Don’t let others dictate how your life will go. I was actually going through a communications training on LinkedIn learning for work yesterday, and the instructor says something very interesting. When it comes to feedback, you have to know whose feedback you care about. She suggested you take criticism from only two people/groups:
Your boss
Anyone you ask for feedback
In other words, fuck unsolicited feedback (ironically, like this comment!). When it comes to being competitive in the job market, you do need to know somewhat how you “measure up”, but that isn’t an accurate valuation of you, as a person.
Edit: (sorry, had to leave mid thought)
I want to use an analogy from Destiny 2 here. Our clan does a lot of raids, and I’ve gotten a handful of raid seals. The clan has grown a lot, so we’ve regularly been taking people on their first runs. They’re complete blueberries, but they’re usually really eager to learn. When we look at damage numbers at a boss, we don’t make a big deal out of people having low damage. Maybe they had just a million compared to my 4 million, but it’s still significant – and with how often I whiff shots and supers, I’m sometimes right there by them.
We never require someone to play a particular class, and we’ll offer recommendations on element but we won’t force them. They could be blasting with Arc Titan thundercrash without cuirass, while there’s a cracked damage combo going on for Solar Titan, and we don’t care. So long as people are enjoying themselves. The more experienced of us will cover for any deficiencies. It’d be embarrassing if we couldn’t do that.
What does any of this have to do with jobs and comparing yourself to others? There are some job requirements that are inescapable, like how you need Lightfall to do Root of Nightmares, and a certain minimum light level. But as long as those are met, you don’t need to worry about how your resume (or boss damage) compares to others. You just play to your strengths and do your best to contribute. Odds are, what you bring to the table is still uniquely helpful in some way, just like how a Solar Warlock might bring Well. The Warlock’s damage is going to pale against that Arc Hunter with Stareaters, but the Warlock’s healing through Well is immensely helpful for the team.
It’s like that with jobs too. Say you don’t have a lot of technical knowledge, and you’re applying for a technical job – if you’ve got a lot of experience out working in the field, and the job group has a lot of implementation issues, you’re going to bring an incredibly helpful perspective and knowledge.
Hopefully something in that stream of consciousness resonated with you. Walk in the Light, my fellow guardian.