What do you rely on to counteract this first impression?

In any organization, leadership knows that many people leave the platform and end up unable to make money on their own. So it’s inherently unlikely that they’ll deeply value those individuals—or to put it bluntly, they naturally tend to look down on them. That’s just unavoidable.
It’s similar to being admitted to an average university. On the first day of class, a professor can’t help but feel a bit dismissive toward students who aren’t top-tier—because they know the truly exceptional ones are already at Tsinghua.

So what can you do to offset that first impression?
You need to put in the effort—show up consistently, submit your work early, and double-check everything three times before handing it in. Aim to surprise the leadership, to make them see that you’re different from the rest.

Only once you’ve established that strong impression with leadership will you have a chance to access the resources others can’t—and use them to deliver results.