philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

The Well-Traveled Path

It feels like every Harvard student has the exact same dream. And it’s not just about the money.

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And this is the real tragedy. It isn’t that so many students go into consulting or finance, but how many do it by default. When the most talented, resourced, and socially mobile students in the country are quietly surrendering their self-direction, it’s not just a loss of imagination, but a failure of nerve. ...

No one is asking students to throw away security in the name of self-actualization. But we should, at the very least, be able to distinguish between a real safety net and a misguided desire for control. The former gives you room to risk things. The latter tempts you into never trying.

The real privilege—the one that we Ivy League students like to avoid—isn’t in landing the offer, but deciding if we want it in the first place. That kind of decision requires self-respect that goes beyond a paycheck or job title. It demands the capacity to live with your choices—not because they’re safe or prestigious, but because you know, deeply and privately and in a way that no one else can really understand, that they’re yours.

See the full story here: https://slate.com/life/2025/07/harvard-ivy-league-careers-consulting-finance-tech.html