[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":232},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f3kt5p3rwpoj6y":3,"$f3i3ul4qsxf1zn":42},{"navigation":4,"tagline":41},[5,9,13,17,21,25,29,33,37],{"accentColor":6,"slug":7,"title":8},"#0C2478","world-news-and-current-affairs","World News & Current Affairs",{"accentColor":10,"slug":11,"title":12},"#A40C2C","social-commentary-and-opinion","Social Commentary & Opinion",{"accentColor":14,"slug":15,"title":16},"#A44800","arts-and-culture","Arts & Culture",{"accentColor":18,"slug":19,"title":20},"#877A00","science-and-technology","Science & Technology",{"accentColor":22,"slug":23,"title":24},"#2F7D32","school-life","School Life",{"accentColor":26,"slug":27,"title":28},"#8248C4","interviews","Interviews",{"accentColor":30,"slug":31,"title":32},"#00766C","wellness-and-self-care","Wellness & Self-Care",{"accentColor":34,"slug":35,"title":36},"#1669A6","academic-resources","Academic Resources",{"accentColor":38,"slug":39,"title":40},"#A3306F","creative-writing","Creative Writing","Words have the power to change the world, so we’ve been choosing them carefully for 19 years.",{"_id":43,"authors":44,"body":50,"bylineOverride":47,"dek":169,"heroImage":47,"moreFromSection":170,"printEdition":223,"publishedAt":227,"section":228,"seoDescription":47,"seoTitle":47,"slug":229,"tags":47,"title":230,"wordCount":231},"article-the-silent-crisis-inside-the-bermuda-triangle-of-talent",[45],{"_id":46,"bio":47,"name":48,"photo":47,"role":47,"slug":49},"author-eliska-bastarova",null,"Eliška Bastařová","eliska-bastarova",[51,62,70,79,87,95,103,107,115,123,131,139,142,150,158,161],{"_key":52,"_type":53,"children":54,"markDefs":60,"style":61},"8a8447a63582","block",[55],{"_key":56,"_type":57,"marks":58,"text":59},"5894c7ab46d6","span",[],"Do you have a dream job? Something you want to achieve in your life? Something you view as meaningful and revolutionary? You probably aim to be a doctor, writer, pilot, or even an EU diplomat. What if I told you that those dreams are just childish fantasies. That they are unachievable, and you should just forget about them. The Bermuda Triangle of Talent explains why.",[],"normal",{"_key":63,"_type":53,"children":64,"markDefs":69,"style":61},"977ffdf79098",[65],{"_key":66,"_type":57,"marks":67,"text":68},"b3fdea6f06f0",[],"When someone mentions the Bermuda Triangle, many people think of the far region in the North Atlantic Ocean between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico where numerous ships and aircrafts are rumored to have disappeared and never been found. And they are not ultimately incorrect, because the Bermuda Triangle of Talent theory talks about the disappearance of talent. More specifically, the idea popularized by Simon van Teutem and Rutger Bregman, depicts the phenomenon where bright and overachieving graduates from elite universities funnel into one of the three sectors: finance, consulting and corporate laws, wasting their high potential on low-impact jobs.",[],{"_key":71,"_type":72,"alt":73,"asset":74,"caption":77,"credit":78},"16eb18c10e95","inlineImage","Book cover of De Bermuda-driehoek van talent by Simon van Teutem: a small figure walks along an impossible golden triangle on a yellow background.",{"_ref":75,"_type":76},"image-3f59a4700d3fea387189e658b1600bba82023db1-548x566-jpg","reference","The Bermuda Triangle of Talent: How Bright Minds Disappear Into Meaningless Jobs by Simon van Teutem, De Correspondent.","Rutger Bregman\u002Fx.com",{"_key":80,"_type":53,"children":81,"markDefs":86,"style":61},"3ad7c1cd3a03",[82],{"_key":83,"_type":57,"marks":84,"text":85},"b0aeb096dde6",[],"Vice-chancellor of Oxford had a speech at the school urging its graduates to make a difference in the world. As the event was coming to an end, graduates requested photos with their diplomas displaying prestigious firms like Goldman Sachs, Clifford Chance, and McKinsey. For students entering these fields, this is supposed to be the first and temporary step in their careers, but only a few years later do they realize they never took the next step.",[],{"_key":88,"_type":53,"children":89,"markDefs":94,"style":61},"2876bd37ee9d",[90],{"_key":91,"_type":57,"marks":92,"text":93},"c0cbbdd495c6",[],"In the 1970s, about 5% of Harvard graduates entered the field of finance and consulting. By the 1990s the numbers rose to 25%. Most recently, around half of Harvard graduates represent roles in finance, technology, or consulting.",[],{"_key":96,"_type":53,"children":97,"markDefs":102,"style":61},"406db7b41ebc",[98],{"_key":99,"_type":57,"marks":100,"text":101},"102ffba4b4d8",[],"Simon van Teutem who has been watching the situation, found it very ironic and commented: “We all knew exactly where everyone was headed. It was obvious, but we all pretended otherwise “.",[],{"_key":104,"_type":105,"text":106},"13dd734669e1","pullQuote","“We all knew exactly where everyone was headed. It was obvious, but we all pretended otherwise.”",{"_key":108,"_type":53,"children":109,"markDefs":114,"style":61},"917877a9330d",[110],{"_key":111,"_type":57,"marks":112,"text":113},"c788bb3c2b9b",[],"After his own graduation he decided to choose a different path, built his career in journalism and examined the reasons why these career choices seem predestined. He later explained: “These companies have mastered how to attract high achieving, but insecure individuals and created a system that perpetuates itself.