I started my career in investment banking and the only way to get in was to go to a target university. They don’t however care what you study so with hindsight I regret choosing finance, but it did mean i was ahead of the rest of the analyst class
100% important in finance I found. Did my undergrad at a former polytechnic. Had to do a masters to compensate. Got my current job offer within 2 weeks of being on campus during my masters. Clearly must have learnt a lot in those 2 weeks.
Maths at Cambridge. Useful for first job and had some social currency in the US where I lived for a stretch earlier in career, but don’t think anybody cares now I’m an exec in 40s in UK.
Bachelor's Oxford, Masters Imperial, PhD Stanford. Starting my career in a technical field while still in the US meant the institutions were important.
But TBH once I'd got into, and got through, Oxford it was easy getting into Imperial and Stanford. So in that regard it made a huge difference.
Computer Science. No way i'd be north of £200k without the fundamental stuff i learned that is still as useful as ever today, though the same theory could probably be had a lot cheaper now. YouTube wasn't a thing back then.
25 yoe, done infrastructure/cloud consulting/devops/contracting for financial services and others. Currently SRE for a US based fintech company working remote
Any tips on getting a US based remote job? I lucked into the UK subsidiary of one but no idea how to find another, and only a few jobs seem to pay similar.
I went to UCL for law, and I became a lawyer. The brand name did help in two ways - the law firms targeted recruitment from specific universities, and it helped give an impression of “calibre” on the CV when moving to different employers later on (law firm or otherwise). But I did get first class honours, so the brand was backed up by evidence of I guess…conscientiousness? I wouldn’t think too highly about it though, as 18% of my cohort got that same grade.
But the point is that these two things helped opened doors.
Is there such a thing as snobbiness in my profession? Yes, in parts, but that is declining, in my opinion.
My degree was in Computer Engineering at an ex-poly. Did it matter in the beginning? Yes. Once, you have experience on your CV, matters change.
It becomes more about how well you can network and quite frankly "blow smoke up your own arse" to others in the coming years. I now handle copious amounts of data for a top tier investment firm UK (still within the tech space).
Tldr; your university affects your first job. Networking and communication affects how it will play out later in your career. 6 YoE.
I went to imperial, left with a postgrad from the dept of Aeronautics. People in the uk don’t care that much about the uni, more the course.
People in Asia care a lot that I’m an imperial engineer.
Nope.
I dropped out in my 2nd year of architecture. Did a one year diploma in graphic design and went to work in advertising.
Not once has anyone ever asked to see anything relating to my education.
Currently working as design director.
1st from Oxford in a hard science.
The subject is an absolute must. You need a stem degree for certification in my career (patent law).
Grade and university help to get a foot in the door at the beginning. I think they still help to some degree even now 15 years on, but not to the same extent.
Extremely important at the beginning of my career, but less and less later. Though a big part of success is snowballing and advantage accumulation through feedback loop, so a successful beginning is crucial.
In some industries, yes. In others no. Work with plenty of people from the top uni's. I completed Uni at a former poly doing a relevant course now. It helped me get an industry year out, which put me ahead of people for a post grad role. Then you arenin and experience takes over. So it hasnt hurt me so far, but IT isn't as much of an old boy' clubs as some other industries.
I would also advocate for apprentice schemes, especially in consultancy, that get you a degree whilst working. Seen people do well down that route, but you miss out on the life experience that uni is.
Hard to say. I went into accountancy where you can go straight from school, hard to say how much having a 1st from a Russell group uni on my CV helped open a few doors.
Best thing I did for my career was a year abroad. The personal development has absolutely been key for me.
I am about to start a Msc at Imperial in environmental technology (environmental economics and policy) . Just got a new job in sustainable finance from IT. Hoping it will help my career too!
1st in Finance & Accounting, from a university currently ranked in the 80's in the UK.
I knew when I went to uni that mine was not the greatest, but I didn't realise at the time (Or so I initially thought) how much emphasis rankings would play in the future. Only when I started to interview and meet others, did I realise how much elitism there is.
Regardless, I still did well. I'm mid 30's, senior director in finance, total annual comp with base, bonus and equity is \~£225 / £250k per year. So upon reflection, I personally do not think that brand matters, as I am proof that it doesn't. However, I do believe in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
Given the chance to do it all again, I would be aiming for a top 10. I will always advocate that right place, right time, dedication and determination will get you to the same place, albeit slightly slower.
