…pretend to be passionate about fintech for a coffee chat.

PRETEND TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT FINTECH FOR A COFFEE CHAT.

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Admit it. We've all been there, perched uncomfortably in a dimly lit campus cafe, feigning a fervent interest in blockchain or algorithmic trading. The air thick with the unspoken pressure to secure that internship, join that club, or impress that alum. You'd rehearsed your elevator pitch, meticulously researched the firm, and crafted questions designed to showcase your "passion" for a field you vaguely understood, all because it sounded good on a resume, or because everyone else seemed to be doing it.

It's a rite of passage, isn't it? This relentless pursuit of the next credential, the next strategic connection. Did you even truly attend a top-tier institution if you didn't spend late nights agonizing over which "prestige" club application would best signal your ambition, or if you didn't strategically pepper your conversations with buzzwords from the latest industry trends? We were masters of the facade, expertly navigating a landscape where perception often felt as crucial as actual competence.

Looking back, whether you’re still navigating the campus labyrinth or years into your career, those moments resonate. They’re a testament to the unique environment we shared – an ecosystem where the line between genuine aspiration and performative ambition often blurred. Did those feigned passions blossom into real ones? Or did they simply teach us the art of the sophisticated bluff, a skill perhaps more valuable than we initially realized?