That awkward moment when a coworker Googles your college.
THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN A COWORKER GOOGLES YOUR COLLEGE.
Follow for more real talk on the post-grad journey.
You’ve traded the hallowed halls and late-night library sessions for cubicles and quarterly reports. The transition from campus to career is a unique kind of weird, especially when you’re carrying an Ivy League degree. It’s a badge, sure, a testament to hard work and privilege, but also a curious social experiment.
Remember the first few weeks at your new job? You're eager, trying to prove your worth, to be seen as a team player, not just "that guy/gal from a prestigious institution." Then it happens. The subtle shift in conversation, the casual question about your background, followed by a fleeting glance at their computer screen. You know. That moment when your colleague, out of curiosity or perhaps a touch of awe (or maybe even skepticism), decides to punch your alma mater into Google.
Suddenly, you’re not just Sarah from accounting or Mark from marketing. You’re Sarah-who-went-to-a-school-with-a-massive-endowment, or Mark-who-probably-had-it-easy. It’s an odd spotlight, a pre-judgment based on a name, not your actual contributions. The pressure to live up to the perceived grandeur is real, but so is the desire to simply blend in and earn respect for your actual work.
Your Ivy League résumé opens doors, that's undeniable. But it's what you do after you walk through them that truly defines you. The real work begins when you prove that the intellect and drive cultivated on campus translate into tangible value, beyond the brand name. It’s about being a great colleague, a problem-solver, a contributor, irrespective of your college logo. That's the transition nobody fully prepares you for.