Hacker News Reader

Comment by lowiqengineer | Hacker News Reader

Pretty remarkable that the "elites" are still demanding pity (or at minimum asking people to discuss their "disillusionment") but there's nary a peep for people like me who didn't have the privilege of membership in elite institutions.

What do I get? All I see is constant disrespect from society and from places like HackerNews. Where's the sympathy for a state school grad like me struggling to get a top job, or struggling to be taken seriously?

View on HN

I'm a state school grad without much desire for a job at a prestigious FAANG company. I do not feel any disrespect from HN or from people I meet on the street. Is that really your constant experience?

I work at a FAANG (albeit the least respected one) and yes, I do feel this way.

Consider switching. (Maybe even just within your company, if you like the place)

Working at FAANG as well, for ~10 years now, and nobody has ever given a lick about my degree. Good thing too, because I don't have one :) Neither do plenty of colleagues. There are plenty of colleagues from state schools too. AFAICT - nobody really cares, so it's not discussed that often.

It's not a big question when evaluating interviews or hiring, either. (I've seen by now a high three-digit number of interviews)

And, seriously: Get rid of that handle. You're telling yourself a story every time you see it.

I think it's fine. I just think since I make 80% of what an equivalent Googler makes, I'm probably valued at 80% or less as a human.

Realistically I don't think many people care deeply, but the folks I'm being surrounded by definitely didn't go to Ivies. I think they're just fine and I don't mind working where I work, but it's clear to me that I'm not regarded highly (or as intelligent) as a person by society. The worst part is I feel stuck and trapped by my own inherent ability as a person.

Mate, please seek help. This will eat you from within and you will suffer even more later. It pains me to imagine that. I also see your username is in the same vein as your message. The more you talk to yourself in that manner, the more it becomes your reality. I sincerely hope that you find a way to break out of that cycle of thought and I hope you find a fulfilling path forward.

Pls get help from a therapist. This is a story you’re telling yourself and it is toxic. It is not grounded in the external world. And this is not something which can be exited without someone else’s help. I’ve been where you are.

With all due respect, your accomplishments even before college (since you went to Cornell) were far more significant than my own (and almost definitely more significant than mine will ever be). I’m not sure how I can use the help of a therapist if the cause is just a lack of actual accomplishments.

Please allow me to address that in a different way: How do you intend to make such accomplishments come true unless you permit yourself to have a mindset which enables you to believe in yourself and work towards them?

The multiple replies you have here are well meaning and are trying to say that you need to at least be able to look at things from another perspective.

As for how a therapist can help: a good one is trained to allow you to see your own thought process and ask yourself questions about them. A good therapist has also probably seen many cases and has some education, training and experience in how to help people break out of some unhelpful cycles of thought. It is not an easy job and not every therapist suits every patient. Nevertheless, with the right therapist, if one is committed to improving one's own health, things can start getting better.

Please don't give up and have faith in yourself. I can not deny what you see as problems. However, please allow me to question if the way you are looking at them is unavoidable and whether it helps you find a path to somewhere else (figuratively speaking) where you'd rather be instead.

...80% of what an equivalent Googler makes...

This is still pretty OK, when compared to the average human being.

I don't see anything about "demanding pity" in that article? The gist of his argument is that, instead of using their incredible accumulations of wealth and talent to change the world, elite schools are mostly churning out options traders and management consultants whose careers will be spent squeezing 0.1% extra profit for some even richer dude, and that's a pity (for the world, not the well-paid people doing the work).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com