Every day we face evidence online that we are tragically behind or failing in our careers. Fortunately—or unfortunately—none of that is true.
Much attention has been given to how social media and online information can negatively affect mental health, but usually this is in the context of social relationships and mood. The same phenomenon, however, can be true for career well-being.
For those who are mid- and late-career, the influence of social media and online information on work is relatively new. I joined LinkedIn in 2005 (here’s how to find out when you joined, if you’re curious) and Twitter in 2008 (easily found on your profile page). This was well into the second half of my career and perhaps yours.
The opportunities for career comparison and its negative effects like imposter syndrome have increased dramatically in these two decades.
Bombarded daily by others’ achievements
In the 20th century, we had limited opportunities for career comparison, limited opportunities to see if we measured up.
Back then, at professional conferences we could evaluate peer status and achievements. Who was speaking? Who was receiving an award?
Trade publications with news of promotions or new hires were weekly or monthly and required taking the time to read through journals, magazines, or newsletters.
Networking events offered an opportunity to scope out what others were doing, but this required freeing time for the events, then putting yourself out there.
What did these have in common? They were limited and required some effort to access. Today, there’s a 24/7 firehouse of peer information, and all just a click away.
A sea of advice on how to be better
Now self-help has entered the business world, too. A whole industry of people gives us advice on how to work smarter, how to advance, how to get a new job, and how to live up to our potential. Which implies we’re not doing well enough.
Decades ago, we had little outside input on how to do our jobs better. Yes, there were business books, but it wasn’t until Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was published in 1989 that I remember there being much productivity writing. From there we launched into an obsession with time management and productivity.
Now, we not only have an explosion of business self-help books, but we also have podcasts about books, blog posts, Twitter threads, and digital courses on how you can do more and be more, in less time.
There’s so much to learn
Certainly, continuing education has never been more important. It’s a rapidly changing world, and we need to adapt. But the scale of this has multiplied.
Earlier in my career, if you were lucky, you could take a course during a conference or via your professional association, or go back to school for an advanced degree.
Now, you’re slacking off if you’re not actively learning something new. We have certifications, online courses, boot camps, and even university degrees that can be earned remotely. These are all excellent additions to the work world, but can communicate “you are not enough.” You may be left with the vague feeling that you need additional degrees, certifications or training—sometime, anything—for you to succeed.
How to hop off the comparison train
This can all be overwhelming for certain personality types. Like mine! If you’re ambitious, you’re now constantly bombarded by narratives of those who are advancing faster than you are. If you’re prone to social pressure, you may feel pressure to compete with your own social media presence. If you like to learn, you may get discouraged that there’s too much to take on. And if you’re human, you may start to feel “less than.”
There are no easy answers. And the place to start feels trite, because it’s the answer for just about everything unhealthy—awareness. By developing awareness, you can assess the effect these factors are having on you and make thoughtful choices about how you can move forward with more confidence, motivated less by comparison and more by your personal goals. Some questions I’ve found useful:
- What outside input actually helps or inspires me?
- Am I doing anything “because I should,” influenced by outside forces?
- What am I exposing myself to that is not helping?
- How can I focus on my strengths, rather than an agenda set in career social media?
Moving through the world and your career with confidence and determination is no easy feat. But it’s worth doing a periodic audit to be sure unhealthy career comparison isn’t holding you back.
Photo by Tracy Le Blanc