Confidence: a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.
Confidence is not binary. We all are confident in some areas and not as confident in others. This piece will touch on the moments that have helped me grow my confidence from an intellectual sense.
High School
In high school, you had to have your sophomore year teachers sign off for you to take AP classes. Basically, if they felt like you would not be able to succeed at that level no matter how much you thought you were prepared you would not be able to take them. I still remember when my political & economic systems teacher Christopher Belch signed off on me taking AP World History. This moment gave me confidence in myself that I could compete at the next level academically. This vote of confidence I believe is what led me to ultimately pursuing and receiving a degree in economics. The second experience in high school that reinforced my confidence was choosing Mandarin Chinese as my language requirement, it did not only reinforce my intellectual capabilities but also my confidence in being able to connect with people no matter their background.
Undergrad
There were two instances in undergrad that reinforced the confidence that I have in myself intellectually. The first was securing an internship at Target HQ, the reason this boosted my confidence is that once I got there and learned how many people prior internship experiences happened due to family connections, while my prior internship experience with Macy's came due to my own effort. The second experience that really helped build my confidence was building my startup LykeMe. This experience showed me that I can communicate my vision and assemble a team, bring a product to life that others see value in whether it be from user numbers or getting written about in Cosmo & USA Today College. Having the confidence that the ideas you have are not only valuable to you but to others as well is irreplaceable.
Graduate School
Getting into USC for my chosen program definitely boosted my confidence due to the fact that USC Marshall is a top 20 business school and widely respected across disciplines ranging from law, medicine, engineering etc. We do not talk enough about how the schools you go to can give you confidence in yourself that you may have not had previously.
Post Grad (undergrad & grad)
Getting the opportunity to work in product management at U.S News & World Report, which is such a known and widely respected brand gave me the confidence that I needed that I could also help chart product strategy at even bigger and more known brands.
The most recent boost to my confidence was getting chosen to be a scout for Indie.vc. Out of 2K applicants I have been chosen to be part of the pilot program to surface companies that are looking to build their companies off of revenue/profitability vs continuous rounds of venture capital funding. Major shoutout to Bryce for seeing my trajectory and believing that I would be a value add when it comes to surfacing the impactful companies of tomorrow.
We all derive our confidence or lack thereof from specific instances in our lives, can you remember the experiences from your past that gave you the confidence you have today?
