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<p>This regards a discussion that started on the first page of this thread. The OP asserted that only 1/5 of all engineering students will actually graduate (from an engineering major, or at least that was so implied), and that became a point of contention. </p>
<p>Personally, I think that 1/5 figure is too low, however, the alternative figure of 80% that was proposed is clearly far too high. Heck, the overall college graduation rate from any major is nowhere near 80%. But in any case, that is where the thread veered into a side-alley.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, to return the discussion to its roots, I tend to agree that prestige matters little for the majority of engineering jobs. Where prestige plays an important role is if you’re pursuing non-engineering positions such as the careers in strategy consulting, investment banking, private equity or venture capital that of late have become so popular with many of the top engineering students from schools such as MIT and Stanford. It’s practically impossible to obtain an offer from McKinsey if you went to Idaho State University. Heck, you probably won’t even be able to get phone-time with the McKinsey recruiter. Fair or not fair, that’s how that game is played.</p>