…pretend to be passionate about fintech for a coffee chat.
PRETEND TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT FINTECH FOR A COFFEE CHAT.
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We’ve all been there, haven't we? That unique brand of Ivy pressure. The unspoken expectation to always be striving, always networking, always building the perfect resume. Remember those coffee chats? The ones where you’d furiously research the latest buzzwords an hour beforehand, convincing yourself you could fake genuine enthusiasm for whatever cutting-edge sector the alumni was in.
Fintech was often the default. The safe, respectable, vaguely innovative choice. You’d meticulously prepare your questions, nodding sagely as they spoke about market disruption, while secretly hoping they wouldn't ask you to elaborate on the finer points of algorithmic trading. It wasn't about a deep, burning passion for decentralized finance; it was about the performance. It was about showing you were "curious," "driven," and "aligned with industry trends."
This behavior, the strategic pretense, became a core part of the Ivy experience. Whether it was joining a consulting club for the "prestige" or spending late nights perfecting a pitch deck for a startup idea you barely believed in, the goal was often external validation, a stepping stone to the next big thing. We learned to curate our interests, package our personalities, and navigate a social landscape where authenticity sometimes took a backseat to perceived ambition. It’s a shared secret, a collective memory of learning to play the game.
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