Being expected to be the smartest in the room—always.
BEING EXPECTED TO BE THE SMARTEST IN THE ROOM—ALWAYS.
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Remember that feeling on campus? The vibrant intellectual sparring, the expectation that every discussion was an opportunity to showcase your analytical prowess. Our institutions fostered environments where brilliance wasn't just encouraged; it was the baseline. Then comes the transition: from the hallowed halls to the professional landscape, a shift nobody quite prepares you for.
The "Ivy League" on your résumé is often a golden key, opening doors that might otherwise remain closed. It’s a powerful credential. But it also comes with a silent, often crushing, caveat: the unspoken expectation that you will, unequivocally, be the smartest person in any room you enter. Every meeting, every project, every casual chat feels like an ongoing exam where your degree is the implied promise of immediate, unparalleled genius.
Suddenly, you're navigating complex, ambiguous problems that aren't neatly confined to a case study. You realize that "smart" in the real world isn't always about knowing all the answers, but about adaptability, emotional intelligence, and sometimes, just plain grit. This isn't the kind of intelligence tested in lecture halls. It’s easy to feel the weight of imposter syndrome, or simply the exhaustion of constantly proving you deserve that implicit title.
It's a weird, often isolating, journey. But here’s the truth: you don't always have to be the smartest, or at least not in the way you were taught. The real genius lies in recognizing when to learn, when to collaborate, and when to simply be human. It’s okay if this transition feels disorienting. You're not alone in wondering why nobody warned us about this particular kind of weird.
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