[quietthrow]

Yes! I failed on subjects consistently in school. College I went to would be laughable with my peer group. I attribute any and all professional or other success I have had in my life to my curiosity. I work at the biggest of bigtech in the valley and feel proud to have made it here on my own and my luck. Although the imposter syndrome is something I carry every minute of my work life. Anywhere you go here you have people that are academically superior to me. But I seem to go toe to toe with some and that has helped me a little bit in dealing with the syndrome.

I learned very late in life that there is “smart” and there is academically strong. You can have the former without the latter. For years I believed both to be the same and until I grew up and met academically strong people who extremely clueless in most aspects of their lives.

I am not saying I am Good Will Hunting here. Far far from it. All I am trying to say there is hope. Don’t let other people and/or societal and cultural norms define you. Let your skills and your knowledge define you. Education and grades more about winning the signaling game and I fully admit that it does give one a little bit of a leg up. But that’s not the only way. Good luck!