- Adults lie, or don't understand, or just don't want to deal. You were recommended not to proceed in math beyond Algebra I, even though you'd gotten a B. You (

- Adults lie, or don't understand, or just don't want to deal. You were recommended not to proceed in math beyond Algebra I, even though you'd gotten a B. You (wisely) thought that was bunkum and continued on to Alg II and geometry, number theory, set theory, matrix theory, etc and ended up with a Bachelor's in computer science. Good call. - That stupid counselor who blithely told you to "be confident"? You had no idea what those words meant, much less how to do it, because you didn't understand how to see the things you learned & accomplished as skills that other people don't have. That seems weirdly egotistical, I know, but confidence is knowing you know how to do stuff, and that knowledge is special. - Don't stagnate. Past conditions are not an indicator of future conditions. - Learn how to congratulate yourself and learn to like yourself sooner than I did.