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But really, the importance of attending college is not for prestige, but for learning. Sure, going to a prestigious school and graduating will give you a jump on your career, but as a couple years pass, this becomes less important when compared to the experience you earn.

I went to a community college out of high school for my first 2 years because it was the cheaper way to get my GEDs. I then transferred to UCSD for the next couple of years for my major. The quality of education was slightly better (there were a couple of GEDs that I had to retake as they didn't fully transfer, so I'm comparing those classes to their community college counterparts), but not excessively so. After that, I transferred to CSUSM, a less prestigious university, to finish up. (For a mix of reasons, primarily financial.) The quality of education I got from both the universities was identical, with some exceptions. (UCSD had more resources due to its size, CSUSM had a better individual focus, since it was smaller.)

After graduating, I was able to get great jobs, although I never put UCSD on my resume (because my degree was technically from CSUSM.) And each successive job can be attributed to the experience I earned from the previous jobs.

The point is, it isn't necessary to go to the most prestigious schools to get a good, career-building education. I have the first-hand experience to confirm that.