Do employers care about where you graduated from?

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Employers do consider the reputation of the school when hiring, but the emphasis on a degree versus experience varies by field. In competitive fields, such as engineering, relevant experience and personal attributes like problem-solving skills and drive are often prioritized over the institution attended. While a degree from a prestigious school can influence initial salary and interview opportunities, many employers value practical experience more highly. In engineering, for instance, some employers may prefer candidates with solid experience over top graduates from elite schools, as real-world skills are crucial. Ultimately, while the school attended can matter, relevant experience and personal qualities are generally more significant in the hiring process.
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do employers care about what school u went to or just that you have a degree? Or does experience play a greater role?
 
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Yes they do.
If you have an applicant that got into a school where they have 10 applicants for each place and somebody else who didnt try and went to the party school nearest home?

Ok in the USA without of state fees etc this might be more complicated.
 


It depends entirely upon the field you're interested in, so it's hard to generalize. I think it's safe to say that employers are more interested in experience (by the way, quality counts more than quantity) than where your degree is from; this is not to say that they don't care though - they do!
 


Like Will said it depends on your field. I know for mechanical engineering it doesn't matter much at all. Many care about your GPA but not in the way you think. My last two employers would actually shy away 4.0 top school grads because they just couldn't handle real world engineering. In my experience employers mostly care about your previous experience, your hobbies/interests(engineering aptitude), and your personality (mechanically inclined, your drive, spatial thinking).
 


In my experience, where you have graduated from mostly plays a roll in determining your initial salary. It can also help you obtain an interview, since some companies only visit certain campuses. However, with the dawn of online resume submittal systems, this sort of levels out that perk.

So, in the end, just do the best you can anywhere you go.

Edit - I should mention that this is from my experience in the engineering field. I don't know what the situation is like for other fields.
 


School matters, but it's certainly not the most important factor. Relevant experience counts a lot more.

That said, with all else equal, the MIT grad is probably going to get the job instead of the State U grad.
 
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