Sarah Halle Corey
Everyone’s got an opinion, especially when it comes to careers. Whether you’re just starting out in the workforce or you’ve been punching the clock for decades, there will always be someone ready to dispense advice to you. That advice might not be solicited, or even helpful at all. But sure enough, somebody with an opinion will always be able to provide his or her two cents. People on Twitter are sharing the worst career advice they’ve ever been given, and they do not disappoint.
It all started when a psychologist, author, and podcaster named Adam Grant asked his Twitter followers, “What’s the worst career advice you’ve ever received?” He kicked off the conversation by sharing his own answer to his question. Grant said the worst advice he’s ever gotten is:
(1) Don’t waste your time helping others
(2) Drop 90% of your projects, because you can only do one at a time
(3) Don’t write a book”
What’s the worst career advice you’ve ever received?
Mine:
(1) Don’t waste your time helping others
(2) Drop 90% of your projects, because you can only do one at a time
(3) Don’t write a book— Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) July 13, 2019
It’s a good thing Grant didn’t follow that advice since he’s made a very successful career out of completing multiple projects and writing several books that help people. Grant is definitely not alone in having received some bad advice. The countless replies on Twitter definitely prove that there’s plenty of bad advice out there.
Some people were told to only focus on work when instead they found their life outside work to be the most satisfying.
Worst career advice I've ever received:
Choose a path and don't get distracted.My distractions (children, child/physician advocacy and writing) have become the the most fulfilling things I've done.
My advice: let yourself fall in love with your distractions. https://t.co/x8xRsKn0nM
— Mary Fernando MD (@MaryFernando_) July 14, 2019
A lot of people were told they had to work non-stop and have no life outside of work. This just sounds exhausting, honestly.
You should be working, at minimum, 80-100 hours a week. https://t.co/COZuAfmZnh
— Garrett Somers (@garrett_somers) July 13, 2019
Worst Career Advice I Ever Received:
1) Don't pursue your hobby. Hobbies aren't careers.
2) In order to be successful, you must be a "Yes Man" first and foremost.
3) Sacrificing your mental health is worth career success. https://t.co/BuiGEYFdMN— Heather Antos 🔜 Fan Expo San Francisco (@HeatherAntos) July 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/Jordanandre1/status/1150188403817926656
Often people are told they need high levels of education to complete their goals, which was just not true for them.
"You need a phd or masters to do [career goal]." ✌️ https://t.co/o6oDZmnk8Z
— Deirdre Connolly¹ (@durumcrustulum) July 14, 2019
And some people were told not to befriend their coworkers, which sounds like the road to a very sad, lonely existence.
The worst career advice I ever received was “your coworkers are not your friends”. What a waste. What a colossal waste I would have suffered if I had listened to that.
— Dushka Zapata (@DushkaAmateur) July 14, 2019
Then there are the people who got bad advice that was specific to their field. Some people had trouble predicting the future and decades ago thought the internet was just “a fad.”
https://twitter.com/davedoylemma/status/1150102310669996032
Other people were told they had to be mean in order to succeed in the sciences.
You have to be a bitch if you're a woman in organic chemistry https://t.co/CezDeAg7gg
— ⌬Nessa Carson (@SuperScienceGrl) July 13, 2019
Women in particular were frequently advised to quit their STEM careers.
"Don't waste your time with that science communication stuff." https://t.co/jCEDI0WuAK
— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) July 15, 2019
I should "focus on settling down and getting married, medicine should be my only full-time career and only a few people ever get to space so why bother?" (This was this morning btw). 🤷🏽♀️🤨 https://t.co/Ze6ffinfN7
— Dr. Shawna Pandya (@shawnapandya) July 14, 2019
Advice: Don't go into lung cancer, its a boys club.
Reality: The lung cancer community is lead by amazing women & men. Like Drs. @HwakeleeMD, @LeciaSequist, @HornLeora, @LealTiciana, Patel, Peters and many more.
Also #HeForShe like @JackWestMD, @GlopesMd, @ChristianRolfo… https://t.co/JrR8tQPW75
— Narjust Florez, MD, FASCO (@NarjustFlorezMD) July 15, 2019
Freelancers are often told they should find more secure jobs, but that’s not the case for a lot of folks.
worst career advice i’ve ever received:
1. staying in-house is better for you than freelancing. it’s hard out there and there’s no set path
2. there’s no money in video
3. settle for colleges you know you can get into https://t.co/OCK6t7BLsr— Atlas Acopian (@atlasacopian) July 14, 2019
And “go to college/grad school” turned out to be a pretttty bad career choice for many.
Go to university. https://t.co/NAxvbF5AQd
— Chris BoOoOaker (@Zacnaloen) July 15, 2019
"Go to uni, just do something you're interested in, it'll all fall into place afterwards " https://t.co/suuQfY0B2H
— Christopher (@youngbuckeen) July 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/JonTheHillbilly/status/1150518283700854784
Go to grad school. The academic job market is set to improve soon. https://t.co/DT1TnEqHyM
— 𝙳𝚛 𝙱𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚛 🇺🇦 (@AcerbicAcademic) July 14, 2019
"yOu cAnT dO aNyThInG wItHoUt a DeGrEe" …… "PeOpLe WhO dOnT gO tO CoLLEGe rIght aFteR High schOoL dOnt gO at All" ….. Stfu. https://t.co/TTXGEmg95Q
— Tamiah 🤙🏽 (@tjaxx_) July 15, 2019
Some celebrities even got involved in the Twitter conversation.
Monica Lewinsky, who very infamously was involved in a White House scandal during Bill Clinton’s presidency, addressed her work history with some self-aware humor.
an internship at the white house will be amazing on your resume. 😳
— Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) July 14, 2019
The truth is that every person’s work experience is different, and no single piece of advice is going to apply to everyone. At least now people are acknowledging that.
