The Myth of Self-Made Success

Last month, I helped a student access the GitHub Student Developer Pack. Free domain, free hosting, $100 in cloud credits. He asked: Why did not anyone tell me this existed?

The difference between him and his peers was not talent or drive. It was information. His classmates knew because their older siblings knew. Their siblings knew because their parents knew. The chain of knowledge that seems obvious to some is completely invisible to others.

When people see successful first-generation professionals, they see the outcome. They do not see the scholarship application you did not submit because you did not know it existed. The internship you did not apply for because you thought it was not for people like you. The mentor you did not reach out to because you did not know that was allowed. Each missed opportunity compounds. By graduation, the gap is exponential.

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps assumes you have boots. And that you know what bootstraps are. And that pulling them achieves something.

After having some great mentors, here is what I have learned actually helps.

Never assume knowledge of 'obvious' things. Spelling out even things most people consider obvious were helpful to me.

Motivational speeches do not help when you do not know how to write a cold email.Templates do. Processes do. Step-by-step guides do. First-generation students do not need inspiration. They have plenty. They need infrastructure.

The biggest barrier is not ability. It is permission. Permission to apply for reach opportunities. Permission to ask questions. Permission to fail. Many first-generation students are carrying their entire family's hopes. Failure is not just personal. It is generational.

If you are successful, ask yourself: What did you know that others did not? Not what you did. What you knew. The answer is probably longer than you think. Then ask: Who told you?