Your first job after school can feel like the start of a chess game.
Every move feels permanent. Every decision feels like it locks you into a path forever.
One of the most common questions I get from the OCE community:
“Does having a big name on my résumé really matter?”
Here’s the unfiltered answer: Yes. But only at the beginning.
But FIRST
If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for the ambitious youth…here are some articles you missed from previous weeks:
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Why No One Successful Wants to Mentor You
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🎨
Best tools for building your passion project
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📘
The Future Belongs to Borderless Thinkers
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Big Names = Liquidity
We usually think of careers in terms of skills and experience.
But there’s another, overlooked dimension: liquidity.
In finance, liquidity means how fast you can sell something for its fair market value.
In careers, liquidity means how fast the market (employers, investors, schools) can understand what you’re worth.
Example:
- Jim, 4 years at McKinsey → Everyone knows what they’re getting. Smart, polished, client-ready. Easy to price. Like a publicly traded stock.
- Alex, 4 years bouncing between a startup, a nonprofit in Asia, and a political campaign → Way harder to price. Could be a hidden gem, could be a gamble. Illiquid.
Why Big Names Help Early
When you’re just starting out, nobody has much data on you. You’re unproven.
That’s when institutional brands (Google, Goldman, MIT, McKinsey) act as signals. They tell the world:
- You’ve cleared a tough bar.
- You can survive structure and pressure.
- You’re “worth” a certain market rate.
That credibility is most valuable in your first 1–2 years. After that? Your actual performance, network, and projects start to matter more than the stamp on your diploma or LinkedIn profile.
The Hidden Tradeoff: Replaceability
Here’s the paradox:
Liquid paths (big tech, Ivy Leagues, consulting, banking) make you more marketable…but also more replaceable.
Why?
- Standardized roles → If everyone knows what a “2nd-year consultant” does, you can be swapped out for another one.
- Clear salary benchmarks → Push too hard on comp? They know there are hundreds waiting in line.
- Automation & outsourcing risk → Structured, legible work is the easiest to systematize.
Ironically, the same traits that make you safe to hire also make you easy to replace.
Illiquidity = Irreplaceability
On the flip side, illiquid paths — like joining startups, unconventional experiences, building your own thing — make you harder to benchmark. Employers, collaborators, or investors can’t just plug in “the standard version” of you.
That uncertainty cuts both ways:
- Downside: Harder to land opportunities through formal applications.
- Upside: Once people see your value up close, you’re much stickier. Unique contributions are harder to automate, outsource, or trade out.
So What’s the Optimal Strategy?
Think like an investor:
- Start with liquidity. Land a brand-name role for 1–2 years. Build optionality.
- Shift illiquid: Take risks where your unique strengths can compound. Build a portfolio of skills, networks, and leverage that make you irreplaceable.
- Then lean into illiquidity. Move to a startup, found something, or take risks where your unique strengths compound.
The Real Alpha
Most smart people cling to liquid paths because they’re scared of uncertainty. That’s why alpha (outsized returns) tends to live in the illiquid paths.
If you’re bold enough to step into them after you’ve built a little safety net, you’ll compound faster than the crowd.
Bottom line:
Big names matter — but only in the short run.
Long-term, what compounds isn’t the stamp on your résumé. It’s the unique stack of experiences, risks, and relationships you build once you’re brave enough to go illiquid.
Like what you read? Share with friends!
PS. This summer, we are going to tackle pressing global issues and drive innovation in regions (such as your own community) where it is needed the most. Want in?
We run a summer cohort for ambitious youth (high school and undergrads) to work directly with world-class founders while learning from Silicon Valley leaders.
You can also explore purposeful opportunities through our Impact Internship Opportunities Database.
Get Curious.
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Lena
https://www.openclassroomexperience.com/
