Former classmates: salaries range from €40k to €90k

What peine to your classmates: ministerial advisor or fishing captain?

Academic records predict little or nothing. Reviewing what became of desk neighbors twenty-five or thirty years later reveals cases that defy logic: the straight-A student ended up managing a fast-food restaurant in London, while the one who didn't finish basic education (EGB) now commands a fishing boat earning around €90,000 a year. Grades and paychecks rarely align. Schools fare poorly as predictors of success.

From impeccable degrees to blank CVs

One recurring story describes someone who studied Political Science with an almost empty résumé—his most notable experience being work at a well-known coffee chain—and who, through early party activism, became a high-level advisor connected to a prominent family. The merit lay not in talent, but in connections and being in the right place for years.

This is the exact opposite of the student who had everything to succeed but didn't. The conclusion is clear: social capital outweighs academic records. Not always, but often enough to make honor rolls unreliable.

How much do people from your class really earn?

The cited salaries shatter expectations. The former fishing captain, who didn't finish basic studies, earns close to €90,000 annually. A sales director in Austria reaches €75,000. Meanwhile, a technical engineer, one of the group's hardest workers, stays at about €40,000 in a multinational's technical department. The gap is huge and trinc no obvious academic logic.

A pattern does emerge: those hired before the real estate boom settled in, even if later laid off, because they already had experience and tenure. Those stuck in temporary contracts and courses fell behind. Timing entry into the market mattered more than average grades.

Housing, the new class marker

The gauge of prosperity is no longer cars, but square meters. A couple of architects moved to a 130-square-meter, four-bedroom apartment near Atocha for €725,000. Reactions were swift: for that money, better a large house in nature and living "like a dignified human," rather than a shoebox with views of city buses. Opinions on apartment size reveal as much about the critic as the buyer.

90% of the class has lost contact

Real connections are scarce. Most admit losing track of nearly all former classmates, keeping only a handful. A striking detail: successful ones are easy to find via profiles and photos; others have vanished. Some leave no trace on social media or public records. Off the map.

Class reunions, when they happen, aren't always honest. At a reunion marking twenty-five years since graduation, nearly everyone lied: idealized jobs, perfect lives. Some exaggerated so much their stories collapsed under scrutiny. Group photos don't hold up against reality.

School remembered with relief upon leaving

Not everyone has good memories. Some describe their public high school as a place of drugs, knives, and fights, with police appearing occasionally and serious violence witnessed by chance. For part of the class, university and meeting different people was liberation, leaving no bonds with old peers.

Others feel nostalgia for their twenties, the highs and lows, and genuine curiosity about former friends. Most agree, however, that the past is gone and doesn't deserve rescue operations. If someone isn't in your present, there's a reason.

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What will likely happen

If this review teaches anything, it's that no one can predict outcomes fifteen years out. With social media, the temptation to look back persists: the once-beautiful classmate who aged, the nerd who never took off, the slacker who started a business and thrives today. Future generations will likely find it easier to snoop, yet the verdict remains: luck and environment weigh more than grades. It's quite possible that in another twenty years, today's perceived winners will be mistaken too.