i feel like a lot of younger/student designers follow me on here and this has been on my mind for a while and i think y'all should hear this: it's okay to not have the perfect internship/job experience !!

often, i think the tech industry sells a very specific, alluring narrative to students: work on impactful projects, enjoy what you do, have agency over your work, feel immensely fulfilled in your day-to-day, etc. which i think some new grads genuinely experience, which is great

i'm here to tell you that there are a ton of people who _don't_ necessarily enjoy what they work on, sometimes feel unsupported/frustrated. it's ok to feel like you're not doing your best work, or to feel generally stuck. and to feel isolated and lost.

it's ok to cry w ur camera off during meetings or cry with it on during a 1:1 with your manager. it happens *a lot* than you'd think!

we are sold a very romanticized idea of what working in tech can sometimes look like (and it's very cool when reality is aligned with that) but a lot of the times that isn't the case and that's ok

i think we should stop normalizing the idea that so much of our fulfillment and life satisfaction should be rooted in our output and performance, or that we need to idolize people that do. it's unsustainable and toxic

i really like ezra klein's podcast ep on "work as identity, burnout as lifestyle" which details the way our generation feels pressured to constantly perform our work and leisure! give it a listen

obviously if you are struggling with any of these things, i hope you are in a position to feel comfortable enough reach out to the necessary folks who can help you. and i'm always happy to chat sending u all a lot of love!