If you've been a nerdy guy in your teenage years, it doesn't mean you are in your 20s or anything beyond. The cards are getting reshuffled all the time. I see nerdy people from my teenage years from my period at school doing incredible things, while some people I thought would make it are struggling to pass by. It is not a guarantee; most people stay nerdy, but some manage to break out.
Maybe a more professional environment is what makes some people more thriving than others. Once you get out of school you Il end up being in a totally different environment. That can give totally different outputs than in high school.
It is everyone for their own sake.
You also see that money makes people more attractive. Like it or not. The older you get, the more capital you have, the more value you're worth for other people. Everything stands and falls along with it.