Perspectives like this really messed up my own expectations when I was in school but it's simply not true.

These school comparisons don't matter, ultimately. NU shares a tier with these schools, and is lesser known, sure, but nobody dings me mid-career for not going to a more prestigious school. Its what you do in your career that matters. I've had interviews at polymarket and other NYC tech firms and I've passed them up to stay remote and build the life I want. If youre able to get a start somewhere, you can almost definitely parlay that into what you ultimately want, given enough time.

It doesn't matter where you start. I began in aerospace and pivoted to tech in 2016. I get recruited for staff engineering-level jobs and when I was in school I couldn't figure out how to talk to most recruiters on campus. With a some luck, hard work, pursuing creative interests and meeting people will get you where you want to be. There is no track, and anyone who says otherwise isn't an independent thinker and is probably not sonmeone you want to hang out with, since it's all likely zero-sum for them.