Why Students Should Stop Comparing Their Timeline to Everyone Else

The Career Pressure Students Quietly Carry

During our interview with senior aerospace engineer Baktash Hamzehloo, one underlying theme appeared throughout many parts of the conversation:

Students today are under constant pressure to feel "behind."

Behind in:

• Experience
• Money
• Internships
• Skills
• Networking
• Career progress

And according to Baktash, comparison has become one of the biggest distractions preventing students from focusing on their actual growth.

Because many students are measuring themselves against people whose full stories they do not even understand.

Why Social Media Distorts Career Reality

Today, students constantly see:

• Young founders
• Startup success stories
• Luxury lifestyles
• "Perfect" LinkedIn profiles
• Career announcements
• High salaries at young ages

But according to Baktash, students rarely see:

• The years behind the success
• Family support systems
• Previous opportunities
• Failures
• Timing
• Luck
• Sacrifices

As a result, students start believing:

I'm behind.

even when they are progressing normally.

The Problem With Constant Comparison

One of the biggest dangers of comparison is that it shifts students away from long-term thinking.

Instead of asking:

Am I improving?

students start asking:

Am I ahead of everyone else?

That mindset creates:

• Anxiety
• Impatience
• Poor career decisions
• Burnout
• Short-term thinking

And according to Baktash, careers are not races with identical timelines.

People develop at different speeds depending on:

• Opportunities
• Financial situations
• Personal growth
• Interests
• Experience
• Industry exposure

Real-World Example

Imagine two students graduating at the same time.

Student A

• Gets an impressive internship immediately
• Appears highly successful online
• Seems "ahead"

Student B

• Takes longer to develop confidence
• Builds skills gradually
• Learns consistently
• Improves year after year

At first, Student A may appear far more successful.

But after 5–10 years, Student B may build a much stronger and more sustainable career because they focused on real development instead of external comparison.

That's the long-term perspective Baktash repeatedly emphasized throughout the interview.

Why Growth Is Not Linear

Another important idea from the interview was that careers evolve unpredictably.

Some people:

• Start slowly and accelerate later
• Discover their strengths later
• Change industries
• Develop confidence gradually

And according to Baktash, students should not panic simply because their path looks different from someone else's.

Because long-term success depends far more on:

• Consistency
• Adaptability
• Learning ability
• Curiosity
• Persistence

than short-term appearances.

Where Students Can Apply This Today

Students can reduce unhealthy comparison by focusing more on:

• Personal progress
• Skill development
• Long-term growth
• Real understanding
• Building strong habits

Instead of obsessing over:

• Titles
• Social media
• Other students' timelines
• External validation

One useful question students can ask themselves is:

Am I stronger than I was six months ago?

That mindset creates healthier and more sustainable growth.

Why This Matters Professionally

Comparison often pushes students into careers or decisions that do not actually fit them.

For example:

• Chasing salaries without interest
• Choosing industries for prestige only
• Following trends blindly
• Ignoring personal strengths

But according to Baktash, students who focus on authentic growth and self-awareness usually build more sustainable careers long-term.

Because they are building based on reality—not pressure.

The Bigger Lesson

Careers are not built overnight.

And according to Baktash, students who stop obsessing over everyone else's timeline often gain a huge advantage because they can focus their energy on what actually matters:

• Learning
• Improving
• Adapting
• Building real capability over time

Because long-term growth almost always beats short-term comparison.

Credit & Interview Source

This article is based on insights shared during our interview with Baktash Hamzehloo, where he discussed student growth, career pressure, long-term development, adaptability, and the mindset students need to build sustainable success in competitive industries.