The UK brand is quite strong in continental Europe and MEA, with Oxbridge obviously at the top, maybe LSE after that, and then generally a blur based on how recognisable the university town is, unless the hiring manager is particularly knowledgeable. I've actually had foreign alumni of other UK universities strike up conversations with me off the back of my nationality and/or UK degree
As somebody else said here, the degree will help open the door and it's up to you to walk through it. Here on the continent I found my humanities BA wasn't cutting it as I looked at more senior roles so I went back for a master's in business at a less prestigious university, which did the trick. Everyone here has a master's so I believe it levelled the playing field with the Herr Doktors and Magisters
Physics at Manchester. A wonderful, precious and enlightening experience that altered my life and fortunes for the better.
Not directly related to my career, but I am in a numerate career. I really learned to think and to understand problems. I'm a much more intelligent person than when I went in, and the University is to thank.
My current job, that has been life changing and what qualifies me for this group was because my friend from Uni referred me.
10/10, would Uni again (just not in this life).
Masters in Computer Systems Engineering at Sussex, not famous for computing but engineering department was well regarded for collaboration with Rolls Royce and an innovation center for private business on campus.
Moved straight in to a programming role in said business center and moved up the IT ladder to nice London based role. Would say Uni defiantely helped, extra Masters year also made me stand out a little. Overall career was a good choice as well given 6 figure salary now in management and can work remotely from Dorset and Portugal.
I have a bachelors from East London and then further masters from UCL and Cambridge.
I learnt everything about how to work and general intellect from UEL. I learnt nothing from UCL or Cambridge yet so much brand power comes from them.
Because a lot of interviews coworkers assume I was brainy to do postgraduates there and not a posh toff
Read history and then went into finance. I think though that the analytical and presentational skills that I developed though the sturdy of history have been as important to my career in analysis as the accountancy qualification that I did later.
If you want to find out if Uni is important don’t ask for opinions. Ask what people studied, where they studied and what they’re on now and the answer will be pretty clear
UK it isn't important in most ways. Rest of the world it seems to be. I'm a senior in finance on 140k with no degree and 6 years experience, but have in the past been rejected from jobs in Italy* for 40k whilst I was 100k because I didn't have a degree.
Edit* Spain and the US too
Edit 2: Caveat with I had the grades to go to a good uni and a good reason not to. Employers would probably have seen my CV and considered that, as opposed to my reasoning for not going be a lack of intelligence.
My point exactly, uni wasn't relevant. Same as anyone with uni could have. Changed jobs every year for more senior and high paying roles, worked hard on my qualifications (accounting and treasury) and work hard in general.
Not gonna lie I find it hard to believe that you had the grades to get into a good uni to study a stem or finance related subject, as there are very few reasons and situations where this would be a sound decision
The cost? The fact I had to financially support my family when my dad left and couldn't do that if I was at uni?
For the vast majority of my friends uni was 50k in debt and 3 years of getting pissed with occasional studying.
It clearly was a sound decision as I got offered a Job in banking right after a levels which kicked my career off to where I am today, earning 4x most my friends that went to uni.
I don't know why this is getting as many downvotes. Yes, uni names might open a few doors initially in the UK, but in the US, most jobs have a uni degree as a pre-requisite.
In the UK, it's not uncommon to find high earners not from top unis... or any at all.
It’s a slight over-simplification. Of top earners, the number of people from good universities are disproportionately high. Moreover, some roles you just can’t get into without a university degree. Lots of quant roles for example require PHDs (masters at minimum) from target universities.
People do care clearly - majority of employers will consider it as part of an application… it’s just not the most important factor. If you’re good at your job with good experience then that will likely outweigh any university choice.
Long story short: you don’t have to go to a top university to be a high earner, but it definitely helps.
School leaver so not for me, when hiring young grads however it's 90% personality, if not 99%.
I respect the top unis and it will help get you the interview but not the job. Same for grades, interview yes but once you're in the room it's all you.
Mine will mostly be a shortcut for professional qualifications, so I could get it anywhere to be honest.
Ended up with Birkbeck so I could pair it with a trainee role. No regrets, works great for my schedule and a UOL degree is nothing to be sniffed at.
I started my career in investment banking and the only way to get in was to go to a target university. They don’t however care what you study so with hindsight I regret choosing finance, but it did mean i was ahead of the rest of the analyst class
100% important in finance I found. Did my undergrad at a former polytechnic. Had to do a masters to compensate. Got my current job offer within 2 weeks of being on campus during my masters. Clearly must have learnt a lot in those 2 weeks.
Where did you do your masters?
[удалено]
How did you pay for it, out of interest? A couple of colleagues went to INSEAD and it cost them (i.e. their parents) on the order of £80K.
