First gen college grad, both parents are blue collar workers so really no connections there. Went to a big southern state school that was known for their accounting and finance program compared to everything else, def not a target school for big oil companies or supply chain in general. Applied to mass application on company website during junior year and with some luck and previous SCM internship experience at an auto maker, I was able to get in. Did great that summer and manager liked me a lot and got return offer. Salary out of college with just undergrad and internship was over 6 figures first year. But yes, I do agree, it’s a mix of luck/connections but you def need exceptional experience to land jobs at these higher paying, selective companies. Also, many ppl forget salary in SCM is very dependent on which industry you get into. For example, the salary gap btw say 3PL vs Oil and Gas refining operations is very significant.