“ But this is not unique to only Harvard or Oxford, it is a worldwide crisis.",[],{"_key":116,"_type":53,"children":117,"markDefs":122,"style":61},"22dde48b26d9",[118],{"_key":119,"_type":57,"marks":120,"text":121},"53cadd067ca4",[],"The primary force which attracts graduates is not high salaries but the illusion of social prestige and recognition. At many schools, the illusion is everywhere, surrounding students at every step. They are enormously influenced by this, without even realizing it. Recruitment events and similar fairs are dominated by banks, law firms and consultancies, while non-profit organizations, medical schools or similar institutions are barely visible. “It is a game we are conditioned to play,“ Simon argues. “You are always striving for the next achievement—the next Harvard, the next Oxford.” This quite represents the fact that students are tied to choosing sectors which will secure their prestige, rather than something that could potentially change the world. By the time these people realize that the next step in their career is always only a higher salary and more exhausting work, it is too late.",[],{"_key":124,"_type":53,"children":125,"markDefs":130,"style":61},"5659f1513fbe",[126],{"_key":127,"_type":57,"marks":128,"text":129},"ef252084558c",[],"On the other hand, those who do realize it before it is too late may possibly be more comfortable to stay and leave their “golden handcuffs“ on. The so-called “golden handcuffs“ symbolize financial incentives such as specialized benefits, very high salaries or large bonuses offered to employees with the aim of discouraging high-performing workers from leaving the firm for other opportunities. They are typically created to last over several years to make the financial cost of possible resignation too high for the individual.",[],{"_key":132,"_type":53,"children":133,"markDefs":138,"style":61},"e42579a16f39",[134],{"_key":135,"_type":57,"marks":136,"text":137},"7c69b1ddc907",[],"Rutger Bregman advocates for “moral ambition“. He talks about the meaning and the point of one’s job or career. A survey from 2019 analyzed 100,000 workers from 47 countries at four points in time. The results state that 8% of examined employees perceive their job as socially useless, and another 17% are doubtful about their job’s usefulness. There may be differences between countries, occupations, or age groups, but definitely not within the trend. He argues that these figures highlight an enormous waste of talent. They may have brilliant CVs, countless certificates, promising careers but underneath it all they are devoid of all meaning.",[],{"_key":140,"_type":105,"text":141},"5da1d8a3ffc9","8% of examined employees perceive their job as socially useless, and another 17% are doubtful about their job’s usefulness.",{"_key":143,"_type":53,"children":144,"markDefs":149,"style":61},"a03c822ad8c0",[145],{"_key":146,"_type":57,"marks":147,"text":148},"94734d58ecca",[],"He stands behind the idea of creating a global movement of talented people who are willing to put their skills to work on the most pressing issues, rather than feeding sectors that do not improve the world. It may not be comfortable for many, but it is a good thing. It is for us and our better world. “Robin Hood stole money from the rich. I am going to do something similar.“ he argues. But instead of stealing money, he proposes stealing talent from the profit-making sectors and industries and redirecting it towards high-impact causes. “Ideas and intuition are not enough to make a difference.“ he says, highlighting the fact that we need action instead of meaningless talk.",[],{"_key":151,"_type":53,"children":152,"markDefs":157,"style":61},"6b1ed5c991b5",[153],{"_key":154,"_type":57,"marks":155,"text":156},"0a8c1056c5b1",[],"But to actually combat this worldwide issue we need to shift the morals and values of our society. Starting with redefining the idea of success by directing energy and focusing on solving urgent problems, rather than chasing meaningless statuses. Another way of breaking the cycle of needing the high prestige is taking “detours” during our professional growth. Instead of planning the perfect career and taking the big steps, which would ultimately define our professional life, we could try minor but possibly high impact pivots. For example, joining a small startup or engaging in a non-profit organization, just to gain more valuable experiences and “test the waters” of