I don't know how to talk about this without sounding obnoxious.
These days, people keep telling me that they're impressed by my background. In particular, it's the fact that I've been an early engineer at two successful startups. Compliments typically make me feel bashful, but this one sits funny with me.
The thing is, at every major decision point in my career, I've chosen the least pedigreed of my options. On a few occasions, I've even turned down objectively excellent options with nothing else lined up. While my pros-and-cons lists paint a picture of deep consideration, I have to admit at this point that I've been remarkably predictable.
I know that if I'd optimised for pedigree instead of following my convictions (right or wrong), my resume would look a lot flashier. I know that the same people would be even more excited by that alternate universe version of me, even if we imagine that I would otherwise be the exact same person. For that reason, the admiration feels a bit thin.
Again, I don't know how to talk about this without sounding obnoxious.
You know the old joke that, on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog? At a meetup, nobody knows you have pedigree. That's part of why I like them. You're just a person like any other, with your first name slapped onto your chest. And if you're me, a smiley face next to it. :)
Countless times, I've had people be unnecessarily rude to me. Then someone else asks for my LinkedIn and says "woah, you X at Y?", and they switch up. Maybe they backpedal, maybe they apologise (rare), or maybe they just get uncomfortable. It would be funny if it wasn't so awkward.
Candidates I interview frequently tell me that they want to work with me because of the previous startup. Sometimes this happens with one of my teammates sitting right next to me. I deeply admire my coworkers, and often feel like the least competent person in the room. Where they worked before makes no difference to me.
While I do work hard, I've also gotten lucky. Taking risks doesn't always work out. There are tons of awesome people out there who haven't had their big break yet. I'm very grateful to call some of them my friends.
Now, I won't lie and say that pedigree means nothing. I've found that it tends to correlate with excellence. Selective organisations generally attract talented people and give them the opportunity to make a big impact. In my case, my most pedigreed roles were honestly the best ones. But pedigree doesn't imply excellence, and lacking it doesn't imply mediocrity.
I get why people care about pedigree. But sometimes, it's not that deep.