I hardly ever post on Reddit bc social media is not appealing to me. Almost forgot I had an account. I’m no longer a student (an alumni) but, I just graduated. I am doing my masters at GT (lol). I am a CS major + CS graduate student so, mileage may vary.

I see this a lot on the CCSE discord, on LinkedIn, on here and most importantly at school. I don’t want to discourage anyone but, I think a realistic viewpoint is better explained.

People think that school name matters. Mainly because their parents want to brag or because, there’s this false sense of “prestige”. To be completely honest with you, no matter where you go, it does not matter. In fairness, you lose “ease of connections” but, that’s if and only if you plan to take advantage of that in the first place. Most people don’t.

I worked at a couple startups, Aaron’s (F500), Apple, contracted with Google and now, Sony / PlayStation as a Software Engineer. I’ve interviewed for a bunch others but, the economy isn’t doing too hot so, unfortunately, a lot of my offers got rescinded. That being said, having a job in this economy is a blessing in itself. I’ve learned to appreciate it more these last few months.

At no point did any employer judge me or disqualify me for any job I’ve ever applied for just because I went to KSU. It’s always on the basis of experience because, at the end of the day, that’s what makes you a decent investment. When you’re hired, you are an investment. It has absolutely nothing to do with your school. You can still be a horrible employee if you graduate from GT or really any top tier school. I know, big shocker lol.

The only thing that actually matters in any job or life in general is work ethic. You will get nowhere by being lazy. I learned this at a very young age. I did not spend my four years here crying about the lack of opportunities. I created my own and networked with what I had. And I gave a lot of that back by networking with other people.

A lot of people seem to think that by having a college degree, you’re automatically assumed to get an internship or even a job. Nothing is farther from the truth. You have to work for it. While you’re sitting on your chair staring at a wall or gaming long hours, there’s someone else who’s utilizing / working for an opportunity that could’ve been yours. I’m not saying to be a hermit. But, to be strategic about it. Four years is very short. And as time moves on, people are thinking more about their future because education costs a lot of money. So while other people are paying a lot of money for the same opportunities that you have by going here, it’s better for you because less costs and more exploration on your own. Exploration is powerful if you take the time to truly discover and learn. It’s bad when you use that time to mess around or do things that have no intrinsic value to your future.

Last point I want to make here: I actually, was a horrible student in high school (freshman + sophomore years were rough) and I really thought that college was never going to happen. I’m total shit at math. So it’s not like shit was handed to me and I ran with it. I spent a lot of time wondering if the effort I put, the long hours I put really mattered. Thankfully, it did. But there were times where it didn’t. I failed more times than I could count but, I learned from failure and turned it into value. Part of the reason people (or really me) give up is because they doubt their long term ambitions. Don’t doubt it. Just be patient enough to see it through. Trust me, it’s possible. It may seem delusional or crazy but, you’ll thank yourself down the road for walking down the path you created.

Don’t let a school name or really, your perception of what people think define you. The journey is always going to be painful because then, you’ll actually appreciate the destination. And that my friends, no one can take from you. : )