“a first-person work‑centric story of progress about an individual’s life course.”15 From this perspective, my career was not a series of jobs, but a high‑stakes proposition, one where falling behind felt like failure. My colleagues and I dealt with this pressure by constantly talking about potential career paths and “exit options.” This was helpful for someone new to this world like me. I could figure out how to stay in the inner ring by following the wisdom of my peers.
