Steve Jones - SSC Editor (4/16/2013)
DavidL (4/16/2013)
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Thinking of me as a consumer product is what I find distasteful.
This does not mean I think it is not valuable to be active professionally, etc. etc. It also does not mean I am opposed to showing who I am, or that I do not appreciate the richness and variety of people.
I think the tendency (in this country, particularly) to see life through the lens of commerce is growing, and is very limiting. That is what I find de-humanizing.
I can see that. However I'd say this is an awakening. You took the blue pill.
We should have always viewed ourselves as a self-employed set of skills we lease to employers. The idea of lifelong employment, while this used to be fairly accurate for many in the past, wasn't really true. Employers can easily let you go at any time, for many reasons. Having a "brand" that you can then market for the next "contract" is valuable.
Personally I find my branding efforts enlightening. I learn about myself based on what I do. It's data, and I can look at what I write about, how my tag cloud changes, and which things I'm most excited by. They weren't the thinks I would have guessed when I started.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'this is an awakening'.
I've had many different jobs, even careers, in the last 30 years, in 4 different countries. Each of those countries have VERY different approaches to work/life balance, and I would say the U.S. is on one end of the spectrum. I am not naive about my position as a worker, and I do keep an eye out for what is likely to help or hinder me if suddenly have to find a new job.