Your Job Is Not Your Identity

We spend most of our adult lives at work and when we’re not working, we’re likely thinking about work, preparing to work, or going to and from work. While work makes up most of our day and perhaps week when you consider the weekend is still only two days (or sometimes less) for most adults, let’s not make work our sole identity, especially in this current environment. When you have situations where companies are laying off workers to save money on their bottom line, unionization is at historic lows with workers not allowed or able to organize to advocate for themselves, and wages stagnating behind productivity gains since the 1980s, we need to not think of work as our sole identity anymore.

It’s important to work hard and to do your job well but at this point, that alone doesn’t get you ahead in life as much as it used to. At the same time, a full-time job nowadays doesn’t guarantee a pension, steady retirement benefits, or even optimal health care into old age like it may have decades ago. The benefits are not what they used to be and stability in any industry seems to be a thing of the past. I wish I had an answer on how to improve the work culture and perhaps I’ll share my thoughts on that issue but I would rather speak to how it’s vital to invest in your identity outside of the workplace, not to be too attached to a company or an industry, and to keep upskilling so that you can continue to make a living in the future, even when your employer doesn’t invest in you.

When you choose to upskill yourself or advocate for skills training if your employer provides it, you’re giving yourself a key advantage that could keep you employed in the future regardless of how your industry changes. I wish constant upskilling wasn’t necessary as your degrees, experience, and past skills or abilities gained should be enough, but unfortunately that’s not the world we’re living in.

Now, there’s a cost involved and sometimes you may have to foot the bill to upskill yourself, but I think it’s necessary to do so you build skills beyond your current role in case you need to pivot. Instead of identifying yourself with your company or position, identify primarily with what skills or certificates or knowledge you have and how you can pick up work in the future. Tying your identity to your current title, organization, or skillset is a recipe for losing it eventually with nowhere to pivot to without having another skillset or knowledge base to pull from.

For example, you may be an excellent data analyst and have built your experience up in that area over the years. However, if you can also obtain complimentary skills in project management or financial oversight, you can pivot to those kinds of jobs if you are not able to find another job as a data analyst. I highly recommend investing in your professional skillset so that you are not tied up in one field for the rest of your career, leaving yourself vulnerable to industry collapse, lack of positions available, or technological changes, which all could occur over time.

It takes more effort beyond traditional education you may have received but it may be worth the money to learn new skills in case you have to stay employable. I never wish anyone to lose their livelihood or job, but you must be taking precautions nowadays as the job market can be quite brutal to those people who don’t have complimentary skills to offer.

When the work is over, you should make the most of it and try to put it out of your head as much as possible. Yes, you can find comradery at work and have a good experience but sometimes, you are going to be dealing with difficult people who you would rather not have to interact with. Be professional, respectful, and responsible but don’t look for friends or fulfillment in a workplace where you may not be able to find it. You must be able to find fulfillment elsewhere these days whether it’s at a community center, a shared hobby alone or with others, getting exercise and staying healthy, or just spending time with friends and family.

I know it’s challenging if you’re working 40 hours or more on top of commuting to an in-person job back and forth and I hope that changes in the future. Having a flexible work environment can make life much more enjoyable. With the limited free time that you have, try to make the most of it, spend it doing stuff you enjoy around people you like being with. Modern work culture is not working out well in a variety of ways but before the system can change, we must realize that our identity should not be tied to it so much.

Instead of continuing to identify yourself with your title and your organization when meeting someone, talk about who you are as a person, what you like to do, how you spend your free time, and try not to focus so much on work when you clock out. Reclaim your time outside of work as much as possible and if you end up needing to find a new job, don’t let yourself mourn what is no longer part of your life. Be able to find contentment in what other titles you have such as a brother, son, traveler, guitarist, or whatever title you can make part of your whole identity. Just because we must work to make a living in this world doesn’t mean that it defines who we are.