How I Got Radicalized

Being a Child Prodigy Didn’t Mean I Could Succeed in This Economy

My extracurriculars, summer camps, and internships were never going to get me a magazine cover — or a satisfying job

Photo illustration: Taylor Le/Medium

Welcome to How I Got Radicalized, a series from GEN that tells the story of a cultural moment that made you drastically rethink how society works.

Any overachiever with a LinkedIn knows the most important awards for a certain generation is Forbes’ “30 Under 30” reveal. Every year I brace myself for the Oscars-style gratitude speeches from acquaintances and second-degree connections who feel “so humbled” that they made the list. It’s not that I begrudge their success, I swear. It’s simply a tough pill to swallow as a twentysomething with a harsh tendency to compare myself to others. Every year, our culture puts a new rising star or child prodigy up on a pedestal, a reminder of the aspirations I may never achieve.

Take TIME magazine’s first-ever “Kid of the Year” issue, unveiled last December. Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old scientist and inventor, graced the cover wearing a white lab coat and a number of medals draped around her neck. Angelina Jolie performed the interview, and Rao nonchalantly discussed with the movie star her early…