Earnings for college graduates : Ivy League vs. State School?

I read an article in my Economics textbook that Ivy League graduates and State School graduates earn roughly the same salary for the same jobs, and that most Ivy League degrees are not worth the cost of high tuition. Is this true? What is your experience? What do employers really think of Ivy League grads?





Thank you for your input.

Earnings for college graduates : Ivy League vs. State School?
It also really depends on what state school you went to. If you happen to live in a state with a good state-college system (like California or Michigan) you're much better off going to a state school. I went to Berkeley and was able to do so without having to take out any loans, which probably wouldn't have been the case if I'd gone to an Ivy.





In terms of getting a job, esp. your first, having a prestigious school listed on your resume will at least get it looked at but it's really not going to make a difference in the amount of money that job offers you. And down the road, people are going to be looking more at your job performance and professional accomplishments more so than what school you attended years ago.





And actually there was a study done recently that found that CEOs tend to have attended state versus Ivy League schools. Wish I could find the link.....
Reply:The Ivy league school degree will be helpful in getting into your first job. After your first job though, it doesn't really matter so much. I'm on the hiring committee at a 2000+ employee company.
Reply:It really depends on what your future career goal is and where you want to live/work. an ivy league school will give you unparalleled access to important players in a variety of job areas and you will have a better chance of getting in with top businesses if you have an ivy league education. if you are looking to do something like say, education, it would not be worth the cost to go to an ivy league school (if, of course, you are paying full tuition). it is important to remember that in some areas such as business, the name of the school means everything for getting your foot in the door after that, it is up to you!
Reply:My friend went to Carnegie Mellon University and became in $120,000 in debt just for a bachelors degree but employers always have preference to hire him in comparison to someone from a state school. He started off with $40,00 working for a national bank, and moved on quickly in 1 year higher paid position based on his degree. He has nearly doubled his salary and working his way to get out of debt. He lived pretty poor his first year out of college.





Experience is the number one reason employers higher, they also look at personality and a strong drive to be successful, but education and learning abilities are a huge plus.