In his famous newsletter…
Gary Halbert, (the so-called "Prince of Print") wrote about owning two very different watches:
First, there was his "KGB" watch…
Nothing fancy, but easy to read, waterproof for spearfishing trips, and tough enough to survive a tank rolling over it. Plus, it had a secret compartment where KGB agents supposedly hid cyanide pills.
Lost it? $80 to replace.
Then, there was Gary's $10,000 Rolex, one of the most prestigious watches in the world.
Was it nice to have on his wrist?
Sure.
But…
He had to squint to make out the tiny Roman numerals (which were the same colour as the background), and parts of it would randomly break, costing him thousands to replace.
And what's worse?
It made him a target for “Rolex thieves” that wouldn’t hesitate to chop off his arm to get it!
So…
While the Rolex might get him a nod once a year at the country club…
Did it make Gary’s life better in any way?
No.
Not only was it a pain in the ass to read…
It could’ve gotten him killed!
Moral of the story:
Chasing prestige for prestige’s sake is a sucker’s game.
And it’s the same with chasing prestigious careers too.
I mean, I can count on, I dunno, 5 hands, the number of people I know who devoted years of blood, sweat and tears to join the Harvards, the Goldman Sachs, the McKinseys, and the Googles of the world.
And you know what?
10 years later, most of them have told me the same thing:
“I’m not fulfilled”
Seeking prestige for its own sake can lead you down a path of unfulfilling career choices.
So…
If you’re hearing the siren song calling you down a “prestigious” career path, here’s a few things to keep in mind before you make the jump.
😷 Are you infected?
Ok, be honest:
Do you want the job for YOUR sake?
Or, are you infected with a bad case of the disease to please?
You might be trying to please your parents (I know the feeling!), or to “please” (i.e make jealous) your classmates at a reunion… or please the good-looking strangers at the bar.
Sure, there are a few noble reasons to taking a job for pleasing others (like, for example, feeding your family), but in most cases, if it’s gonna make you miserable for 40 years, is it really worth it?
Remember, social validation and approval are nice to have, but they shouldn't be the driving force behind your career decisions.
🏀 That’s Mr. Towel & Gatorade to you
The thing about prestigious firms is…
Because everyone’s been brainwas— ahem, rationally persuaded to work there, the competition is insane. Which means, if you’re “lucky” enough to get a job there, you’re going to end up at the bottom of the totem pole…
…where you won’t get a chance to use and develop your skills.
(Wait, wasn’t that the point of getting the job?)
Whereas…
If you’d gone with a less prestigious firm?
You’d land a higher position, giving you more room to spread your wings & grow.
Put another way:
Which path would improve your basketball skills faster:
Sitting on the bench for the NBA champs, carrying towels and gatorade? Or by joining the lowly Nets and playing 40 minutes a night? (No offense, Nets fans).
Think about it in the business world:
You could be a senior manager at a smaller firm, making decisions and honing your leadership skills…
…or an associate at a prestigious firm, stuck doing grunt work and waiting for your chance to shine.
9 times out of 10, the less prestigious role will give you more opportunities for growth and impact (stuff that will serve your career a lot more longer term — hiring managers prefer to see real impact over a big name)
👴🏻 Prestigious companies are old.
And they’re big, too.
And if it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, don’t get me started on teaching an old, BIG dog new tricks.
Your “can-do”, “think-outside-the-box”, “nothing’s impossible” attitude might be welcomed (and handsomely rewarded) at a start-up… but trying to change procedures at a multinational?
I wouldn’t expect many “atta boy’s”.
=> “Prestigious” companies often come with tightly defined roles and expectations, limiting creative freedom.
🎭 The Perception vs. Reality gap
I worked at a "prestigious" investment bank early in my career.
Want to know what that looked like day-to-day?
- Endless meetings that accomplish nothing
- Decisions that take months because they need 15 approvals
- Politics that matter more than performance
- Being a small fish in a massive pond where individual contributions get lost
I spent more time in PowerPoint than actually solving problems. Meanwhile, friends at less-known firms were launching products, had bigger responsibilities, made real decisions with impact, and were closer to their customers.
The ‘prestigious’ company really only just taught me to navigate bureaucracy. Not something I wanted to do all my career. Which is why I left to start Resume Worded.
From the outside, everyone thought I had the "dream job." From the inside? I was slowly dying of boredom and frustration.
🤔 “But Rohan,” you ask…
“If these companies aren’t all hyped up to be, why does everyone want to work there?”
Well, here’s what you’ve got to realize:
Huge firms have massive marketing departments, and spend millions on making sure that every job seeker knows their name.
But just like a Rolex…
Just because you’ve heard about them, doesn’t mean they’re the best for your career.
Final thought:
I’m not trying to “pooh-pooh” every big, prestigious company.
Some of them do great, important work, and provide thousands of people with exciting, fulfilling careers.
Just bear in mind…
A lot of it is hype…
And I'm not saying they're all bad. I just want to give you a framework to make decisions in your career. Just because a company seems more prestigious doesn’t mean its the right role for you.
And the last thing I’d want you to do is chase an unfulfilling career purely to make your LinkedIn profile good.
Especially when all you need to do is go here to optimize your profile (an optimized LinkedIn profile will do more for you than any big name)
…so that’s my rant on prestige.
