt when I graduated. Plus, managed to land two TA positions in my senior year, which also helped round out my resumé.
Accept that you'll probably have to take a longer road to get the position you eant - I was aiming for a position in corporate finance right out of uni, but the competition was fierce. I landed a job in credit rating as an analyst, and am trying to learn everything I can from the job before trying to move into corporate finance.
Final idea would be to keep up with certifications after graduation. If you want corporate finance or to go into the investment sector getting the CFA at some moment is a must.
Like pretty much everyone else said, connections and a fancy degree cam definitely help. But there are other routes. Gotta develop skills and learn how to show people that you have them.
I personally ended up turning a hobby of mine into a pretty dope career with a little luck and a lot of time developing and growing that skillset. No connections or degree involved.
I personally ended up turning a hobby of mine into a pretty dope career with a little luck and a lot of time developing and growing that skillset. No connections or degree involved.
I'd also vote IT. IT has a lot to do with the market you live in but I moved from the East coast to Texas with no professional contacts. Got my start with a small company that eventually died, but I networked well there and leveraged all of that to move to a billion dollar retailer. Obviously not in a good state right now, but it was great two months ago!
OP
OP
Successful in that your own goals were accomplished or nearly there
we all have different goals so I don't want to set a number to it
You can, but it's been shown you'll almost certainly be paid less than those who come from wealth even if they clearly not as smart nor work as hard.
American society is a pure meritocracy where hard work and intelligence guarantee a path to success. You'll be just fine, work hard and good things will happen for you.
So much of it is luck.
I had a great upbringing. Parents well off, well educated and engaged, had all the opportunities I needed.
But, same old story, rebelled a little, dropped out college, got a "train while you learn" job for £50 a week....
Then managed to get a "proper" IT apprenticeship, paying 10k a year.
12 years of taking on whatever I could, some successes, some failures and I had pretty much reached the end.. company was shrinking (in my location anyway) I still didn't really have any qualifications and I still wasn't on a huge amount (about 22k).. there were redundancies all over the place and I knew my time was up.
There was an internal job intranet site (company was a massive multinational) so had a quick look, there was 1 job on there that could be done from anywhere, but it was completely different to what I'd done before, in project management. Thought why not, nothing to lose..... Managed to speak to the right person, at the right time, made the right noises... 8 years later, I've worked for another 4 companies, been promoted countless times and am now on a very decent wage and about to be promoted again.
So much luck. I've worked hard, don't get me wrong, but I know there's so much luck involved. Just make yourself as useful as possible, be nice to people (3 jobs have come from people who I used to work with / people who've recommended me) and always put in the effort... And get lucky!
I had a great upbringing. Parents well off, well educated and engaged, had all the opportunities I needed.
But, same old story, rebelled a little, dropped out college, got a "train while you learn" job for £50 a week....
Then managed to get a "proper" IT apprenticeship, paying 10k a year.
12 years of taking on whatever I could, some successes, some failures and I had pretty much reached the end.. company was shrinking (in my location anyway) I still didn't really have any qualifications and I still wasn't on a huge amount (about 22k).. there were redundancies all over the place and I knew my time was up.
There was an internal job intranet site (company was a massive multinational) so had a quick look, there was 1 job on there that could be done from anywhere, but it was completely different to what I'd done before, in project management. Thought why not, nothing to lose..... Managed to speak to the right person, at the right time, made the right noises... 8 years later, I've worked for another 4 companies, been promoted countless times and am now on a very decent wage and about to be promoted again.
So much luck. I've worked hard, don't get me wrong, but I know there's so much luck involved. Just make yourself as useful as possible, be nice to people (3 jobs have come from people who I used to work with / people who've recommended me) and always put in the effort... And get lucky!
TL;DR: Yes it is possible. It takes luck, and hard work (such that you are prepared to capitalize on opportunity)
I went to a no-name school, had no family connections or inside track to a job, and even had a very mediocre GPA. I graduated with a BS in Computer Science, however I am a very average coder at best.
