From Pranav Angara.
You posted some insightful posts regarding the advantages/disadvantages of attending a top rank school over a lower ranked school. I found this blog post this morning which gives another perspective. I hope you share this link among the HSB readers. I feel it could be quite useful for the readers.
What Makes You Great
…. Speaking as a graduate of one, top schools teach you credentialing and ladder climbing. If you’re lucky, you might learn how to create a financial model or craft a solid argument. They don’t make you a great UX designer or programmer. Your passion for learning and gaining more and more experience are what make you great. The nights you stayed up until 5am coding make you great. Your love of building things makes you great.
I want to hire hungry creative kids that want to step up. The best programmers from shitty schools and wannabe designers who dropped out of film school. Network engineers who started off as college dropouts but figured it out from years of on the job experience learning to be the best. Dev Bootcamp grads without any experience but who have spent every day and night the last 6 months programming.
I don’t give a shit where you went to college as long as you’re talented.
Source – Your Credentials Are Worthless Here
In the same post, there is an interesting comment from Eric
I’m tired of this view that candidates who make side projects are preferable. Typically, these projects are trivial applications that I could have written when I was in middle school. I am impressed if someone is reading CS papers or implementing advanced algorithms or data structures in their spare time. That shows true intellect and interest in the field.
But, if they simply take hard classes, that also shows intellect and dedication (assuming the classes are harder than the ones they need to take), so it’s not as if there’s anything intrinsically great about the work being a side project versus something they do at school.
I posted a story about a self-taught programmer How to find your dream job in 6 months
Both the article have one theme in common.
How to be great.
Lessons like this gives hope, courage and confidence to raise and shine.
If you are low ranked, lesser know colleges, don’t worry.
You can raise and shine. You can be great.
great!