March 17th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Li Z asked:
Is it true that it doesn’t matter a whole lot in terms of where you get your degree from a university. I have heard it is more about the job experience that you have when you apply for a big company. I’m asking this because I go to San Jose State University, I know SJSU is not the best school out there, but will I still be able to find a good job at a big company like Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, or any other big companies. My major is Finance. Thank you all for your answers. Appreciated.
Have experience? Post it on ALL the top 80 job sites.
Is it true that it doesn’t matter a whole lot in terms of where you get your degree from a university. I have heard it is more about the job experience that you have when you apply for a big company. I’m asking this because I go to San Jose State University, I know SJSU is not the best school out there, but will I still be able to find a good job at a big company like Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, or any other big companies. My major is Finance. Thank you all for your answers. Appreciated.
Have experience? Post it on ALL the top 80 job sites.
Posted in 
Tags: 
Have experience? Post it on ALL the top 80 job sites.
the more experience you have the less the school you went to matters. the school and the degree are important more when you are just starting to work than when you are experienced
Have experience? Post it on ALL the top 80 job sites.
One word: internships. It’s true that there are companies that will first look at where you got your degree, but if you have the degree in hand with several strong experiences under your belt, you’re still very well off. I think saying that it doesn’t matter “a whole lot” is accurate: it matters, but not to the point where you won’t be considered because you’re not Ivy League. Get VALUABLE experience, though, don’t just rack up random internships. If you could actually intern with one of the companies you’re interested in working for, that would be the most ideal situation.
Good luck!
Have experience? Post it on ALL the top 80 job sites.
To an extent. The trouble with trying to get a job with a company like Goldman Sachs is that the type of experience that impresses them is a lot easier to get if you have big school connections and advice on how to get internships at those companies. And unlike a lot of companies, they do look at grades and transcripts, so the perceived difficulty of your school comes into play.
That doesn’t mean you should forget about it, though. Talk to your career center and find out if there are any alumni at those companies you can talk to and get tips from, do your best to stand out and take initiative in your other activities…and remember: if it doesn’t happen at this stage, there’s always business school.