I got my first job out of college by posting my resume in the university job bank, and a local small business (insurance lines brokers, or something like that) hired me as a junior IT / help desk guy. I didn't think my resume was very impressive at all but I think I did very well in my interview. The pay was very low, and the job listing was for a part time spot, which became a full time spot when they hired me and found out that I had already graduated. They basically ran their own small IT operation (single server rack in a broom closet) and it was simultaneously advanced enough (for my skill level), and small-scale enough for me to really get my feet wet and gain some reps doing actual linux-based system administration without being too overwhelmed.
6 months later, a local up-and-coming tech company found my resume on the same university job bank. They were hiring for junior technicians, specifically for a newly-crafted training program. I was able to get my foot in the door here by doing well in the interview process based on the skills I picked up in the previous gig. The pay was a bit better but still pretty low (sub-40k, in 2007 dollars). Once I got into the company I was able to learn and gain position via promotions and job transfers, with fairly steady salary/benefit gain. This was over the course of 11 years. While there I made a lot of friends and professional connections.
The company's trajectory fizzled and has become a shell of its former self and a lot of talented folks left. I was able to use one of my connections to get the inside track at a much larger and more successful tech company which pays very well, and honestly has taken really great care of their employees during this crisis, especially compared to some other employers.
I feel very blessed and privileged to be where I am. There are many folks out there who work extremely hard but don't get the same opportunities presented to them, or have to work and scrape even harder just to get them. But it certainly is possible.
I think a key for me early in my career was a willingness to take on low-paying jobs that provided extremely relevant job experience which I could then leverage into getting higher paying jobs. I was able to do this because after graduating from college I still lived at home with my parents. I used this opportunity to pay off my modest student loans, and then was able to afford my own place. This is obviously a privilege that not everyone has, and I have to recognize how valuable it was for me early on.
I went to a no-name school, had no family connections or inside track to a job, and even had a very mediocre GPA. I graduated with a BS in Computer Science, however I am a very average coder at best.
I got my first job out of college by posting my resume in the university job bank, and a local small business (insurance lines brokers, or something like that) hired me as a junior IT / help desk guy. I didn't think my resume was very impressive at all but I think I did very well in my interview. The pay was very low, and the job listing was for a part time spot, which became a full time spot when they hired me and found out that I had already graduated. They basically ran their own small IT operation (single server rack in a broom closet) and it was simultaneously advanced enough (for my skill level), and small-scale enough for me to really get my feet wet and gain some reps doing actual linux-based system administration without being too overwhelmed.
6 months later, a local up-and-coming tech company found my resume on the same university job bank. They were hiring for junior technicians, specifically for a newly-crafted training program. I was able to get my foot in the door here by doing well in the interview process based on the skills I picked up in the previous gig. The pay was a bit better but still pretty low (sub-40k, in 2007 dollars). Once I got into the company I was able to learn and gain position via promotions and job transfers, with fairly steady salary/benefit gain. This was over the course of 11 years. While there I made a lot of friends and professional connections.
The company's trajectory fizzled and has become a shell of its former self and a lot of talented folks left. I was able to use one of my connections to get the inside track at a much larger and more successful tech company which pays very well, and honestly has taken really great care of their employees during this crisis, especially compared to some other employers.
I feel very blessed and privileged to be where I am. There are many folks out there who work extremely hard but don't get the same opportunities presented to them, or have to work and scrape even harder just to get them. But it certainly is possible.
I think a key for me early in my career was a willingness to take on low-paying jobs that provided extremely relevant job experience which I could then leverage into getting higher paying jobs. I was able to do this because after graduating from college I still lived at home with my parents. I used this opportunity to pay off my modest student loans, and then was able to afford my own place. This is obviously a privilege that not everyone has, and I have to recognize how valuable it was for me early on.
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I didnt go to -top- schools but my parents did pay for them so thats some definite privilege there.
Plus, a good, expensive education allowed me to learn 3 languages and be very well traveled, that stuff matters.
So yeah, been pretty lucky.
