Your School's Name - Does it matter?

Certainly, there will be unending debates on this matter especially that a lot of schools and universities are involved in this. This is one matter that consumed a lot of my brain's juices and I'd have to admit, it's quite hard to make a stand and defend it all throughout. But does your school's name really help in getting yourself a job?

Bias, as they call it, is still existent in this world and wherever you'll go, there will be no escaping when it comes to this. Yes, this applies to job seeking too. It may not necessarily be a good idea to state this but when time calls for this instance, I'm better off saying that there is a so-called "racism" going on in the corporate world today. So, why do companies have to look at the name of your school and its performance? It's plain and simple, they just want to make sure that you've had sufficient training/schooling that's apt for their standards. There's no denying that any company will want to have the best from among the many. Thus leading them to a thorough screening and evaluation which fortunately/unfortunately includes a preference on certain (top or reputable) schools. This may pose to be a problem among the majority who are seemingly demotivated by the "racism." But before I go further, let me just elaborate why there's this certain bias among employers. As far as position is concerned, there's clarity in the thought that these people in charged for employment are knowledgeable enough to pick the more equipped applicants. Of course, it is a given that a (high) number of these people come from certain schools, often from "preferred" schools as well, and it's natural that they give particular attention to applicants of their school especially that they would know what they've been through in the course of knowledge-seeking in college and they would likewise be assured that there will surely be this so-called "quality." Adding to that, they're knowledgeable enough of the kind of learning environment these applicants have been to, with facilities, instruction and a lot more factors also being taken into consideration.

Preferences in schools are comparable with preferences in brand names. It won't take deep logic to verify this. Take for example "Brand A" being the better option among competition. Surely, people who aim for the best won't settle for any other brand and they won't even take risk, given that many factors such as quality and the like shouldn't be discounted at all. But wait! What about the other brands? On the brighter side, there will still be other considerations included as well. "Brand A" surely won't have them all and there will always be better products from other brands as well. But then again, there's no sense in questioning why people choose "BRAND A" on top of any other, is there? Same is true in employment. There's no stopping these companies from opting employment of graduates from top institutions especially that they're not just looking for hard-working but intellectual people as well.

While certain people believe that this scenario no longer exists, I can't help but repel especially when proof is there to settle any argument regarding this. I highly recommend setting aside any bias regarding any school. Just look around and see. By then you'll get to discover that, indeed, there is still racism in job seeking. You'll need to open your eyes and believe what reality there is.

Fortunately, it's not the crack of doom for you if you don't belong to any of the top/preferred schools. It is worth taking note that you are ought to market yourself no matter what. A better option is to excel in your field or craft for there is a higher probability that your experience will be taken into consideration more than the name of your school. Another edge that can bring you up there is when you get involved in extra-curricular activities. They will be an added edge especially when talks about inside and outside the classroom experiences are concerned. Always remember that if your school and its name won't be of help in you landing a job, then by all means, do it on your own, at your very best! As they say, it certainly won't be over until the fat lady sings. So, show them what you got!