Winner Takes Most

Even if you win the rat race, you are still going to be a very tired rat…

(Like this article? Read more Wednesday Wisdom!)

Yesterday I saw a story on LinkedIn about someone who was in the running for a great job at a major company. There were multiple grueling interviews involved, each of which required extensive preparation. For the final interview this candidate was asked to create and defend a business case in front of a panel of executives. All of this is of course an enormous amount of work, but apparently the candidate was still just one of four in the running for this position.

The comments on that post indicated that this is not a rare case. Indeed, from my own experience I can attest that interviewing at a serious company for a serious position requires a serious investment. I recently spent many days researching and preparing for interviews. This involved hours of doing coding exercises to sharpen my skills as well as writing a 28-page document with good answers to the questions that this company is known to ask.

Fortunately I got the job, so the investment paid off.

Also yesterday I read a (nother) LinkedIn post where I was motivated “not to stay in my comfort zone for too long”. Apparently I was “meant to keep learning and progressing so as not to feel stuck”. 

All of us, my friends, are in a rat race. And the rat race seems worse than ever before.

Day after day I read stories like this. We have to grow, improve, move our boundaries, and explore unknown territories. We have to challenge ourselves, learn new things, exceed expectations, and be ambitious. We need to invest in our futures, be amazing, and, above all, explore. At the same time we need to be our best selves, pay attention to our inner voice, meditate, do yoga, read books, and pay attention to our bodies.

To further our career we need to build our network, highlight our skills, celebrate our successes, and learn from our failures. We have to listen to podcasts, make podcasts. read blogs, write blogs, attend meetups, organize meetups.

We are under constant pressure to kick ass.

When did we turn from human beings into human doings?

I have had two burnouts already and currently working on the third one. I can feel it coming and I am getting really tired of it. Why this crazy ambition? What’s wrong with me?

How many people do you think are looking back at life from their deathbed and then say: “You know, all things considered, I think I should have challenged myself more and worked in bigger roles at more impressive companies?” If you get a heart attack tomorrow, how many people are going to come to your funeral? And what are they going to say?

The rat race is that voice that is saying that we are not enough, not doing enough, and not successful enough.

The constant barrage of self-promotion that is associated with the rat race has caused us to live in a world with an abundance of mediocre content (this article might be part of that trend; you decide). When’s the last time you read something really meaningful? Or took the time to really think through a difficult (maybe even non-work related) problem?

When’s the last time you really connected deeply with another human being? How many people did you pass this morning on your way to work? How many of them did you really see? Here’s a question: What’s the name of the receptionist or security person in your office? You know, the one you see every day as you come in…

Why the rat race? Because we created a “Winner Takes Most” world. 

The network effects caused by technological progress have created a world where the multipliers of success grow exponentially when you get closer to the top. Being successful no longer means you are twice as well off as your median fellow citizen, it means you are ten to one hundred times as well off.

Here’s a side story: Some time ago my brother-in-law visited his daughter who lives in Manhattan and they went out to dinner. As a starter she ordered arancini (Italian deep fried rice balls filled with cheese and crusted with bread crumbs). They cost $15 for three rice balls. Including taxes and tips that turns into about $20 by the time you pay the bill. FOR THREE DEEP FRIED RICE BALLS WITH CHEESE ON THE INSIDE! At the federal minimum wage of $7.25 that means there are a lot of people out there who need to work one hour to eat one of these deep fried rice balls.

My brother in law thought this was crazy. My niece (super smart and always practical) said: “Well, that’s what they cost, so either I have them at this price, or not at all”, to which my brother-in-law answered: “That’s why we got Trump; because we have no problem paying $20 for three rice balls the size of a big marble but at the same time the vast majority of people in this country can maybe afford to eat out at their local Olive Garden once a year.

We are all the victims of “Winner Takes Most”. The difference between being a software engineer at FAANG and a software engineer in your city’s government is the difference between a very highly paid job with a great lifestyle or a lifestyle which is a decidedly more modest. And in a world of crumbling local infrastructure, the social security fund running dry (in 2033 apparently), rising healthcare costs, and ever more expensive education, you probably feel you need that high paying job in order to live well, feel comfortable, be secure, and set up your kids with a decent start in life. And you are not wrong in that.

Unfortunately the economy is a pyramid and it is getting crowded at the top. Companies in the top of that economy are very aware that they are offering a great deal to their (future) employees and that they have their choice of great people to hire.

Cue incredible competition and the rat race. But remember, even if you win the rat race, you are still a rat, and you are probably going to be very tired. Personally I am exhausted.

I have no solution for this phenomenon, but I feel for the younger generation. The pressure on them is enormous.

For the lucky few who can read Dutch I can recommend this article: Having a career before you’re 50 is stupid, don’t do it! 🙂

That’s it for this week. It's a bit of a depressing read, I know. Sorry.