For some people, their choice of occupation is crucial to their identity. This is not surprising, since the average person spends around a third of their life at a job.
In some ways, it makes sense that a job is so important. After all, anything you spend so much time doing is automatically important. With the possible exception of your immediate family, your co-workers may very well be the people you spend the most time with.
Moreover, you might be talking about your job often.
If you meet a stranger, one of the first questions you ask each other might be, “What do you do?” The answer helps the two of you determine how much you have in common and might influence your subsequent conversation.
Similarly, respective jobs are frequently the topic of conversation among spouses or romantic partners. After all, if you care for someone, you want to know how they spend their time, and how other people might treat them.
So a job is important. But is it healthy to base your identity on it?
After all, different people have different reasons for working. Some might work just to pay their mortgage, while others might be trying to make the world a better place. As the saying goes: some work to live; others live to work. Are both types of people defined by the job they do?
And if you lose that job, through no fault of your own, do you cease to have an identity in much the same way that you might lose your health insurance?
In your case, does your job impact your sense of self? If so, should it?
Related questions: Who are you? What do you like most about your job? What are ways to achieve work-life balance? How does your personal life influence your work life?