People Explain What Happened To The Smartest Person In Their Class

High school is a time when we truly start to discover who we really are and begin to think about what we want to do with our future.

With this in mind, it was hard not to constantly find ourselves measuring up to our other classmates.

The jock, the actor, the valedictorian.

Our teenage minds are certain that we will simply never measure up to the high school elite, who will no doubt become famous, and/or successful adults.

Little do we know, however, that life can take funny turns, and being on top in high school doesn't always guarantee being on top in life.

Redditor ameliiax was curious to learn what became of the smartest individual in everyone's high school class, leading them to ask:

"What became of the most intelligent student in your class?"

Fall From Grace

"He’s in jail for dealing drugs"- wawaboy

You Never Know What Your Life Has In Store For You

"Valedictorian works for Tesla, salutatorian is now a Buddhist monk in Tibet."

"The monk graduated from MIT as an engineer, went to work in Tibet for some project then never left."- Dazzling_Leopard4627

In With The Wrong Crowd, Maybe?

"Taught himself Mandarin."

"Moved to China for I don’t even know what. Developed a heart condition and had to be flown back to the states for medical."

"I believe he’s back in China now."

"Saw him at a party though in college with a blunt and a cigarette in the same hand and a beer in the other."

"This guy was your typical glasses-wearing anti-social nerd in high school."

"Always been a quality human being."

'I was shocked when I saw him at the party."- Pastor_Dale

A Tragically Unfulfilled Future

"High school class of 1962."

"Our valedictorian died in Vietnam around 1964."

"I first heard about it around 2012, so year may be off."- BobT21

The Lucky Ones Get To Do What They Love

"Dude was 2 years younger than the rest of us, having skipped 2 grades, 1st chair violinist, IB, AP, wicked smart and an all-around nice guy despite having all these stressful extracurriculars and advanced classes."

"Full ride to anywhere kind of smarts. Now he's a sports writer and seems to be happier than ever."

"Damn, getting a lot of people asking if it's a sportswriter they know."

"Apparently, the sportswriter industry is a kid genius magnet."- CaptValentine

sports balls GIFGiphy

Yep, Adds Up.

"Went to Harvard, earned a PhD in philosophy, currently teaches at UC Berkeley."- SenorKaboom

Teamwork Makes A Dream Work

"Shared a Nobel Prize in Chemistry."- fermat9990

So Much Wasted Potential

"He became a pharmacist, married a model, had a couple kids, bought a big house in our hometown."

"Then he got caught writing fake scripts for his friends, lost his license, got a divorce, wife took the kids, and I’m told he can be found at the local bar most nights trying to blackout."

"Life can take some crazy turns, eh?"- RebelliousRoomba

Awkward Ed Helms GIF by The OfficeGiphy

Cruel, Cruel Fate

"The dude in my class got a full ride to Harvard."

"Did an internship his first summer at Intel and was killed by a drunk driver a few weeks after arriving in California."

"F*cking couldn’t believe it when it happened 25 years ago."

"Still can’t really."- ameliiax

Keeping Us Safe, One Hopes!

"He works at CERN."- Keshet279

Best Kind Of Work Is The Kind That Brings Joy To Others

"Went to MIT."

"He makes iPad video games now."- SanDiablo

Apple Gamer GIF by MashableGiphy

Loving Your Life Is Impossible If You Don't Love Yourself

"She was on the dean's list every year in computer science."

"Aced every test and did better than everyone academically."

"She works as a secretary for a lawyer now."

"She genuinely hated programming, but her teachers pushed her into computer science because they wanted more women in tech."

"I still think she could have done better using the degree elsewhere, but she also had a really negative mindset and a self-defeating attitude."- Visitant45

One Small Step For Man

"Works at NASA."- EvilDarkCow

You Never Know When You Might Receive A Calling

"He went to Yale and joined the ROTC."

"After he graduated he became an Army Ranger and served in Afghanistan."

"When he left the army he joined a Seminary and became a priest."- PM_Me_UrRightNipple

priest confuses GIFGiphy

IT Guys Will NEVER Go Out Of Fashion

"He worked for corporations as an IT guy for a decade, and then left and started his own IT consulting company."

'I think he is doing well."

"I think he retired early."- hilbertglm

Some people seem destined for greatness, and through hard work and dedication, go on to achieve that greatness.

Other times, those we always found ourselves jealous of in high school, might find themselves becoming even more jealous of us and the happy lives we lead.