We hear the word “prestige” a lot. There is often a great deal of concern about whether a given job is prestigious. Sometimes people weed organizations out of their job search purely because of the perception that those organizations are not prestigious enough. We hear from students considering multiple offers, inquiring about which firm is more prestigious.
Basically “prestige” just means other people think something is cool. The dictionary definition confirms that conclusion: “widespread respect and admiration felt for someone or something on the basis of a perception of their achievements or quality.” Prestige is not tangible. There is no money or benefits associated with it. It’s a feeling. A subjective opinion.
The problem with choosing a career path based on other people’s perceptions is that you are not choosing a career path based on the fact that it is the right path for you. You are not prioritizing whether you will truly enjoy the day to day work, the people, the culture and the work environment. That’s just not good.
And because you’re the person who is going to spend your time working in that job, your happiness and satisfaction should matter far more than anyone else’s.
It is not true that everyone in a prestigious job is unhappy. There are plenty of lawyers in prestigious jobs who love what they do. Their prestigious job is a great fit for them and they love the work.
The mistaker is pursuing a job because it is prestigious. If a prestigious job will make you happy and leave you feeling thrilled to go to work in the morning, then go for it with everything you’ve got. But if a prestigious job will fill you with dread as soon as the alarm goes off and you’re only able to stick with it because of the paycheck, run away.
In your job search, be selfish. Be ruthlessly selfish. You will spend the majority of your waking hours at work for many years. You need to make the right choice for yourself. You are the one who has to wake up and commute to work. You are the one who is going to be in the office more than 40 hours a week interacting with your co-workers, serving your clients, and reporting to your supervisor. You will spend a lot of time at work. No one else is going to do that for you. No one else’s opinion about how cool your job is matters even a little bit.
If you take the job you want, you are way more likely to do your best work, get promotions, raises, and carve out a career in which you can thrive. You are also far more likely to be a happier person which will affect your relationships, your overall health and everything else about your life. It’s really not a tough choice when you think about it.
So if there is a job opportunity that you genuinely think will make you happy but no one else thinks it is cool, who cares? Considerations beyond your satisfaction with your job do matter. Your salary matters. People need to support themselves and their families, of course. Your future growth and advancement opportunities matter. If you know where you want to be in five years, you need to make sure you are taking a job now that is a logical path to get you there. Commute time matters. Geography matters. But none of those considerations has a thing to do with prestige. They all have to do with happiness.
When planning your career, ask yourself if a particular career path will make you happy. Try to focus only on that, even if you can only do it for ten minutes.
Ask yourself inwardly focused questions. Will you actually enjoy getting up and going to work in the morning? Will you look forward to seeing your co-workers? How often will you have to stay late or work on weekends? How much will that impact other things you want to do in life? Why did you decide to attend law school? Will you be living that vision for yourself? Where do you want to be in five years? What jobs do people who are already there have in their work history?
Prestige is meaningless. It takes the focus off of your own happiness and puts that focus on what other people think of your job path. What they think doesn’t matter. Focus on you and you alone.
Let’s stop worrying about prestige and start worrying about genuine career satisfaction.
