Why Competition Is Bad For You
But great for everyone else.

For as long as you can remember, you’ve been told how great competition is. They’d tell you how it makes you sharper, stronger, and more humble. I’m here to tell you why that’s a load of donkey crap.
First, let’s look at why competition is good for everyone else. We’ll be looking at your boss, your industry, and your clients.
Your Boss
Your boss needs to hire someone. (S)he wants to hire the crème de la crème. How would that be done? By sifting through as many resumes and conducting as many interviews as possible. The more people that apply and compete for that position, the more likely your boss finds the best fit for the job. Not only that, it will be at the lowest price possible because your boss has all the leverage. Competition is great for your boss.
Your Industry
On a larger scale, the industry benefits tremendously when it’s leaders are able to hire better applicants as we’ve previously established. A saturated industry acquires cheaper and better workers. In my field, the quality of pharmacists has indisputably risen while the average salary has plummeted to its all-time low. Yet, the industry has expanded year after year as our scope of practice expands and our schools continue to churn out thousands of new pharmacists annually. Competition is great for your industry.
Your Customers
This will hold true whether you serve customers, patients, or clients — they will receive better products and services for a lower price. All businesses in a saturated industry behave this way to stay competitive. The level of care that patients receive in a pharmacy has never been more comprehensive, and most of these services are completely free of charge. Competition is great for your customers.
And Then There’s You
You spend years slaving away in school and finally graduate with honors. Your family hosts a graduation dinner party to let all your cousins know that you’ve made it. You take a month off to relax before transitioning into adulthood. After partying for a month straight, you feel guilty and start looking for a job. You apply to 5 jobs that day. Crickets — it’s like screaming into the void. Someone tells you that 5 a day isn’t enough. You double, even triple your output. Hundreds of applications later, you finally get an offer and you accept on the spot.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
You spend the next 5 years being overqualified and underpaid for your work. If this is you, you’re not alone. And the reason why you’re not is because everyone in your field is in the same position. You’re competing with each other and you’re all losing.
Is This Fair?

It doesn’t matter. This is supply and demand. A force that you cannot do anything about. A force that you’ve suffered and benefited from. You’ve paid premium for a flight in August and pennies for that dress you’ve been eyeing at the clearance sale. Everyone is subject to the market forces.
Can I Beat It?
Of course you can. Be the premium flight, not the cheap dress. Position yourself to be in demand by supplying something that is under-supplied or, better yet, not supplied. Your goal should be to monopolize, not compete.
Create a monopoly.
Provide something so revolutionary that you’re in a league of your own. This is one extreme that has high risks, but high rewards. In most cases, you won’t have anyone to learn from because your journey is unique. It’s even more daunting if you find mentors that have previously tried and failed. Smaller risks are equally worth taking for those who are less adventurous. Instead of reinventing the wheel, take an existing system and tweak it to fit your strengths. Differentiate just enough to put yourself in a unique category. No matter how niche, someone will appreciate your originality more than your boss appreciates your conformity.

I had previously written 5 Reasons Why Pharmacists Are Miserable where I concluded with a strong point on why all pharmacists should take a chance. If your industry is in a similar situation, then I highly suggest you adopt our attitude of exploring and discovering alternative opportunities. Your dream job might be your next one.

