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An engineer friend of mine said that the only thing his engineering degree got him was in the door of the job.

In 1966, one of my more senior profs at Georgia tech told us the exact same thing.

"When (and IF) you graduate from here after four or five years, you will NOT be an engineer. You will speak the language and have the requisite Math, Physics, Chemistry and Literacy skills and you have demonstrated that you can complete a lengthy series of rigorous intellectual tasks, but you will not be an engineer. You will learn to be a engineer at your first job."

When I finished flight school with 200 hours flight time spread between two types of fixed wing aircraft and two helo types, I had my "wings". However, since I flew a two pilot aircraft, the USMC required that we have 500 hours flight time spread over many different syllabus flights before we even could be tested for qualification as "aircraft commander".

"I have a degree from "Big Name U"! I am worth a six figure salary and can successfully manage corporations, international relations, etc, etc."

Hogwash! Unfortunately, lazy hiring managers in HR figure that they can CYA if the guy's a failure by saying, "Hey, he was a Harvard man! I figured he would be worth the salary."

Hogwash! Unfortunately, lazy hiring managers in HR figure that they can CYA if the guy’s a failure by saying, “Hey, he was a Harvard man! I figured he would be worth the salary.”

So much of what is foundationally wrong in corporate America today is addressed in that one comment.

My husband worked for one of the world's largest chemical businesses. He and his colleagues rarely even gave an interview to a Ph.D. grad from Ivy U. or Big U. They never hired them.

The problem with Ivy U. and Big U. grads: Overweening sense of entitlement and self-worth.

“When (and IF) you graduate from here after four or five years, you will NOT be an engineer. You will speak the language and have the requisite Math, Physics, Chemistry and Literacy skills and you have demonstrated that you can complete a lengthy series of rigorous intellectual tasks, but you will not be an engineer. You will learn to be a engineer at your first job.”

I would add — you have demonstrated you can get to class without your Mom, you can juggle multiple conflicting deadlines, you have stuck it out, managed to pay the bills (somehow), stayed out of jail (probably), etc. In other works, you have matured, kind of like a stint in the service (used to be).

I say the learning/maturing is 50/50 importance for each.