I'm not doing anything particularly special. Most people might more accurately describe what I am as a "contractor" rather than a consultant. The points about

I'm not doing anything particularly special. Most people might more accurately describe what I am as a "contractor" rather than a consultant. The points about moving and college are about people shaping their entire lives in such a way to be successful and meet their goals. The landscape might change a bit, but people don't stop being willing to hustle and adapt to the changing landscape. I think probably the best thing that happened to me is I didn't have all of these mythologies about what I was allowed or capable of accomplishing drilled into me by the standard path that most people take. I imagine if you've invested your whole life in the understanding that the way to "make it" is to graduate from a top tier university and take a very narrow set of employment opportunities, it would be hard to escape that mental prison. But that's all it is. The hiring committees at FANG might reinforce that mental prison, but you don't have to deal with them. If you went the conventional path and got those fancy credentials, it's not like it will be harder for you to make it out here in the non-FANG world than it was for me. It'll probably be easier.