> I can't see the forest through the threes here, it just feels like I'm being tossed into a downstream river and whatever randomness happens, I just have to ta

> I can't see the forest through the threes here, it just feels like I'm being tossed into a downstream river and whatever randomness happens, I just have to take it. Yeah, pretty much. You have some control over it, but often not as much as you'd like. I was pretty consistently one of the best in my classes in school also, and then the real world said "Haha, you actually want to work on things that interest you and innovate? Think again!" That's why I ended up working for life insurance companies and for health insurance companies and wealth management companies, despite telling myself I'd never work for such boring companies when I was younger (where I grew up, the headquarters for a life insurance company was the biggest employer in town, especially white-collar, and was omnipresent). I have had interviews at FAANGs, though, and the interview didn't go as well as it could have for various reasons (sometimes just not being given enough notice / not motivated enough to practice enough for their ridiculous exams).