And note, I didn't say no "deals" are done, I am highlighting the reality of it, because I hear a lot of perception that one joins and "POW" there's deals left right and center flying around as though it's plugging oneself into a vibrant deal-flow, which is nothing at all what it is. 

The rest, as they say, is immaterial and perception, in my opinion.I've also been in the "professional working world" for 12 years, and I can honestly say that your college, to a recruiter, is like "oh, that's a good school" or "oh, i never heard of them" -- once you get the experience nobody gives a damn about your GPA or your school.

But bigotry does not make negative perceptions any less of a handicap in this world.And how bad is the dropout stereotype going to be in 2030, when our OP here is in his late 20s?