Friends with big jobs

[Anonymous]

We have gotten to the age where all of our friends are Director, VPs, Partners, etc. It is a mind f*ck that we are now all the bosses. I feel like just the other day we were all in undergrad and grad school getting our first jobs and living in group houses. Now we are all parents, with big time jobs and stress. Was just in LinkedIn and this thought hit me when I keep seeing new job notices and positions that my friends have.

[Anonymous]

Who cares. I really don’t care what people do to make money.

OP you sound so high school honestly!

[Anonymous]

The most humble brag of them all. Congrats OP!

[Anonymous]

Yep, we are now the adults in the room. It's a weird feeling. I still think I'm 25. And yet, I'm not. My parents are dead. I no longer have a mortgage, the kids are are launching. It's the next phase and it just feels strange still.

The good is that we all move into these phases together and can relate to what we're each going through. I have friends from college and we are very open with each other. We talk about challenges at work, challenges with kids and parents, issues with money. Someone in my circle of friends has faced my problem before. And if you're the first one to experience it, we support you since we know we'll need your guidance later.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I still feel like im about 30. But im 42, with a boring but responsibility filled management job. Some of my friends have truly cool jobs though and are experts in their fields.

[Anonymous]

It’s not surprising. Most people who advance in corporate jobs come from UMC circles and this would be your friends way back when. Social mobility in US is worse than most western nations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_United_States?wprov=sfti1

[Anonymous]

I have a very close friend who has always worked in government but on the political side (the hill, appointee positions in two admins). I didn’t realize how important she was until she was at our house and had to step out to take a call. I asked if all was well when she got back and she said it was the Secretary of State calling (obviously she said it much more discreetly but did fess up). And to think our conversations revolve around bargain shopping and high school homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a very close friend who has always worked in government but on the political side (the hill, appointee positions in two admins). I didn’t realize how important she was until she was at our house and had to step out to take a call. I asked if all was well when she got back and she said it was the Secretary of State calling (obviously she said it much more discreetly but did fess up). And to think our conversations revolve around bargain shopping and high school homework.

Who the f pesters someone about a work call? And who they were talking to?

“Everything all right?”
“Just work calling.”
<end scene>

[Anonymous]

All hail OP the Executive!

[Anonymous]

Meh - honestly I find being a director at 40 or partner or whatever just a reflection of basic intelligence, hard work, and competence. Most of my friends have been in their industry for 15 - 20 years at this point and have reached that level, it is not particularly impressive. I'd like to think if I had been doing the same type of thing in the same type of industry and had decent brains and work ethic I would be at that level in whatever path I took. The only people I know who aren't at that level floundered or could not work hard or learn to write well or do xxx, or they went into professions that do not really have that type of movement, like classroom teaching, nursing, etc. I think not being at that level at this age while being in that type of industry is a red flag.

[Anonymous]

I know what you mean. I am about to turn 40 and woke up one day to discover me and my peers were middle-aged parents in charge at work. I think it reinforces those people you may have looked upon as so knowledgeable and important and infallible early in your career were mostly hardworking, overtaxed adults who put their pants on one leg at a time just like you did.

[Anonymous]

I get what you mean OP. I have friends with all sorts of jobs. I was recently promoted to a VP role and it was a bit of a "wait how am I old enough to have enough experience for this role?". I think it's just that general late 30s "oh God I'm old" realizations. I had the same feeling when DS told me about a new artist and I got into their music and then realized I was old enough to be their mom!

[Anonymous]

I understand what you mean. I'm at the age where all of my law school class is becoming partners, and I still see us as we were 10 years ago in school. It doesn't feel like we are old enough to be in charge, but we are.

[Anonymous]

I think I might be odd but I never have these feelings. I am 40 and I finally feel like I'm the right age. I think I was a boring middle aged mom at heart all along.

[Anonymous]

GenX here.

Your Baby Boomer parents are finally, maybe retiring. They should have retired years ago

GenX should be in those roles, and now we finally are. We're in our 50s.

If you think you aren't old enough with enough experience, it's probably because you aren't. It's not imposter syndrome. There simply aren't enough GenXers to replace the Baby Boomers.

Elder Millennials are getting a chance earlier than GenXers.