Is it okay to be smart and not ambitious?
Like most of you reading this, probably, I have been told all my life (17 years) how smart I am, and when in class I have repeatedly defended this title, scoring As on tests without studying, As on projects that go up on the walls, etc.
However, now that I find myself preparing for the next stage of life (college), I realized that because I have basically just carried easily on academia my whole life, I never actually did anything to make myself stand out.
So, already this kind of made me realize that I don't really have a shot at the big leagues in terms of schooling. And at first this was really depressing, I felt like I had failed my life, especially because I was planning to be a doctor.
But when it came to being a doctor, I wanted to be one simply because that's just what every adult tells you to be when you're a smart kid. So I looked at some other careers, and after some deliberation, I think I've narrowed it down to either veterinary science or (more likely) actuarial science. And I figured that I'd actually go to community college first and then transfer to a 4 year college.
Because honestly, I think I lack the ambition that is expected of a person who is supposed to reach the peaks of this whole system.
But this got me wondering, despite the fact that I feel okay with this path and know that in the long run it'll provide me with a steady life, have I wasted the shot I was given with natural intelligence by not striving for the Ivys or the long 10-15 year prep. careers?
just looking to see if anyone has some kernels of wisdom