First job or two do affect your entire career, not to mention the lasting effects of networking. “There are plenty of counter examples” doesn’t mean people don’

First job or two do affect your entire career, not to mention the lasting effects of networking. “There are plenty of counter examples” doesn’t mean people don’t give a shit in general, it means it’s not the only factor at play. As for “or something”, it is well known that the bar is very high for Asians and extracurriculars are needed to distinguish oneself (too many perfect SATs and GPAs), but maybe there are other demographics similarly affected that I don’t hear about much.