Boston Area - Cultural niche between blue and white collar? (Natick: transplants, loan)

[johngolf]

Many of the MA suburbs are loaded with "townies". People born and brought up there that on one hand love the expansion their town has gone through like when selling but hate the expansion like when buying. They liked their schools/roads but now that they are being told they are inadequate and they are not willing to pay the price to update. Townies can be any level of income/education/collar color, etc. They just do not like change and/or paying for it.

Some towns have 2 generations of townies. Generation One are those that lived there say prior to the the mid 1960's before high tech. Generation Two are those that enjoyed and prospered after that. Some were locals that moved up market from Roxbury to Braintree. Waltham to Wayland. Revere to Burlington. Reading to Andover, etc. Many Generation Two are those that moved in new to those towns from other parts of the country but now have been there for 30-40 years. They just do not like change and/or paying for it any more than the prior generation.

When I was kid in Waltham, Sudbury was considered a swamp with cabins to spend the weekend in......LOL

[masshawk]

I'll echo what others are saying, that I haven't run into any school-based snobbery. I'm also in the graphics and animation field, and it's definitely more about your portfolio and work experience than where you got your education. I couldn't tell you where most of my coworkers went to school. It's hardly ever come up in conversation outside of work, either.

[johngolf]

In some professions there is an elitism based on what school you went to. One could argue the merits of an MBA from well known schools like Harvard, Yale, Stanford but few would say an MBA from say Southern Illinois?? is of the same caliber.

I have also lived in areas that valued a degree from the local State Univ over ones from more prestigious schools.

I believe in some fields one could care less where you went to school. I would say this is very true in the "arts field" as the OP was referring to.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by masshawk

I'll echo what others are saying, that I haven't run into any school-based snobbery. I'm also in the graphics and animation field, and it's definitely more about your portfolio and work experience than where you got your education. I couldn't tell you where most of my coworkers went to school. It's hardly ever come up in conversation outside of work, either.

Originally Posted by johngolf

In some professions there is an elitism based on what school you went to. One could argue the merits of an MBA from well known schools like Harvard, Yale, Stanford but few would say an MBA from say Southern Illinois?? is of the same caliber.

I have also lived in areas that valued a degree from the local State Univ over ones from more prestigious schools.

I believe in some fields one could care less where you went to school. I would say this is very true in the "arts field" as the OP was referring to.

I have found that school-based snobbery is really limited to the law and Wall Street professions within New England. Most people do not care about where someone graduated.

I have a personal bias against UMASS-Boston and that is only because all the people I have worked with who graduated from that school turned out to be incompetent and difficult to work with.

[gf2020]

Originally Posted by FromEverywhereUSA

However, I repeatedly read about how in the Boston area, people commonly identify themselves by where they went to school, and nearly everyone has pursued a high professional position like finance, law, or medicine.

I'm not sure where you are reading this but that is not correct information.

[kingeorge]

I am also quite suspicious of your sources. Must be some envious good for nothing "bloggers" imagining something they know nothing about, and stirring the pot for more hits. Sad.

This area is extremely well educated, it is after all intellectual mecca of the US. No denying that. However, we are very polite people when it comes to talking about education, status, or money. People will treat you as an adult.

There is a distinct dislike of flashy, too materialistic people, and in general status oriented people with no substance. We are way down to earth for that. This is exactly why MA rocks. Substance, over superficiality any day.

Good luck.

[Ninotchka P]

We once were looking at an open house in Jason Heights, a neighborhood in Arlington. As we walked to our car, we could hear their neighbor talking to another couple who was attending the open house. She was saying how wonderful of a neighborhood it was, and how, and I quote "everyone around here has a college degree". So I guess those kinds of snobs do exist. But we were taken aback and had a laugh at how ridiculous she sounded. I would not say it would be an issue for you other than to a minority of nosy busy-bodies.

[Nobodybody]

Originally Posted by FromEverywhereUSA

Hey all, I'm happy to report that our first exploratory trip to the Boston area is booked for October. If all goes well, we will relocate from the San Francisco Bay Area to Massachusetts in early Summer of 2016. Thank you so much for your input and advice thus far!

In continuing to research the culture of Boston and the surrounding towns, I've come across a mildly concerning detail: though my husband and I value education very highly, we personally did not attend any big-name schools, nor do we have any advanced degrees. We are both graphic artists and animators with BFAs. In the SF Bay Area, this is a non-issue, as the only people that care about academic credentials are the Stanford grads who are heading start-ups or working at Facebook. However, I repeatedly read about how in the Boston area, people commonly identify themselves by where they went to school, and nearly everyone has pursued a high professional position like finance, law, or medicine.

Bluntly, is this going to cause a social problem for us? Our top towns for the moment are Arlington, Newton, and Natick (2nd Tier: Lincoln, Bedford, & Burlington), but I'm now wondering if Arlington would be awkward for us with its proximity to Cambridge. There's a good chance I'm overthinking all of this, but I just want to be prepared for whatever differences we find. Thanks again for your help!

I know what you mean. I work in finance, and went to college at a place in the Midwest that nobody has heard of. I've had a couple of the older bankers ask where I went to college, what my parents did etc., It's not typical, but that type of class and perspective is there if you go searching for it. In your field, I doubt you'll find it at all. Boston has all types, there's not one segment or 'way' that stands out, if that makes any sense. It's also very transient, with people living here from all over the world, and so all types of lives are typically respected, or ignored; not much stands out. Hope this makes some sense. My point is really that in my experience it's a pretty accepting, judgement free place. Of course this varies by town to town once you get outside Boston (pedigree may mean more in an upscale town like Wellesley) , but in my experience it's the general tone for the area.

By the way, I moved to Natick a year ago and love it. This place is like a mix of all the things I was hoping for. Great schools, great community-oriented town, nice access to Boston, mix of large scale commercial and small-town mom and pop things, and relatively affordable. This town has a broader range of real estate than others, which means you have blue and white collar people mixed together, which helps keep it down-to-earth I think. My neighborhood has a huge mix of economic and racial diversity, and everyone is friendly and gets along great.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by masshawk

I'll echo what others are saying, that I haven't run into any school-based snobbery. I'm also in the graphics and animation field, and it's definitely more about your portfolio and work experience than where you got your education. I couldn't tell you where most of my coworkers went to school. It's hardly ever come up in conversation outside of work, either.

I have in the dating arena. It's rather common, or it was in my 30s. Don't see it so much in my 40s.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by FromEverywhereUSA

However, I repeatedly read about how in the Boston area, people commonly identify themselves by where they went to school, and nearly everyone has pursued a high professional position like finance, law, or medicine.

I'd have to say this is pretty prominent in the region. Plenty of Mercedes, Audi's and other nice cars with a college decal affixed in the back window, or a license plate frame stating the fact. I've even started to notice people hanging their degrees in their cubicles now.