another possible career path. We as a society also need to recognize the so-called “golden handcuffs” and spread awareness about the fact that they make people feel trapped. Realizing and ultimately normalizing that quitting an “elite” occupation is crucial for escaping this suffering. Our essential goal is to create “good prestige”. To build organizations and institutions that would offer the same or even higher status, but at the same time would provide intellectual challenges and networking opportunities as firms like McKinsey, Goldman Sachs or Clifford Chance. They would focus on critical and urgent problems like climate change, world hunger, AI safety, or world security. These careers would promote public services, education, human growth, and community welfare. Simply things which have a higher and more needed impact on the development of our world and its society.",[],{"_key":159,"_type":105,"text":160},"35d731165c3c","“The true cost is the opportunities missed.”",{"_key":162,"_type":53,"children":163,"markDefs":168,"style":61},"05e7bc79bcca",[164],{"_key":165,"_type":57,"marks":166,"text":167},"9f074e5d2e9f",[],"With this in mind, we can tell that by analyzing the concept of the Bermuda Triangle of Talent and weighting its impacts and consequences, it is a current and relevant topic. As of now, the world faces several existential threats, and yet much of the smarter generation is dedicating their time and lives to chasing socially useless work and statuses, instead of making sure that there would still be a place to display it on. Right now, our biggest aim should be educating our community on this phenomenon and normalizing the fact that resignation of an occupation that is socially viewed as prestigious is not a waste of chances on better life and destruction of career, but a potential to discover new life changing possibilities. Because as Simon van Teutem said: ”The true cost is the opportunities missed”.",[],"“These companies have mastered how to attract high achieving, but insecure individuals and created a system that perpetuates itself.”",[171,186,201,212],{"_id":172,"authors":173,"bylineOverride":47,"dek":47,"heroImage":177,"publishedAt":182,"section":183,"slug":184,"title":185},"article-the-impact-of-foreign-language-learning-on-students",[174],{"name":175,"slug":176},"Kristýna Kotalová","kristyna-kotalova",{"alt":178,"asset":179,"caption":47,"credit":181,"crop":47,"hotspot":47},"An open book with pages curled into a heart, lying on a stack of language dictionaries.",{"_ref":180,"_type":76},"image-94861a559515aad2529362478d4ac2d420f8db9c-285x239-jpg","Lindsay Does Languages","2026-03-01T07:55:00Z",{"accentColor":10,"slug":11,"title":12},"the-impact-of-foreign-language-learning-on-students","The Impact of Foreign Language Learning on Students",{"_id":187,"authors":188,"bylineOverride":47,"dek":47,"heroImage":192,"publishedAt":197,"section":198,"slug":199,"title":200},"article-can-artificial-intelligence-truly-replace-human-creativity",[189],{"name":190,"slug":191},"Andrea Kočová","andrea-kocova",{"alt":193,"asset":194,"caption":47,"credit":196,"crop":47,"hotspot":47},"A robotic hand reaches toward a human hand, echoing Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam.",{"_ref":195,"_type":76},"image-09bff6e0eee3e1947c22c15368cf12155b0805db-717x305-jpg","Tereza Tvrdíková\u002FMedium","2026-03-01T07:54:00Z",{"accentColor":10,"slug":11,"title":12},"can-artificial-intelligence-truly-replace-human-creativity","Can Artificial Intelligence Truly Replace Human Creativity?",{"_id":202,"authors":203,"bylineOverride":47,"dek":207,"heroImage":47,"publishedAt":208,"section":209,"slug":210,"title":211},"article-the-nobel-disease-infinitesimally-small",[204],{"name":205,"slug":206},"Julie Hoffmanová","julie-hoffmanova","Imagination and open-mindedness are the core characteristics of a successful thinker, but they also create the space for unchecked emergence of false beliefs.","2026-03-01T07:53:00Z",{"accentColor":10,"slug":11,"title":12},"the-nobel-disease-infinitesimally-small","The Nobel Disease: Infinitesimally Small",{"_id":213,"authors":214,"bylineOverride":47,"dek":218,"heroImage":47,"publishedAt":219,"section":220,"slug":221,"title":222},"article-the-perfect-crime-that-failed-leopold-and-loeb",[215],{"name":216,"slug":217},"Gabriela Salata","gabriela-salata","Two brilliant minds of the 1920’s were ready to commit, what they considered the “perfect crime”, instead it was remembered as the crime of the century.","2026-03-01T06:56:00Z",{"accentColor":10,"slug":11,"title":12},"the-perfect-crime-that-failed-leopold-and-loeb","The Perfect Crime That Failed: Leopold and Loeb",{"_id":224,"editionNumber":225,"publishDate":226},"printEdition-2025-26-3",3,"2026-03-01","2026-03-01T07:56:00Z",{"accentColor":10,"slug":11,"title":12},"the-silent-crisis-inside-the-bermuda-triangle-of-talent","The Silent Crisis: Inside the Bermuda Triangle of Talent",1186,1790340043194]