Life as a soft determinist

Jobs

So, I’m looking for a job, and although I am tempted by some of the wackier suggestions (prison nurse anyone?), one thing really stood out for me. The job is for a social media consultant, and actually looks really interesting, right up until I saw this in the “You must have this to apply” section: 

“a 2:1 or above obtained from a leading university”

Now, I entirely understand the 2:1 part, that’s fair enough, but ‘from a leading university’? Are you fucking kidding me? Are you honestly saying, in this day and age, that a 2:1 from Cambridge is somehow more magical and special than a 2:1 from Derby? Fuck off. Degrees are standardised across the nation, they are second marked, and all courses have to be checked and verified by their respective boards. I know that when I tell people where I went they automatically assume that I’m not as bright as someone who attends Cambridge or Oxford or wherever, but that one brief sentence takes everyone who worked hard at their degree in a mid-level university and says ‘fuck you, you didn’t go somewhere prestigious, so we won’t hire you’.

I shall end there, lest I rant, but this is very annoying. I would also like to hear what other people feel about this, if you want to share.