'Your career was never meant to be your life': Ankur Warikoo has a message for every professional grinding through hustle culture

In a world where our introductions often begin with “I’m a designer” or “I’m an analyst,” entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo has reminded professionals that a job title is merely a chapter, not the whole book. In a reflective LinkedIn post, he urged followers to “normalize not building your identity around a career,” a message that has resonated widely with working professionals questioning the culture of relentless hustle.

“Your career isn’t your identity”
Warikoo’s post explores two distinct ways people perceive their careers. The first, he said, is the trap of defining success purely through paychecks, designations, and company names. The second—and healthier—approach, he added, is seeing one’s career as just a part of life, a tool to earn, learn, and evolve.

“Work should fuel your growth, not consume your identity. It should supplement your life, not substitute for it,” he wrote, emphasizing that fulfillment lies in building multiple identities—as creators, thinkers, travelers, and dreamers—rather than being confined to professional labels.

Netizens react: “Careers are vehicles, not destinations”
The post quickly sparked conversation on LinkedIn, with users applauding Warikoo’s perspective. One commenter noted, “Too many of us build our identity around our LinkedIn title, forgetting that work is meant to fund our dreams, not define them.” Another added, “Our careers are vehicles, not destinations. The moment we see them as the only thing that defines us, we stop growing in every other direction.”

The sentiment reflects a growing fatigue with equating worth to productivity—a phenomenon intensified by digital workspaces and social media validation loops.

Experts agree the hustle culture has gone too far
Warikoo’s thoughts echo similar insights from Simone Stolzoff, workplace expert and author of The Good Enough Job. In a recent TED Talk, Stolzoff questioned the emotional cost of tying identity too tightly to one’s profession.

“If you are what you do, and you lose your job—who are you?” he asked. He argued that modern work culture has blurred personal boundaries, making people more vulnerable to burnout and identity crises. His solution: create “time sanctuaries” in daily life where work is not an option, and fill those moments with activities that nurture one’s human, not professional, side.

Stolzoff urged professionals to engage in communities that “couldn’t care less” about titles or achievements. He cited playing pickup basketball as his personal reminder that life’s meaning extends far beyond economic value.

Both Warikoo and Stolzoff tap into a growing post-pandemic realization—that success without self-awareness leads to emptiness. The blurring of work-life boundaries during remote work years pushed many to reevaluate what truly matters.

As Warikoo aptly summarized, “Your career was never meant to be your life. Only a tool to help you live it.”