LinkedIn often feels like a virtual bragging room filled with curated announcements of internships, prestigious roles, and research accomplishments. Such highlight reels obscure the numerous rejections, burnout, and messy journeys behind each success. Many college women experience pressure and comparison while still figuring out careers, leading to anxiety about falling behind. Practical responses include limiting platform use to protect mental clarity, redefining success around passion, balance, and purpose rather than prestige, and seeking real-life conversations for meaningful career guidance. Pausing the scroll and creating personal definitions of success can foster clearer priorities and improved wellbeing.
Every time I open LinkedIn, I feel like I've walked into a virtual bragging room. "Excited to announce my internship at Google!" "Grateful to be a summer analyst at Goldman Sachs!" "Just published my third research paper on something I don't even fully understand!" And here I am, still in pajamas at 3:00 PM, eating ramen for "breakfast", and wondering if I'm falling behind.
In many ways, it has become another form of Instagram, where curated triumphs take center stage and the struggles behind them remain hidden. A highlight reel, some may say. No one posts about the dozens of rejection emails they got before landing that one opportunity. No one shares how burnt out they felt juggling school, work, and life. Behind every "announcement" is a messier, more human journey. And chances are, if you're feeling overwhelmed, you're not alone.
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