Plus, a good, expensive education allowed me to learn 3 languages and be very well traveled, that stuff matters.
So yeah, been pretty lucky.
I graduated from a tiny community college in Nebraska in 2013 with a degree in programing. I'm now living in Chicago, making over six figures, and work in my field at a big four bank. It'll take some time to get there, but it's doable. The main pay raises I've gotten are from starting at a new company. So don't be afraid to shop around if you aren't satisfied with where you're at or what you're doing.
State school + finance degree (or accounting degree) is a pretty good path towards corporate finance. Plenty of finance students get recruited into audit roles at public accounting firms and then jump to a client company or some other corporation for a financial analyst role, or something similar which is tangentially related to accounting work. Heck, I even have some friends from my undergrad studies who were military veterans (infantry, marines, and navy) who all went to big 4 audit and now work finance roles at decent sized businesses throughout the state. I'm still very early in my career, but I was able to get a great entry level job with zero connections - just a strong resume and a good gpa. Of course I'm specialized in corporate tax so it helps to have a niche, but accounting is definitely an area where you can come from nothing and do pretty well for yourself. Plus there are tons of different paths to take.
Learn how to code. Minor in comp sci. There are 100s of bay area companies willing to pay people who know how to code 100k a year straight out college, no Harvard degree or rich folks connection necessary.
Apply for internships in big companies, if you can land one it might help you a lot in the future (you can even get hired there). Worst case scenario you worked for [insert big company] instead of random small family business company and when you are looking for a entry-level jobs this make a good difference.
I've worked in design field as graphic designer, UX designer, etc. and at least where I live, the school you went to doesn't matter at all. No one has asked me to show my no-name school degree in any interview I've been to. The portfolio is the only thing that interests the interviewer (and of course also whether you're a nice person or not).
OP, I work in corporate real estate, at a massive firm (you can probably guess which one)and am well connected in the company. Hit me up when you graduate.
Unless you're graduating right now, because times are going to be rough in the short/mid term in our industry
be nice to everyone you work with and put on fake smiles even if they are rude to you
you'll end up getting hired/promoted by your coworkers even if you are less qualified than the guy who is rude
you'll end up getting hired/promoted by your coworkers even if you are less qualified than the guy who is rude
- Graduated high school in bottom 10 out of ~400.
- Failed out of university twice and academically suspended.
- Spent almost 5 years playing video games in my parents basement and working part time min wage (not kidding about this. I was super depressed).
- At 23 decided to try again at a tech college
- At 26 finished an AAS in IT (took 3 years)
Now I have a very lucrative career and am doing well. Sometimes I still feel 5 years behind everyone... but realized that delay gave me time to mature and gain perspective. A very particular set of good luck, good fortune, and hard work aligned to get to now. Change any of the variables, including getting an on time degree from a good school or a cozy family job, and no guarantee I end up as successful. Anyways, moral of story is things can turn around in a hurry.
- Failed out of university twice and academically suspended.
- Spent almost 5 years playing video games in my parents basement and working part time min wage (not kidding about this. I was super depressed).
- At 23 decided to try again at a tech college
- At 26 finished an AAS in IT (took 3 years)
Now I have a very lucrative career and am doing well. Sometimes I still feel 5 years behind everyone... but realized that delay gave me time to mature and gain perspective. A very particular set of good luck, good fortune, and hard work aligned to get to now. Change any of the variables, including getting an on time degree from a good school or a cozy family job, and no guarantee I end up as successful. Anyways, moral of story is things can turn around in a hurry.
i was born in US, my parents were refugees, and i am doing ok without any family wealth or connections. i went to public school K-12 then state school again undergrad, and i'm doing ok
just work hard and make connections and hopefully things break your way. you also have to remember that you need to OUTWORK the people do have the wealth and connections that you don't.
just work hard and make connections and hopefully things break your way. you also have to remember that you need to OUTWORK the people do have the wealth and connections that you don't.
reason I think a lot of students churn out mediocre results and impede their chances in finding a job is that they don't practice what they're studying.
it's like being a STEM major and not doing any labs or practicing what you're applying.