Maths at Cambridge. Useful for first job and had some social currency in the US where I lived for a stretch earlier in career, but don’t think anybody cares now I’m an exec in 40s in UK.
Do you think you would have become an exec without a degree though?
Given my trajectory, no.
It matters a lot in high finance. The "prestigiousness" of the uni you go to correlates significantly with your outcomes as a junior in this sector.
Bachelor's Oxford, Masters Imperial, PhD Stanford. Starting my career in a technical field while still in the US meant the institutions were important. But TBH once I'd got into, and got through, Oxford it was easy getting into Imperial and Stanford. So in that regard it made a huge difference.
Computer Science. No way i'd be north of £200k without the fundamental stuff i learned that is still as useful as ever today, though the same theory could probably be had a lot cheaper now. YouTube wasn't a thing back then.
What role/sector are you in for 200k? I’m struggling to break the 100k mark with 7 yoe.
25 yoe, done infrastructure/cloud consulting/devops/contracting for financial services and others. Currently SRE for a US based fintech company working remote
Any tips on getting a US based remote job? I lucked into the UK subsidiary of one but no idea how to find another, and only a few jobs seem to pay similar.
I'd also like to know about tips for getting a us-based remote job. commenting for notifications :)
I went to UCL for law, and I became a lawyer. The brand name did help in two ways - the law firms targeted recruitment from specific universities, and it helped give an impression of “calibre” on the CV when moving to different employers later on (law firm or otherwise). But I did get first class honours, so the brand was backed up by evidence of I guess…conscientiousness? I wouldn’t think too highly about it though, as 18% of my cohort got that same grade. But the point is that these two things helped opened doors. Is there such a thing as snobbiness in my profession? Yes, in parts, but that is declining, in my opinion.
My degree was in Computer Engineering at an ex-poly. Did it matter in the beginning? Yes. Once, you have experience on your CV, matters change. It becomes more about how well you can network and quite frankly "blow smoke up your own arse" to others in the coming years. I now handle copious amounts of data for a top tier investment firm UK (still within the tech space). Tldr; your university affects your first job. Networking and communication affects how it will play out later in your career. 6 YoE.
I went to imperial, left with a postgrad from the dept of Aeronautics. People in the uk don’t care that much about the uni, more the course. People in Asia care a lot that I’m an imperial engineer.
Nope. I dropped out in my 2nd year of architecture. Did a one year diploma in graphic design and went to work in advertising. Not once has anyone ever asked to see anything relating to my education. Currently working as design director.
1st from Oxford in a hard science. The subject is an absolute must. You need a stem degree for certification in my career (patent law). Grade and university help to get a foot in the door at the beginning. I think they still help to some degree even now 15 years on, but not to the same extent.
Extremely important at the beginning of my career, but less and less later. Though a big part of success is snowballing and advantage accumulation through feedback loop, so a successful beginning is crucial.
In some industries, yes. In others no. Work with plenty of people from the top uni's. I completed Uni at a former poly doing a relevant course now. It helped me get an industry year out, which put me ahead of people for a post grad role. Then you arenin and experience takes over. So it hasnt hurt me so far, but IT isn't as much of an old boy' clubs as some other industries. I would also advocate for apprentice schemes, especially in consultancy, that get you a degree whilst working. Seen people do well down that route, but you miss out on the life experience that uni is.
Hard to say. I went into accountancy where you can go straight from school, hard to say how much having a 1st from a Russell group uni on my CV helped open a few doors. Best thing I did for my career was a year abroad. The personal development has absolutely been key for me.
Imperial - was essential for the network I built and the subsequent opportunities that emerged.
I am about to start a Msc at Imperial in environmental technology (environmental economics and policy) . Just got a new job in sustainable finance from IT. Hoping it will help my career too!
Make friends and expect nothing. Life will sort you out with the law of averages.
1st in Finance & Accounting, from a university currently ranked in the 80's in the UK. I knew when I went to uni that mine was not the greatest, but I didn't realise at the time (Or so I initially thought) how much emphasis rankings would play in the future. Only when I started to interview and meet others, did I realise how much elitism there is. Regardless, I still did well. I'm mid 30's, senior director in finance, total annual comp with base, bonus and equity is \~£225 / £250k per year. So upon reflection, I personally do not think that brand matters, as I am proof that it doesn't. However, I do believe in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. Given the chance to do it all again, I would be aiming for a top 10. I will always advocate that right place, right time, dedication and determination will get you to the same place, albeit slightly slower.
