If you have an apple and I have an apple, and we exchange apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea, and we exchange ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
Education is positive sum—when I learn something, I can share with others.
But Harvard etc are zero sum—the more people that go, the less valuable the credential is.
Positive sum thinking is what grows the pie in a macro POV, but also in your own life. The more happy you are for others, the happier they’ll be for you.