…pretend to be passionate about fintech for a coffee chat.
PRETEND TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT FINTECH FOR A COFFEE CHAT.
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The coffee chat. The almost ritualistic initiation into a world of ambition and calculated networking. You’re across the table, maybe just a little sleep-deprived from pulling an all-nighter for a completely unrelated class. And then it hits: the deep dive into fintech. Your mind races, grappling with terms like blockchain scalability and embedded finance, all while remembering you were just researching the nuanced symbolism in a classic novel. Or perhaps perfecting a complex algorithm for a class that has nothing to do with capital markets.
Yet, there you are, nodding thoughtfully, deploying phrases like "disruptive innovation" and "transformative potential" with an earnestness that belies your last-minute Wikipedia binge. You’ve perfected the art of active listening, of asking just enough open-ended questions to keep the conversation flowing without exposing your newfound, fleeting expertise. This isn't just about securing an interview or joining a sought-after club. It's about navigating the invisible currents of our academic ecosystem, the relentless push towards a certain kind of "success."
It’s about showing up, performing the role, even if that means momentarily convincing yourself that you are, in fact, incredibly passionate about the future of digital payments. We've all been there, right? That subtle, internal performance review, asking ourselves, "Did I truly experience this journey if I didn't lean into the 'prestige' game, even just for a coffee chat?" It’s a shared wink, a collective memory among those who’ve walked these hallowed halls.