60+ Reasons (and Growing) You Might be a Careerist

12/1/20222 min read

You might be a careerist if you…

  1. Start with your job when asked to describe yourself

  2. Are preoccupied with getting a raise

  3. Believe in “work-life-integration”

  4. Use your job to scale up your lifestyle

  5. Have given a lot of thought to your career path

  6. Prioritize having a good career ahead of most other things

  7. Pay close attention to educational pedigree

  8. Believe finding purpose and meaning at work is necessary

  9. Secretly hope people are impressed with your job

  10. Really care about your job title

  11. Are a knowledge worker (and you know what that means)

  12. Have told people you are passionate about your job

  13. Worry your peers are getting ahead faster than you

  14. Post anything on LinkedIn

  15. Have friends and family who know a lot about your job

  16. Don’t have friends outside of work

  17. Check (or send) emails at all hours

  18. Have a headshot and you’re not an actor or model

  19. Ask “so what do you do” as your opening line

  20. Make a six-figure salary or strongly aspire to

  21. Strategically manage your career

  22. Unintentionally speak in acronyms

  23. Have a budget for work clothes

  24. Use your middle initial on your resume

  25. Feel a twinge of envy when former colleagues get a new job

  26. Have googled how to get ahead in your career

  27. Can’t unplug from work

  28. Like to shop for jobs on job boards

  29. Like going to team building

  30. Are in to professional networking

  31. Have trouble being interesting to people outside your profession

  32. Have a PhD and insist on being called “Dr.”

  33. Use words like “impactful” and “synergize”

  34. Believe you’re supposed to work for 40 years (or more)

  35. Are preoccupied with being promoted

  36. Have read Lean In or What Color is Your Parachute

  37. Won’t stop talking about how fulfilling your job is

  38. Believe the point of college is to get a good job

  39. Have trouble relating to people outside your profession

  40. Believe you should always be growing and improving at work

  41. Are frustrated when you aren’t always happy at work

  42. Have an up to date resume

  43. Have more than 1 monitor

  44. Know what your market rate is

  45. Would be forced to admit your identity is way too wrapped up in your job

  46. Don’t have time for hobbies

  47. Can't imagine when you'll stop working

  48. Know how to strategically self-promote

  49. Work on vacation

  50. Bring up your job in the first 2 minutes of conversation

  51. Are hurt by negative feedback from your manager

  52. Suffer self-imposed burnout

  53. Feel like your good work is squandered unless you are recognized for it

  54. Are preoccupied with finding a higher paying job

  55. Make a six-figure salary and now you want to make a $200K salary

  56. Have spent time on sites like Glassdoor or The Muse

  57. Crave the ultimate status symbol in the land of open floor plans: an office

  58. Know "how to rock" your LinkedIn profile

  59. Have worked with an executive coach

  60. Worry "imposter-syndrome" will limit your career

  61. Know who the influential people are at work

  62. Are filled with anger and resentment at the thought of being passed over for promotion

  63. Set professional goals as New Year's resolutions

  64. Wear your company's logo shirts and hats outside of work so you can easily be identified as working there

  65. Think your company's mission about changing the world means you're actually changing the world

  66. Unironically reference yourself with your company's employee nickname (I'm a Googler)