The early bird gets the worm. The early worm gets eaten.

~ Sometimes being first comes with a hidden paradox ~

Recently, I came across a reel that said:

"The early bird gets the worm. The early worm gets eaten."

 

At first, I smiled and scrolled past it. A few minutes later, it brought back a memory from my college days. It happened during one of our lab exams. I honestly don't remember the name of the lab anymore. Time has deleted that file from my memory, but the incident somehow survived the cleanup process.

 

Our batch was the first batch to enter the lab. At that moment, it felt like a privilege.

No waiting.

No last-minute panic.

No rumors from previous batches.

 

Just us, the computers, and a bunch of programs waiting to test our confidence. Surprisingly, most of us got easy programs. For a brief moment, life was beautiful.

The code compiled.

The output appeared.

Our confidence level reached heights usually reserved for successful software installations.

 

Then came the viva. The external examiner looked at us with the calm expression of someone who knew exactly where the hidden bugs were. The questions started. One after another. Questions so tough that even students who had just executed their programs successfully suddenly began rebooting internally.

 

I still remember looking around the lab. Everyone who had been happily coding a few minutes earlier now looked like a computer displaying: "System Error: Confidence Not Found." By the time our viva ended, we had collectively experienced what I can only describe as a manual stress test.

 

After escaping the lab, we immediately shared our experience with the next batch. We warned them. We explained the questions. We prepared them for what was coming. Naturally, we expected them to suffer the same fate. But life had other plans. Or perhaps the external examiner had other travel plans.

 

The next batch entered. The programs were completed. The viva started. And then something unexpected happened. The examiner had limited time. She needed to return to her hometown. As a result, only a few students faced detailed viva questions. Some students barely had one or two questions. A few didn't even get enough time for a proper viva.

 

Meanwhile, our batch stood outside watching this unfold like users who paid full price for software on launch day while everyone else received the discounted version. That's when I realized something interesting. We thought being first was an advantage. And it was.

 

We got the lab first. We got the computers first. We got the programs first. But we also got the toughest round of questions. The later batches had to wait longer. Yet they received the benefit of our experience and a much shorter viva session.

 

Suddenly, that reel made perfect sense.

The early bird gets the worm.

The early worm gets eaten.

 

Sometimes being first gives you opportunities. Sometimes being first makes you the unofficial beta tester. And occasionally, life reminds us that what looks like an advantage from one side can look like a disadvantage from another.

 

Ever since then, I've become careful about assuming that the people ahead of me are always lucky.

Sometimes they're simply facing challenges that the rest of us haven't seen yet. Just like in that college lab.

 

We got the first turn.

The next batch got the easier ending.

And somehow, both of us thought the other group was luckier.

💻 “Every advantage has a hidden side that only 

the person experiencing it can see.”

⏱️‍️ Timing changes the experience.

🖋️ Until next line of code…