will making a study abroad tiktok harm my investment banking career?

i’m an american studying abroad next semester in europe. i thought it would be fun to have a study abroad tiktok page posting pictures of places i traveled to. i plan on traveling to a new city/country every weekend (skiing in the alps, riding camels in morocco, etc). i want it to serve as a something for me to look back to and remember about studying abroad in another country. i also planned to make it public so other people could follow along my journey. so i told my parents my idea, and they said that it will harm me in the future because if i want to be someone respected in finance, i shouldn’t leave an online presence. posting on social media only gives people the opportunity to see into my life and judge me. plus, they said i might regret posting these pictures publicly in the future. they also said that since i’m not trying to make money or become an influencer, this tiktok page would add no value and can only damage my reputation. for context, i have a summer ib internship lined up at a top firm next summer and plan on going into finance after college.

i feel like they’re overreacting, but their words really weighed on me about the consequences a study abroad tiktok page will have on my future career. writing this post out makes me think that this all sounds pretty ridiculous, but part of me really wants to do it, but the other part is scared that what my parents told me will come true.

 here are the 3 choices i can make:

  1. don’t make a tiktok page
  2. make a private tiktok page for friends
  3. make a public tiktok page

so, my ultimate question is what should i do? are my parents overreacting, or do they have a point? am i overthinking everything since its 3:14am? please let me know your advice!

also if you have any study abroad tips and places to visit in europe, please comment any suggestions!

7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I understand and even respect your concern since it clearly signals forward thinking and self awareness. That said, what I’ve learned in this job is that if you let it control you, it will. It’s so easy to not even realize that you’ve become a shell of your former self since this industry constrains you.

I say all this to say: don’t let fear of perception thwart the life you deserve to live. You’ve worked hard and earned the right to be in this position, and if someone hypothetically were to judge you, there will be 10+ others to applaud you in their place. Those who judge are miserable since they allowed the job to control them, and envy those who managed to break the shackles.

Just my $0.02 – life your life man and don’t look back. Be happy.

 

This seems pretty innocuous tbh but if you really want to be safe just take your firm off your LinkedIn (if it’s on there).

Remember the cardinal law of the land: you may aura farm on TikTok or LinkedIn, but not both at the same time.

 

Honestly, we cant tell you without knowing what you intend to post. You want to go sightseeing and make posts in the alps, going to Rome or Vienna? Yeah do it. Its beautyful cities. Share it.  You wanna go party and show off how many girls you can get and hook up with? Might not be the best choice.

 

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