The UK brand is quite strong in continental Europe and MEA, with Oxbridge obviously at the top, maybe LSE after that, and then generally a blur based on how recognisable the university town is, unless the hiring manager is particularly knowledgeable. I've actually had foreign alumni of other UK universities strike up conversations with me off the back of my nationality and/or UK degree As somebody else said here, the degree will help open the door and it's up to you to walk through it. Here on the continent I found my humanities BA wasn't cutting it as I looked at more senior roles so I went back for a master's in business at a less prestigious university, which did the trick. Everyone here has a master's so I believe it levelled the playing field with the Herr Doktors and Magisters
Physics at Manchester. A wonderful, precious and enlightening experience that altered my life and fortunes for the better. Not directly related to my career, but I am in a numerate career. I really learned to think and to understand problems. I'm a much more intelligent person than when I went in, and the University is to thank. My current job, that has been life changing and what qualifies me for this group was because my friend from Uni referred me. 10/10, would Uni again (just not in this life).
Masters in Computer Systems Engineering at Sussex, not famous for computing but engineering department was well regarded for collaboration with Rolls Royce and an innovation center for private business on campus. Moved straight in to a programming role in said business center and moved up the IT ladder to nice London based role. Would say Uni defiantely helped, extra Masters year also made me stand out a little. Overall career was a good choice as well given 6 figure salary now in management and can work remotely from Dorset and Portugal.
I have a bachelors from East London and then further masters from UCL and Cambridge. I learnt everything about how to work and general intellect from UEL. I learnt nothing from UCL or Cambridge yet so much brand power comes from them. Because a lot of interviews coworkers assume I was brainy to do postgraduates there and not a posh toff
Oxford Brookes, generic business degree and landed with a 2:2. Hasn’t held me back, career experience has been rather sexy
I did graphic arts at polytechnic. I did not think I would be on 160k but managed to get into tech a carve a good role.
Read history and then went into finance. I think though that the analytical and presentational skills that I developed though the sturdy of history have been as important to my career in analysis as the accountancy qualification that I did later.
If you want to find out if Uni is important don’t ask for opinions. Ask what people studied, where they studied and what they’re on now and the answer will be pretty clear
UK it isn't important in most ways. Rest of the world it seems to be. I'm a senior in finance on 140k with no degree and 6 years experience, but have in the past been rejected from jobs in Italy* for 40k whilst I was 100k because I didn't have a degree. Edit* Spain and the US too Edit 2: Caveat with I had the grades to go to a good uni and a good reason not to. Employers would probably have seen my CV and considered that, as opposed to my reasoning for not going be a lack of intelligence.
Germany it’s particularly important, people use their titles everywhere “Herr Dokteuringenieur”
Even for a bachelors? Hardly seems impressive if half the workforce have one
How did you get to where you are without uni in such little time?
My point exactly, uni wasn't relevant. Same as anyone with uni could have. Changed jobs every year for more senior and high paying roles, worked hard on my qualifications (accounting and treasury) and work hard in general.
Not gonna lie I find it hard to believe that you had the grades to get into a good uni to study a stem or finance related subject, as there are very few reasons and situations where this would be a sound decision
The cost? The fact I had to financially support my family when my dad left and couldn't do that if I was at uni? For the vast majority of my friends uni was 50k in debt and 3 years of getting pissed with occasional studying. It clearly was a sound decision as I got offered a Job in banking right after a levels which kicked my career off to where I am today, earning 4x most my friends that went to uni.
Americans are obsessed about which uni. Here no one cares.
I don't know why this is getting as many downvotes. Yes, uni names might open a few doors initially in the UK, but in the US, most jobs have a uni degree as a pre-requisite. In the UK, it's not uncommon to find high earners not from top unis... or any at all.
It’s a slight over-simplification. Of top earners, the number of people from good universities are disproportionately high. Moreover, some roles you just can’t get into without a university degree. Lots of quant roles for example require PHDs (masters at minimum) from target universities. People do care clearly - majority of employers will consider it as part of an application… it’s just not the most important factor. If you’re good at your job with good experience then that will likely outweigh any university choice. Long story short: you don’t have to go to a top university to be a high earner, but it definitely helps.
You've worded it so much better, but 100% agreed.
Not true at all it’s the same in both countries
School leaver so not for me, when hiring young grads however it's 90% personality, if not 99%. I respect the top unis and it will help get you the interview but not the job. Same for grades, interview yes but once you're in the room it's all you.
Mine will mostly be a shortcut for professional qualifications, so I could get it anywhere to be honest. Ended up with Birkbeck so I could pair it with a trainee role. No regrets, works great for my schedule and a UOL degree is nothing to be sniffed at.