How can I stop feeling ashamed of the university where I studied?

In my country, attending a public university is often a privilege. The schedules are usually incompatible with having a job, you either have family support, or you barely sleep because you need a part-time job just to get by.

I earned my bachelor’s degree and licentiate degree at private universities with little prestige. These institutions are often dismissed as “garage universities” or seen as low quality, even though they are officially recognized by the government body that regulates higher education. Despite this, I feel ashamed to say where I studied. I feel that it is looked down upon on a résumé, even though earning my degrees required a great deal of effort. Today, I am a competent professional, valued mainly for my experience and performance. I also work as a professor at one of these universities, although after the pandemic the program moved fully online.

I’m not sure how to deal with these feelings. Has anyone else experienced something similar? What did you do to make peace with your academic background?

Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:09PM by CharJie https://ift.tt/dDBOPqe