Our Status Anxiety is Justified

“Success” for most Millennials is still way out of reach

Last month, as I read the prompts for the Medium Writer’s Challenge, my chest tightened at these words:

“‘Work’ is a term that contains multitudes. Maybe your work is a key pillar of your identity…We want to know what “work” means to you — and the factors that have shaped your thinking.”

My first thought was, “The sheer number of things I’ve done for money certainly contains multitudes.” My second thought was, “How can I explain that looking for work has been my life’s work? That my 20's and 30's have been full of searching, applying, training, and traveling for employment? That it’s been a continual effort to get more degrees, more certifications, more internships, more experiences, and more connections?”

How do I account for the key pillar of my identity being a vague idea that someday I will get the right degree and the right job? I have a dream that I will arrive at an age where I have meaningful work that pays me enough to live comfortably and have a family. In reality, I’m swimming in circles, trying to stay afloat in a sea of status anxiety.

Okay stop, explain status anxiety?

In 2005, a British philosopher named Alain de Botton published a book on status anxiety, which is a term he coined. Here’s his…