Poll of the Day > Is it normal to compare oneself to others and feel objectively inferior to them?

(+) Yeah! (+)

80/80

I'm looking at the LinkedIn profiles of some of my classmates, and I can't help feel like I've been doing nothing for the bulk of my college career. At least two of my classmates have at least one more year of work experience than I do, and one of them had been working since he'd started college. It kind of makes me feel like a slacker. They each have had at least two jobs in their college career, and one of them is working two jobs at once. In any case, their accomplishments make mine feel very insignificant. I only work part-time and go to school part-time. I've had only one job throughout the course of my human life. I know that this isn't an actual problem, but it still bothers me how people about my age have been far more productive than me. Is this normal?

I must have these answers.
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For the rest of you, sure.


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ParanoidObsessive posted...

rest of you

I don't understand.
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It's normal to feel inferior when you are.
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Stop watching porn

Normal to compare and, if you aren't as far as them, normal to feel bad about it. However, given that Linkedin accounts frequently exaggerate accomplishments, you shouldn't take it at face value. And, quite honestly, you *should* be trying to pursue opportunities in your field while in college.

EclairReturns posted...

I only work part-time and go to school part-time. I've had only one job throughout the course of my human life. I know that this isn't an actual problem, but it still bothers me how people about my age have been far more productive than me

You're very far behind the 8-ball although a lot of non-career work is just making money to either pay tuition (thus reducing potential debt) or for fun. It's not necessarily a huge thing, although you're going to want to graduate with as little debt as possible. Basically if you can work more hours while handling a course-load, you should do it.

Otherwise is there any reason why you're attending school full-time and working? If it's to avoid debt, if you have a major that can get you a high-paying career, you're usually better off taking the debt and entering the workforce sooner because that will help you compound your lifetime earnings. And then you'd just try to minimize expenses until the debt is cleared away.

EclairReturns posted...

ParanoidObsessive posted...

rest of you

I don't understand.

He's joking. The implication is that he's better (or, at the very least, distinguishes himself by not giving a shit)
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It's normal to compare yourself to your family and friends and feel inferior or envy. I myself am in a similar boat as you. Took me about eight years to finish college whereas my college friends finished in five some years. Most got their Professional Engineering license within two years of finishing school whereas I'm eight years out and still don't have it. Some of my friends are making $50k-80k within a few years of working and already bought their first home in the mid 20's whereas me in my mid 30's am making only $47k a year after working for eight years.

The only problem I have with all this isn't that my friends are better off than me. The problem I have is that it doesn't bother me enough. I don't mean in that I want to be better than my friends but rather at my point in my career and age, I should be pushing myself more to make myself more valuable. Every year more graduates are finishing college and that's more competition that I need to deal with. Yet I lack the drive to make myself standout despite knowing I'll never get a better paying position until I do.

When I see how successful my fellow engineers are and the life they're living now, I try and use it more for inspiration than to look down at myself. I've seen my friends posting about the times they were studying for their license exam, going to work 8-5, studying from 7-10, sleep, and then repeat the process.

I see all this as a reminder that my friends got to where they are now because they continue to push themselves whereas I got too comfortable getting my simple engineering position and stopping there. The thing is, even when we're aware of our own flaws, sometime we continue to repeat them. I still kick myself for bombing a city engineer associate interview that was paying $75k a year at zero experience. On the day of the interview I continue to review for the interview but allowed myself to relax too much and wasted a hour playing games. Could that hour spent preparing instead of gaming had made a difference? Maybe or maybe not. The fact that I wasted that time instead of prepping still bugs me to this day.

EDIT: About two weeks ago my supervisor asked if/when I'll get my P.E. license. I told him in the next year or two and what have I done in the past some weeks? Wasting my time playing games instead of looking into what steps I need to take to register and prepare for the exam. I continue to feel inferior because I allow myself to be.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

you are

I know. :(

Zeus posted...

Basically if you can work more hours while handling a course-load, you should do it.

I suppose I should tell my supervisor that I'll be working longer hours come fall semester, then.

Zeus posted...

reason why you're attending school full-time and working

Zeus posted...

to avoid debt

Yes. I actually am earning more than I'm paying for in tuition each semester. <<';

Zeus posted...

if you have a major that can get you a high-paying career, you're usually better off taking the debt and entering the workforce sooner because that will help you compound your lifetime earnings. And then you'd just try to minimize expenses until the debt is cleared away.

That does sound like sound advice. But at my school, they require math majors to graduate in the spring, and I didn't have enough credits this semester, so I have to graduate next spring. I'm aspiring to be an actuary, by the way, but I still must take a lot of tests before that can happen.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

It's normal to feel inferior when you are.

This.

I do this all the time.

Thats the way I live my life every day. Hell, sometimes every minute.
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Knowing your limitations is one thing. Doing something about it is another.

Rather than a slacker or a loser, you come off as insincere.
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No. It's an unhealthy mentality.
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I do it all the time. But that's what motivates me to keep progressing.
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