English major? write your own novels ; short stories ; pound the pavement anything creativity related to the english language.
studying finance? get into financial modeling - put some money into the market and do day trading - etc etc. Have a part - time job? try to relate what you see at your job that's related to the business aspects of what you learn in university.
practicing and applying what you're learning while you're studying and stacking your technicals will amplify your chances of success.
people just aren't willing to venture out of their comfort zone and just... study. it's weird.
also work on your soft skills.
interview preparation ; people skills ; networking
informational interviews ; networking events
just staying stationary won't get you anywhere. also dwelling on whether being in a top school or having family connections is just silly.
some of the world's richest people are high school dropouts or have never attended college.
ex. Coco Chanel ; Sam Walton ; John D. Rockefeller
I feel like having a self - defeating attitude is a self - fulfilling prophecy. you gotta put in the work. you gotta push yourself when others are giving up.
it's like being a STEM major and not doing any labs or practicing what you're applying.
English major? write your own novels ; short stories ; pound the pavement anything creativity related to the english language.
studying finance? get into financial modeling - put some money into the market and do day trading - etc etc. Have a part - time job? try to relate what you see at your job that's related to the business aspects of what you learn in university.
practicing and applying what you're learning while you're studying and stacking your technicals will amplify your chances of success.
people just aren't willing to venture out of their comfort zone and just... study. it's weird.
also work on your soft skills.
interview preparation ; people skills ; networking
informational interviews ; networking events
just staying stationary won't get you anywhere. also dwelling on whether being in a top school or having family connections is just silly.
some of the world's richest people are high school dropouts or have never attended college.
ex. Coco Chanel ; Sam Walton ; John D. Rockefeller
I feel like having a self - defeating attitude is a self - fulfilling prophecy. you gotta put in the work. you gotta push yourself when others are giving up.
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Come from a family in which, after my father's first heart attack, we lost our home and car. My dad graduated from a decent college, but in archeology. He ended up in sales and manual labor most of his life and died without life insurance after a sudden heart attack at 62.
Even though I grew up poor (at one point post heart-attack, we lived 8 in a 3-bedroom apartment), and never had the luxuries of life, (unless I busted my ass delivering newspapers 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and paid for them myself) I still consider myself incredibly lucky.
He left behind:
- a surviving wife who has since traveled the world, lived abroad and visits her grandchildren 6 or 7 months a year (at least, before COVID)
- 10 children (7 college graduates), 49 grandchildren, and so far 4 great-grandchildren.
- A passion for learning, heart work, and volunteerism.
I consider myself extremely fortunate. I am a nursing home administrator, I have a loving wife and 4 kids. What more could I want? I went to community College and only have an associates degree, btw.
Even though I grew up poor (at one point post heart-attack, we lived 8 in a 3-bedroom apartment), and never had the luxuries of life, (unless I busted my ass delivering newspapers 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and paid for them myself) I still consider myself incredibly lucky.
He left behind:
- a surviving wife who has since traveled the world, lived abroad and visits her grandchildren 6 or 7 months a year (at least, before COVID)
- 10 children (7 college graduates), 49 grandchildren, and so far 4 great-grandchildren.
- A passion for learning, heart work, and volunteerism.
I consider myself extremely fortunate. I am a nursing home administrator, I have a loving wife and 4 kids. What more could I want? I went to community College and only have an associates degree, btw.
You can't escape the need for connections in order to succeed. I tried to do it for most of my life and failed haha.
I went to community college and paid for it by working retail. I worked in marketing at a Fortune 500 company right out of school and then as an account manager at a top local web design/digital marketing agency. Now I'm laid off but ignore that last part.
Due diligence. EDD. KYC. AML. These jobs are ever in demand and pay quite a bit once you become experienced.
Just wondering what area you live in, and what certs you going for?
Well I was originally going for my CCNA but after talking to some network engineers about my path, I was told to skip it and do my net + and sec+.
