So, … What is the WORST career advice YOU ever received?
If you’re mid-career or later, then you’ve surely had someone share some bad career advice. It might have been a friend. A professor. A co-worker. A former boss. A mentor. Your spouse. A recruiter(!). Or … even your Mom! (I’ll tell my story about that incident another day!)
You may have taken the bad advice. OR NOT!
Regardless of the circumstance, you’ve probably heard some doozies. Joe Murphy recently cited ten (10) examples of “bad career advice”, and while it might not be the “Top 10 Worst” anybody could come up with, it is an interesting place to start the discussion. Here’s Joe’s list:
Not really a “consensus Top 10”; you may disagree with MANY of these!
DISCLAIMER: I should state that in Joe’s original LinkedIn post, he elaborates on each of these to add some context to each item on his list. Two (2) examples of “bad career advice” from Joe Murphy’s article and opinion, explaining his view:
(2) Don’t Aim So High (aka you may stress yourself out). From Fast Company magazine: “People will tell you not to be too ambitious and avoid learning or new opportunities. This idea usually reflects another’s insecurity and avoiding hard work. Be goal-directed in growing your career. We all die a little by not pushing ourselves to our limits to see what we can do.”
(7) Money is Not Important. “Oddly enough, the two (2) types of people who say this are: (1) The people who have lots of it and (2) The people who are in debt and continue to spend what they don’t have. Money is important. Be good at your work and the money follows. Be very good and the money flows.”
Personal Commentary
Much of this “Bad Career Advice” is … subjective. We’re not clones, and personal values can have a bearing on one’s opinions about “best practices” in pursuing your own career growth. We can agree or disagree with Joe’s list and his context, and frankly – I believe some items on his list need more qualifiers. But, that’s just me. That said, I DO want to comment further on the item #4 of “bad career advice”: Follow Your Passion.
I agree with Joe on this one being bad advice, but not necessarily with his reasoning.
A career of true contentment is not just about finding a job; it’s about finding a meaningful life. My approach encourages clients to identify their passions and goals outside their careers. These goals are often lifestyle-related and include family, relationships, hobbies, talents, volunteer work, and purpose. By pursuing these passions, my clients find financial success while also living a fulfilling life. If I hear a client talk about “buying himself (herself) a job”, then I know it’s time for a reset: He (she) needs to “lighten up”, and … get a life!
Summarizing: Career Ownership™ is about leveraging your work / venture / vocation as a “vehicle“ – nothing less and nothing more – to help you address the personal goals for which you SHOULD have passion! What do I mean by that? Here’s an example:
The Porta Potty Story
The Porta Potty story is a great example. Do you believe … really believe … that a successful owner of a Porta Potty business is passionate about … Porta Potties?
Uh, … No.
But, you can’t read this story, and tell me that this business owner is NOT fulfilled, or that he’s living some sort of life devoid of passion, and merely existing his way into senility. No, it’s quite the opposite: This owner leverages his business as a vehicle to move him toward his real goals in life.
Conversely, no one disputes that Steve Jobs changed the world. He freely admitted an obsessive passion for his work.
Nevertheless, we should all think twice about his lamentations as he reached the end of his life:
“In others’ eyes, my life is the epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy.” -Steve Jobs
These remarks by Steve Jobs (link) should remind us all of how (along with who / what / when / where / WHY!) we should pursue our life’s passions.
Okay, that’s enough about BAD Career Advice! Seek wise counsel, and get some “good career advice”!
To your success!
#careerchange #careertransition #entrepreneurship #jobsearch #businessownership