Is LinkedIn the New FOMO?

Graphic by Emma Novy

Some people get FOMO or feel insecure when they see their friends at a packed frat party or lounging on the beach in the Bahamas. You scroll past a girl posting with a big group of friends, or some guy from your COM107 class on your dream vacation, and think, “Dang, why can’t that be me?”

Me? I get that feeling when I doomscroll through LinkedIn.

At a school with programs as prestigious as Syracuse, it’s easy to feel like you haven’t accomplished enough. Even as a writer for multiple publications, an editor for one and member of several clubs, all in my freshman year, I still feel extremely behind.

Every post seems to read the exact same. Why is everyone so humble, yet thrilled to announce a new position every week? How are they even finding these opportunities? Reading lists of others’ internships, leadership roles and accomplishments makes your own résumé feel microscopic. I thought I’d begin planning for internships in my junior or senior year. How the heck are people in my classes landing them now?

In high school, comparison felt way more surface-level—who had more friends, who went out more, who had a boyfriend or girlfriend. Now, in college, it’s not about who’s having the craziest night or who's the most popular, but who is building a better future. Who is getting ahead? Who is really making a name for themselves? 

One thing I’ve learned in my first year of college is that this is a time to find your own path. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, and I’m trying to remind myself that this is the time to explore, not have everything figured out. I honestly don’t even know what I want to do. So, next time you feel like you haven’t done “enough” at 19 or 20 years old, remember everyone else probably feels the same way.