About Credentials

I recently met a hostelmate from my undergrad. He had gone to pursue a PhD from IIT Bombay. He mentioned the confidence that undergrads from IIT Bombay carried. According to him, this confidence took them far. Cracking the JEE at eighteen gave them the confidence to be the best in the world, which made them push the envelope further. 

Having worked with many people from IITs, I had to agree with him, but only partially. There are broadly two kinds of IITians I have seen (or, for that matter, people who have been to a high-credential institution) - those for whom going to that institution was a stepping stone. Those for whom being associated with it was the main highlight of their life. 

The first kind are usually ambitious, have a high-class work ethic and the confidence that my friend mentioned. They are usually the people because of whom the institution is famous. It is a learning experience to work with these people. One cannot help but be in awe of them. While most are humble, some can be cocky. However, their cockines is backed by an ability to outthink, outwork and outperform nearly everybody. 

The second kind, however, are still living on the high of being associated with a brand name. Most of the time, they haven't done anything of note after being associated with the brand. To them, just cracking the brand was their last achievement. They are the ones who usually name-drop the brand the most. They also have an underlying layer of superiority or inferiority complex, depending on the company. When placed in the group of their peers from the brand, it shows as inferiority. When in the company of others, it shows as a superiority complex. But the underlying emotion is always that of frustration. 

The frustration manifests in their constant comparison with their more successful peers. It also makes them consider the work they are doing beneath themselves. The constant comparison and the refusal to do grunt work ( which is most of the work early in the career) sets them up for failure. 

The funny thing is that I only saw the second kind in the first five years of my working life. The credentials did open doors for them and gave them a longer runway, but they still had to perform. When the performance was not there, they were usually sidelined or asked to leave. Most of the time, they did not have the support of the team. 

There is a third kind, too. Not superstars like the first kind, but not credential-pilled like the second either. They are usually those who have understood and accepted that the field they play in is different from the superstars'. They are more open to learning, work hard, and do well in the field they are in. I see a lot of them around me—hard-working, intelligent chaps who are high on self-belief but also humble to know their limitations. 

I may probably update this post in twenty years about how the first and third kinds fared. As of now, the only learning I can share is - two kinds of people go to an institution - those by whose name the institution is known and those who are known by the name of their institution. 

Always try to be the first kind!