My economics teacher in high-school told me something that I would never forget. He said, “You haven’t seen the real world yet kids. You’ll get a closer look when you go through University, but you won’t know how the world really works until you start your career.”

Being the cocky high-school student I was, I had thought I understood what he really meant but it wasn’t until I stepped out of my bubble and started meeting with ambitious and hyper-intelligent over-achievers that I’ve noticed there are so few sincere individuals in the world.

I won’t name the specific incidences since I actually have readers of this blog (surprise!) and don’t want to create unnecessary commotion, but people always judge others based on credentials, age, sex, ethnicity and act accordingly to those judgments. That’s fine - it’s part of the evolution of the human mind, but what is not fine is when you are rude to those below you and kiss the asses of those above you. Time and time again I see this around me and even experience it myself. And starting my own online advertising company has especially put me in the lowest of the lowest position since those around me have already made a career for themselves; they are rich; they have connections; they have decades of experience. Me? I’m an undergrad who’s building a startup with no experience whatsoever. What makes me even more upset is the fact that I can already spot people around my age starting to become the kinds of people I mentioned above.

When I build a more successful startup with my own bare hands, when I become richer than they are, when I build more connections, and when I have more experience than them I will tell them from a pedestal that they should treat everyone equally and with sincerity and respect. Then they will listen.

Peter Kao