It is argued that an environment with a lot of heavy competition serves a good purpose for both studying and working. While I agree with the corresponding statement, I believe that it is crucial to discuss both pros and cons of finding yourself to be in constant competition with someone in your workplace and school or university.
On the one hand, competition is an essential part of our growth as we get motivation to get better and better by comparing ourselves with others and realizing the gap between where we and somebody else stand. Moreover, competition allows us to develop some traits that are believed to be crucial for navigating the modern society, such as directness, assertiveness, and ability to make quick decisions as people try to upgrade their position in a competitive environment. For instance, plenty of modern universities integrate the rating system and rewards for being at the top of it to motivate students to work harder and learn better, as well as increase their discipline and become better versions of who we are and can potentially be.
On the other hand, competition in work and study fields can be detriment to our mental health. Generally, constantly comparing your own ways of studying or working to someone else’s standing in this regard can become very unhealthy and make us doubt our own abilities, while also lowering a person’s self-esteem. Furthermore, there is a chance of people losing themselves in the process of permanently competing with their coworkers or classmates, as they start acting in ways that can potentially harm their relationships and worsen their soft skills that are very important for finding their own place in modern society. For example, plenty of people that work in big companies (such as SBER, Yandex, etc.) report that striving for higher positions in their workplace and trying to outdo their coworkers led them to performing worse and managing their work less efficiently, as they put more focus on finding where they fall short compared to the people they work with, and thus growing more paranoid about their position in the social hierarchy.
In conclusion, while heavily competitive environment in study or work fields can stimulate people to become better versions of their own selves, it is impossible to ignore the drawbacks that come with it, such as mental health decline and never-ending comparisons. I believe that it is crucial to always strive for the balance and never forget that all of us are first and foremost humans and not sharks swimming in a sea.