do i lead with ambition? recently i did bookbear’s matchmaking survey. all in good fun on one date i was struck by how much we talked about ambition and power. he’s a startup founder who reads biographies on people in power, so it’s obvious where his stance was. an mentioned he’s looking to date someone with similar ambitions as him. in dc my friend sought out a theory — dudes tend to not share their weak ties with others, so they’re able to accumulate power within the workplace. how do i define ambition in the workplace?
- i ask my manager for more work and i’m told to slow down. there’s a fine line between wanting to rush ahead vs staying within the guard rails of big tech. i’m in fact probably lucky that my previous internships have all been self-driven and highly ownable, which almost makes the reality blow harder.
am i running on the hedonic treadmill/rat race? or am i settling for complacency?
feminist pov:
- i feel a different timeline in my career. having children is not top of mind but an unavoidable fact that i will face in my late 20s to 30s. and i want to grow as fast as i can before then cultural pov:
- i feel a pressure to succeed to a level past my dad, who capped out at md. i understand that growth at a structured company isn’t guaranteed, esp as a female asian in the workplace. in microsoft i dont see myself climbing to the top, as the people on my team are older yet only a few levels higher.
how do my peers handle this? cornell friends:
- lots are turning to side hobbies
- eg sean with music (most clearly intensive 5-9)
- bahar with singing
action items:
- could dual wield education & startup at the same time LOL
- immense pressure but i think id feel better taking time off for a startup
- apply to accelerator programs (eg )