The single most underrated career skill is the ability to ask for things clearly and without apology. Opportunities do not come to people who are waiting to be discovered. They go to people who say: I am interested in this, here is why I am right for it, and here is what I am asking for. This applies to internships, mentorships, collaborations, salary negotiations, and every conversation where you need something from someone who has it to give. The people who ask get more — not because they are more talented, but because they removed the uncertainty from the equation. The people who wait for others to notice them are relying on someone else's attention to do the work that one clear, confident ask could do in two minutes.