College Connections

John Coster

"I can see the seductive power of affiliating with the "right people."

                             John Coster

A guest post perspective.

John Coster attended a technical high school on a non-college, industry-bound track.  At age 19 he and a high school friend were self employed electricians: two guys and a truck. He had arrived. 

He was doing what the school system thought he was capable of. Surprise. His career kept evolving. 

Now he leads teams of facilities managers, many of whom have Ph.D.s, MBAs, and advanced degrees in electrical engineering, graduates of the elite universities currently in the news.

His observation is that college, and perhaps especially the elite ones in the news, are about affiliation, not education. They are clubs. Parents want their children in the clubs because it isn't just what you know. It's who you know and who knows you.

John Coster Guest Post:

"I’ve been following the drama surrounding admissions into elite schools; starting with the lawsuit last year by Asian-Americans against Harvard, to the current ‘scandal’ that looks to me like systematic bribery being used to ensure children of privilege are admitted into the most prestigious schools. 

My perspective is shaped by 40+ years of work that started out in a “non-traditional” track without an undergraduate degree. Nevertheless, I have been blessed with a diverse and rewarding career, working with many brilliant and accomplished colleagues; some of whom have advanced degrees from these schools.   

1977

Both of my parents were the first generation in their families to finish high school, much less attend college. And likely because of that, neither of them had the skills, network or ambition to exploit their college educations for any significant financial gain or social standing. They both ended up being school teachers and we lived a happy but modest life in a small town near Boston.  

I was not a particularly engaged student (and my grades reflected that) and I assumed college was out of my league. And I was fine with that. Looking at my options, I decided to take advantage of a free regional vocational high school training (a sort of accelerated apprenticeship) and I earned my state electrician’s license when I was 19 years old. 

It turned out that the Heavy Construction industry – and the electrical power and communications trades in particular – rewarded practical skill and hustle over academic pedigree, and it’s an industry where experience matters. After some time in the field, I moved into management; first in the engineering and construction business – then in senior management and executive roles for global companies like Microsoft, CenturyLink, Skanska and T-Mobile. Along the way, I collaborated with and learned from some accomplished and connected people in emerging technologies, real estate, finance and government. 

I can’t say that I aspired to it, but over time, and quite improbably, I found myself at this "table in the club” of those who are "known" and have a kind of enigmatic social capital.    

Trade Career Track

I suppose this is a how I see the ‘game’ with these schools. Having worked with, for or having employees from across the higher-ed spectrum report to me; I can’t say that people from elite schools out-perform or are any more intelligent or capable than those from similar programs, at least from nationally ranked schools.  The most successful ones that I’ve seen seem know how to build the right connections and most importantly, are intentional about cultivating the nuanced social skills necessary to harness those connections to “win” (however you define it). 

I’ve always seen myself as an ‘outsider’ (maybe even little bit of a fraud) although I’ve been adept at acting like I “belong”.  I can see the seductive power of affiliating with the “right people” and I can understand why people will do whatever is necessary to be part of that group. I think of it as a kind of ‘cult of achievement and success." I’m a little amused at the “shock” people seem to have that America in general and these schools in particular, are not a meritocracy after all.  Shocking!