In episode 2 of Amazon series called Modern love s1, the conversation goes like this:
E: Where did you go to school?
J: Harvard.
E: Oh, for God's sake, really?
J: No, just joking. I didn't go to college.
E: You know, that might actually be worse for me, cause it's like self-made, edgy.
You know? They'd love that around here.
J: Educated on the streets. Taking the pulse of the common man.
What does Joshua mean by "taking the pulse of the common man"? Can someone please explain it to me?
edit On dictionary.com, it says that this idiom means trying to determine the intentions, sentiments, or status of a person or a group. Then did Joshua refer to the interviewers who was about to judge and test him?