Take it from someone who successfully STEMmaxxed and got into one of those "prestigious" companies, STEMmaxxing is a lie. Asian parents in particular instill into their children the lie that, if they dedicate their time during school towards academics rather than "useless" friendships, relationships, or trying to relate to those around them, they will win the "real" prize of professional success in a technical field.
Guess what?
STEM is full of chads too.
Chads who were able to achieve everything and more that you were, all while living a life supercharged by good looks, stable families, active social + sexual lives, and education at top universities.
I get mogged every day at the office, even by males who believe they are women, 30 years my senior, or both. My acute lack of social skills makes me feel embarrassed to come into work. No matter how much I enjoy the free snacks and drinks, no matter how much I earn, I can feel the complete lack of acknowledgement by others and feel ashamed to show my face.
Young people talk about their ex'es and going on trips with groups of friends like it's nothing. Managers excuse themselves from meetings to take care of family matters. After college, there are only two friends who've even bothered to keep in contact with me, both of whom hardly consider me close. I go home at night to an empty apartment with no clue what to do with myself. There's no more tests to study for, no more competitions to win to make it seem like the sacrifice of my childhood was worth it. I just sit here with the rest of my days passing me by.
The worst part of it is that every little thing feels like a pissing contest of who is living the best life outside of work, or who's getting the best ratings, or who's getting a promotion, or who's getting an offer from another company. My (genuine) efforts at kindness and thoughtfulness are perceived as weakness and sluggishness. People are superficially nice, but absolutely cutthroat and will drop you like a burnt-out cigarette.
There's little natural curiosity or interest in approaching new challenges or heartfelt excitement for the next great thing -- it's just bullshit jargon and smokescreens while decades-old products subsidize people floundering around.
On top of it, they are thankless for things the company provides that anyone else could only dream of having at work.
- Give them a cooler full of drinks, and they will complain that it doesn't have their favorite.
- Let them set their own hours, and they will complain about work-life balance.
I find the work interesting -- it's fun to go through the maze, find the cheese, and the build a highway to it -- but there's the constant distraction of how pathetic I feel now that I've "made it" with nothing to show but the same job as a million others. Building things could be fun, but now that I'm here, everything feels futile so I can't help from laying flat.
Any other STEMcels feel the same? Or am I just a spoiled loser who doesn't know how good he has it.
Guess what?
STEM is full of chads too.
Chads who were able to achieve everything and more that you were, all while living a life supercharged by good looks, stable families, active social + sexual lives, and education at top universities.
I get mogged every day at the office, even by males who believe they are women, 30 years my senior, or both. My acute lack of social skills makes me feel embarrassed to come into work. No matter how much I enjoy the free snacks and drinks, no matter how much I earn, I can feel the complete lack of acknowledgement by others and feel ashamed to show my face.
Young people talk about their ex'es and going on trips with groups of friends like it's nothing. Managers excuse themselves from meetings to take care of family matters. After college, there are only two friends who've even bothered to keep in contact with me, both of whom hardly consider me close. I go home at night to an empty apartment with no clue what to do with myself. There's no more tests to study for, no more competitions to win to make it seem like the sacrifice of my childhood was worth it. I just sit here with the rest of my days passing me by.
The worst part of it is that every little thing feels like a pissing contest of who is living the best life outside of work, or who's getting the best ratings, or who's getting a promotion, or who's getting an offer from another company. My (genuine) efforts at kindness and thoughtfulness are perceived as weakness and sluggishness. People are superficially nice, but absolutely cutthroat and will drop you like a burnt-out cigarette.
There's little natural curiosity or interest in approaching new challenges or heartfelt excitement for the next great thing -- it's just bullshit jargon and smokescreens while decades-old products subsidize people floundering around.
On top of it, they are thankless for things the company provides that anyone else could only dream of having at work.
- Give them a cooler full of drinks, and they will complain that it doesn't have their favorite.
- Let them set their own hours, and they will complain about work-life balance.
I find the work interesting -- it's fun to go through the maze, find the cheese, and the build a highway to it -- but there's the constant distraction of how pathetic I feel now that I've "made it" with nothing to show but the same job as a million others. Building things could be fun, but now that I'm here, everything feels futile so I can't help from laying flat.
Any other STEMcels feel the same? Or am I just a spoiled loser who doesn't know how good he has it.
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