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<p>SGupta, perhaps you are trying for too much of a general answer. For example, in my field of public school teaching, it is easier to get hired initially if you attended the local state teachers college or flagship state university, because most others did similarly. Human nature plays a role; the interview committee feels a common bond because they also attended, recognize professor names, and so on. They can swap stories at the interview table. On the other hand, once hired there is no mobility, particularly, that depends on one’s prior education; it’s more about excellent job performance to gain tenure, then years served to gain seniority for perks within the school district (plum classes to teach, and so on). None of it would be helped by bringing in a shiny degree from an Ivy or top quality LAC. Simply irrelevant. </p>
<p>To teach private school in the same city, an elite private degree would be admired, as
a selling point to the parents to enrol their children with well-educated faculty. Either graduate could do a fine or terrible job as a teacher, depending on how they developed within their profession and learned on-the-job, AFTER graduating.</p>
<p>If you are interested in finance or business, where you need to make contacts across the state or around the country, then it might mean more to have a fancier degree, IMHO. Recruiters would come to your campus, for example, in i-banking, more likely at a prestigious LAC or university. They need to know that your Econ or Math course was very well taught. Department reputation is crucial in the hiring process. That’s what I hear anyway. </p>
<p>If you want to go to work for the Brookings Institute or some Policy Research & Development firm or “think tank,” clients would continuously want to know who around the table wsent to those “reputable” colleges and Ivies. It could add to your credibility having research findings accepted, because it would be assumed you had excellent skills in research and analysis of data. Your colleagues would know and envision where you attained your degree, even if it happened 25 years ago. </p>
<p>So the professional field makes a big difference. </p>
<p>My brother went to a second tier law school and has a very satisfying life practicing law in a New England state. The localness of his law school surely helped him get a fascinating first job as clerk to a state appeals judge before he went into private practice as a lawyer. That judge wanted to bring in someone state-trained and would have been less interested in a Harvard law school graduate, although Harvard was 50 miles away.</p>
<p>It really depends. </p>
<p>Maybe I want to ask you what is on your mind? Do you have a profession or field in mind?
That might focus your question a bit.</p>