Galicia Gordon on Leading Learners Blog

Feb 28, 2022

Why Are People Desperate To Know Your Educational Status?

I graduated from high school in June of 2021, and before then, I was getting featured on many podcasts ⏤ some of which I have requested be taken down for my own mental sanity and the fact that I was not wearing my signature Spanish and Galician red lipstick.



When asked about my plans in podcast episodes, I said "Not sure quite yet," "One completely out of here," and "Maybe ________."

This sounds like people avoiding committing to a once-in-a-lifetime lover ⏤ the opportunity is the only perfect one you will ever have, but you are sitting there thinking about what else is on the menu.

None of the plans I said wounded up true.

I changed. I ended up doing something different that nobody except for 5 people I explicitly had to tell, know. Nobody else ⏤ unless one of the five went off balance and had nothing to do with their life where they had to share.

Not claiming my relevancy on this planet, but my blank education box on LinkedIn resulted in a spike in "Profile Views," people from the past randomly apologizing and checking in on me because of my silence, and soon-to-be banker boys stalking me under the "Who Viewed Your Profile" tab.

My mum wonders why I do not announce my educational plans and path online, and I repeatedly told her what she told me growing up: "Nobody needs to know." Nobody. Needs. To. Know.

I am doing something that has these responses ringing in my ears from family members and friends: "You know that is big, right?", "Damnnnn GG", "Impressive", "The definition of humble", "She's going to do ⏤? Wow!"

Nobody needs to know anything about your life. And I will say it thousands of times. I love seeing people guessing and thinking they know me. It makes me hysterical. Here is why.

I will say this. I am not "not doing anything." It is big, sure. But not important to me. It is important to most people. And for a biracial woman, I know it raises eyebrows, makes me warm, and definitely gets some nice applause.

I am "doing something," but again, it is useless, in my mind, to showcase anything online unless you need to reap the benefits of it. That is why 95% of students on LinkedIn need to display their school or institution. Emphasis on the fact that they all need to. Nobody necessarily wants to, passionately. It is needed for them.

This is coming from the woman people deemed is "our academic queen." This is why you all need to chill. I hate attention.

As a woman with two ethnic identities, a father who is a recognized artist, creative ideas out of her ears coming left-and-right, and a model, I know.

I have no plans to share anything until potentially 5-10 years time. Why 10? Because I have the next 10 years of my life secure, paved, and sorted out. I am happy to be where I am right now, and the future is brighter than a highlighter I was forced to use in elementary school.

The answer to the question in the blog. Why are people desperate to know your educational status? A few reasons: to envy you, for competition/comparison, or for something new to look at, then think about.

None of those interest me.