Then right after I am going for my azure certs.
I live in Florida. The IT field seems to be growing so quickly in Tampa and St Petersburg.
My uncle worked at Nintendo, then took a lucrative position at Sega while I was in middle school. I was basically a beta-tester for Starfox 2.
Seriously though, depends a lot on luck and skillset. I would say don't worry about going to an Ivy League-type of school unless fully paid for.
My biggest piece of advice is learn how to socialize, speak publicly. You definitely can build connections from there. Not for the "get you a cush job" thing, but you can use your built connections as resources for questions, references and learning oppotunities. And because you built them, there is more trust in you from the other person instead of it being... "I know a friend of my 3rd cousin that needs a job".
Seriously though, depends a lot on luck and skillset. I would say don't worry about going to an Ivy League-type of school unless fully paid for.
My biggest piece of advice is learn how to socialize, speak publicly. You definitely can build connections from there. Not for the "get you a cush job" thing, but you can use your built connections as resources for questions, references and learning oppotunities. And because you built them, there is more trust in you from the other person instead of it being... "I know a friend of my 3rd cousin that needs a job".
It's not necessarily wrong, it's just for them they'll achieve higher in a shorter time and much easier.
I studied art history at a public college and worked my ass off to build community and network to where I'm in a senior level administrative role at a tri-city art organization.
I have no financial cushion or family to depend on, my career trajectory and sustainability is my top priority.
I have no financial cushion or family to depend on, my career trajectory and sustainability is my top priority.
I have made a career in a major international organization on the administrative side, even though I don't have formal training in finance, procurement, IT or HR (all sections I have worked under, currently in senior role). I also don't have an university degree either, even though I have completed some university courses (open university).
I have made my opportunities mostly through field work when I was younger, working in all those "shithole" places more qualified people from the West would usually not even apply for. Before that had a decent military career, serving in several hotspots as well, so managed to build my field-exp through that. All in all, it's not the career I dreamed of but am still reasonably happy.
Have to agree with some other posters that (in my case very relative) success is usually not so much through hard work but luck - although if you want to be decent at anything you have to be somewhat committed as well.
I have made my opportunities mostly through field work when I was younger, working in all those "shithole" places more qualified people from the West would usually not even apply for. Before that had a decent military career, serving in several hotspots as well, so managed to build my field-exp through that. All in all, it's not the career I dreamed of but am still reasonably happy.
Have to agree with some other posters that (in my case very relative) success is usually not so much through hard work but luck - although if you want to be decent at anything you have to be somewhat committed as well.
Nepostism is obviously a thing, as is connections in general, but I would try to get rid of this notion if I were you so it doesn't become some bitter thing you chomp on when met with failure.
Work hard, build your own networks, gain a good reputation for getting things done and treating others well, etc...
You can absolutely succeed without the things you mentioned.
Work hard, build your own networks, gain a good reputation for getting things done and treating others well, etc...
You can absolutely succeed without the things you mentioned.
I have a bachelor's in Radio/TV Broadcasting from an unknown university in southern Indiana and now I work doing programming and project management at a major market research company making good money and enjoying life. I didn't get this job through connections or college prestige, I got it by building my resume and learning everything possible and working hard for 6 years after college paying my dues.
Don't expect to get the life you want right after your college education. I don't know where that mindset came from. You often times have to work a couple jobs first to really start seeing that investment pay off. I was definitely not mature enough for this job when I was first out of college.
Don't expect to get the life you want right after your college education. I don't know where that mindset came from. You often times have to work a couple jobs first to really start seeing that investment pay off. I was definitely not mature enough for this job when I was first out of college.
I dropped out of high school and moved out when I was 15, ending up moving half way across the country.
I know work in the trades, make well into the 6 figures, full benefits, a golden pension I own my house no debt. To my own definition I succeeded,
without school or family connections.
I know work in the trades, make well into the 6 figures, full benefits, a golden pension I own my house no debt. To my own definition I succeeded,
without school or family connections.