"“I got graduate degree at Stanford and, yes!, name does help a lot. Although I am not employed in the area of my major, Stanford degree helps, a lot. Just the name.”
- I got associate, BS and graduate degree from the local college, and, yes! nobody in a world cared about the name of my college, but my degrees (all of them) helped me a lot finding yet another job, once and again in very economically depressed city. And all of my employers (very well known names, some smaller, some big international companies, like my current employer) hire locally. 6 out of my 9 jobs, I got from the least likely source - ads in the local newspaper. I heard that the rate of finding jobs thru this source is about 2%, mine was about 66%. I guess, my degrees from no-name college worked exceptionally well for me. I know only one of D’s friends who actually graduated from Elite college with well recognized name. She still lives with her parents, not sure what she is doing professionally. I know whole lot of others who graduated from local in-state or other in-state public and private colleges who are doing exceptionally well, graduated or in the last year at Med. Schools, Law schools, got great jobs with their Engineering BS degrees, CS degrees, business degrees and definitely are on their own, enjoying their jobs, have no problem switching to new ones if not satisfied, getting married and are very happy and successful .
Your experience, bradybest and my experiences are nothing but anecdotal evidence that both ways are working for hard working people. In terms of statistics, I bet that there are plenty more happy / successful people with the degrees from in-state colleges than the ones with Ivy / Elite degrees. Why I am so sure? There are simply many folds more graduate in the first group, just simply more employees with the degrees from state schools.
So, definitely “Let’s be honest here”!, I am all for honesty!!!