My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague: Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

Monday, November 21, 2022

Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

My Youngest Grand Daughter, Carenna Katague Thompson (CKT) with her Lola's reversible leather-mink jacket and Leif. Carenna is freshman at ESIA, UW.

Does it Matter Where you get your Degree regarding your financial success and personal satisfaction? To some degree the answer is yes, but for some this is not a high priority. Students have different needs and goals in life. The degree of financial success depends on the goals and needs of the person. However in my case going to a top ranked university in the Philippines( UP) for my bachelor degree in Chemistry and my Master's and Ph.D degrees from the University of Illinois here in the US gave me personal satisfaction I will always cherish as long as I live.

Last September my youngest grand daughter( Carenna Katague Thompson) goes to college at one of the highly prestigious but expensive university in the US(GWU-ESIA). She had several options where to apply and was accepted in another university less prestigious and cheaper than ESIA, GWU. But she choose GWU where she will be pursuing her bachelor's degree in International Affairs and National Security in the next 4 years. I also know of a few relatives going to less ranked and prestigious school compared to ESIA. So I was curious if it really matters where you go to college. I did some search and the site at the bottom of the page answered my question. However, there are other articles that disagree.

In a recent study (2020) of working recent college graduates, the authors found that recent grads from higher-ranked universities outperformed their peers from lower ranked universities to a limited degree. This research is useful for hiring managers who need to carefully consider the worth of the increase in performance for the firm. For some companies, the difference between a hypothetical graduate from an “average” vs. “top” university may be well worth the extra pay that these candidates typically receive. Yet, for others the added cost may not result in a positive return on investment and, thus, may not be justified. All in all, the authors find that hiring graduates from higher-ranked universities would lead to a nominal improvement in performance, but that employers can get a much better deal by hiring the “right” students from lower-ranked institutions, than “anyone” from better-ranked institutions.https://hbr.org/2020/09/graduates-of-elite-universities-get-paid-more-do-they-perform-better

Does it really pay to go to an elite university, financially speaking? Researchers have been investigating this issue since at least the 1980s. And their findings tend to show that when it comes to future earnings, where you go to college counts.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/does-it-matter-where-you-go-to-college/257227/

But not all students are guaranteed success attending a top rank school. A school that fits the student needs is recommended as explained in the following article.

Why is a university that fits your needs better than a top ranked one?

Because university tops are so popular there’s a tendency – particularly in the USA – for students (and parents!) to assume that going for a Bachelor’s at a top ranking university is the best choice they can make. However, the new Stanford study has found otherwise.

The study reveals that high school graduates care more about their learning, well-being and future job satisfaction (professionally and financially). And rankings often don’t give any guarantee that you will achieve this by going to a reputed university.

Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford’s Education School, explained, "Research tells us that the most successful students, both in college and beyond, are the ones who engage in the undergraduate experience regardless of how selective a school may be. This is almost always the case whether a student attends the top-ranked or 200th-ranked college."

Also, a few Gallup surveys say that what students like you value more is nor reputation, but rather having professors who cared about them and who made them more interested in what they were studying.

The Stanford report’s advice is that there’s no one-size fits-all when it comes to searching and choosing the right college. Ranking criteria are only working for a minority of students, but misdirect most others.

The report adds that “rather than choosing a school based primarily on a flawed scoring system, students should ask whether they will be engaged at the college in ways that will allow them to form strong relationships with professors and mentors, apply their learning via internships and long-term projects, and find a sense of community.”

https://www.bachelorsportal.com/articles/2700/why-studying-a-bachelors-degree-at-a-top-ranked-university-is-not-for-everyone.html

Here's a list of the top 100 university in the US.

https://www.google.com/search?channel=fs&client=ubuntu&q=list+of+top+ranked+universities+in+usa&ibp=htl;splinter&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiFroXI2tj5AhWpLEQIHa8ACNYQiYsCKAJ6BAgCEBU#htivrt=splinter&htidocid=AKSINxpvAO4AAAAAAAAAAA%3D%3D&fpstate=tldetail

Here's GWU national ranking (#63)and higher rankings based on degree specialty

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/george-washington-university-1444/overall-rankings

GWU is in the top 10% of the country for international relations. More specifically it was ranked #22 out of 291 schools by College Factual. It is also ranked #2 in District of Columbia.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, George Washington University handed out 538 bachelor's degrees in international relations and national security. Due to this, the school was ranked #1 in popularity out of all colleges and universities that offer this degree. This is a decrease of 17% over the previous year when 647 degrees were handed out.

In 2020, 334 students received their master’s degree in international relations from GWU. This makes it the #3 most popular school for international relations master’s degree candidates in the country.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving to All!

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Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like:

Monday, November 21, 2022

Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

Why is a university that fits your needs better than a top ranked one?

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