What Determines Post-College Pay? Luck. By Jessi Streib
Many hiring agents don’t care how high over their bars students jump, a tactic that neutralizes class differences in “merit.” Not all jobs come with a GPA bar, but employers who require one tend to check whether students have met it and ignore how far over it they go. For example, if the GPA bar is a 3.0, students with a 4.0 aren’t favored over those with a 3.0. Likewise, hiring agents who want students with internship experience may check whether students have interned while not favoring students who have completed three internships over those who’ve completed one.
In the midtier business labor market, hiring agents disregard where students learned their skills. This blunts another class difference, as expensive signals of prestige go unrewarded.
Related: Why Parents Can’t Quit the Elite College Arms Race
For Luck or Merit: On Jessi Streib’s “The Accidental Equalizer”
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/for-luck-or-merit-on-jessi-streibs-the-accidental-equalizer
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/for-luck-or-merit-on-jessi-streibs-the-accidental-equalizer
'The Accidental Equalizer’ Review: The Luck of the Job
