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But you keep mixing up UG at Harvard/Stanford with graduate schools. Those people that started Google went to no namebrand UG.
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<p>No I did not. After all, many of the early employees at Google were Stanford undergrads. That's the point. Furthermore, the entire idea for Google wasn't spawned until Sergey and Larry met each other at Stanford. </p>
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And Bill Gates and the Facebook guy, Mark Z, are both Harvard drop outs. So the bottom line is entrepreneur is the way to go to make loads of money.
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<p>No, the bottom line is that, if you don't have the business idea yourself, then the next best thing is to be buddies with somebody who does. After all, like I said, most of Facebook's early employees were Zuckerberg's (and the other cofounders) Harvard pals. </p>
<p>And Gates and Zuckerberg themselves reinforce the point even further: at least they went to Harvard. In fact, doing so almost certainly made them even more confident and risk-tolerant. After all, what was the worst thing that would happen to them? If their business fails, big deal, they would just go back to Harvard. </p>
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Yes, it can certainly be about "who you know," but those networks are established in all sorts of venues, and some of the stongest have nothing to do with where you, or your connections, went to school. I consider myself very well connected in my field from coast to coast, but all of those connections were established through my professional work and associations. Not a single one is related to my college affiliation.</p>
<p>Bottom line is that those who can deliver the goods, have good social networking skills, and professional acumen, will do very well no matter what college they attend.</p>
<p>As a hiring officer I seek out the best performers, not those with the best college pedigree. If that person has both, great. However, proven ability trumps all. There are exceptions. Various forms of nepotism certainly exist, but it's mostly about talent.
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<p>Is it? The real question is, how do you know who has talent? How do you know who has proven ability? Remember, we're talking about college kids with no work history. How exactly do these guys "prove their talent"? They can't. That's the point. They have to be hired through some other means.</p>
<p>Again, taking it back to the Facebook example, most of the early engineering team were former Harvard pals of the cofounders. Exactly what sort of work history could they have? Many of them weren't even old enough to buy alcohol. Do you even think the company went through a formal hiring process? Almost certainly not. Most likely, it was just a case of one of the cofounders asking his buddies one day if they wanted to join their new business venture. That's how startups are when they're just starting up. </p>
<p>You say that social networks are established in numerous venues, and that is obviously true, but the question is, exactly how many venues do young college kids have? College is all they got. Sure, if you have decades of work experience, you can access a wide range of venues. But that fact doesn't help the college student. </p>
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Various forms of nepotism certainly exist, but it's mostly about talent.
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<p>Well, let me put it to you this way. At least you know you can get along with your friends. Just being able to work with people is crucial to productivity. It's a heck of a lot better than working with somebody who is 'talented' but is also a jerk. Put another way, I would far prefer to work with an untalented friend than with a highly talented jerk. I think most people would agree. Now, if you want to call that nepotism, then so be it, but I would just say that it's just good business sense.</p>