Ah… okay, where do I start? You want confession, yes? Fine. I give you confession.
I am not ashamed. Maybe little bit. But not much. Because what I did? Was necessary.
So… I am Mikhail. You can call me Mike if you like, people here in Florida do that. I am from Russia, originally. My mama is from Rostov, strong woman—she sell fish and raise me alone most of the time. My papa is from Germany, Bavarian, but he—how you say? He disappear. Poof. So I never know him well. We move to Florida when I am small boy.
I had no connections. No papers, no degrees, no nothing. Only brain and very strong will.
But here's truth: I lied. Yes. I faked my CV. Not just once—many times. I write things that sound impressive: IT experience, project management, Spanish fluency (ha!), even some made-up work I "did" in Berlin.
I even wrote that I worked in a place that don't exist anymore, just in case they try to call.
They don't. They never do. Once, they ask if I speak Spanish. I say "Sí, un poco. Yo puedo entender cuando la gente habla despacio." Boom—they believe I am fluent. They never ask again. One manager clapped. He say, "Multilingual candidates are rare." I almost laugh.
The world… it runs on confidence. You walk like you belong, people let you in.
Job after job, I go higher. Each time, I learn fast. I Google everything. I read, I stay up nights pretending I went to university in my head. I build experience… even if it was after I said I already had it. You understand?
Then… the big break. I cannot say the company name. We call it just… N. Yes. Big company. Global. I am now CEO. Me. A boy who once stole hot dogs from a gas station because he had no money.
It is funny, no? From fake resume to boardroom. From boy with nothing, to man with too much. Sometimes I look at the glass tower I work in, and I laugh. Because I know… it all start with lie. But now? Now it's all true. I am what I pretended to be.
Do I feel guilty? Hmm… maybe. Not much. Because I worked. I learned. I became that man.
The lie… it was just transportation. The destination is real.
But listen—don't just follow me, eh? I say this now: use your brain. What work for me maybe not work for you. I read people. I know when to talk, when to shut up. That's survival.
And if you from poor background like me? Escape. Use any tool you have. Fake if you must. But become the person you dream of being. One day, you won't be faking anymore.
So yes. I cheated the matrix. I climbed out of poverty.
I am CEO now.
But mostly… I am proud I never stop believing I could be more than they told me.
Maybe you can too.
—Mikhail G., South Florida