5 popular pieces of career advice that are actually really terrible.

Most people mean well. They really do. But every so often I get given some bad piece of advice that is just awful. Even so, social media and the internet are awash with ‘inspirational’ and clichéd sayings that, when translated into real life, are cringe-worthy at best and deceiving at worst.

Here are 4 popular pieces of career advice, that are actually rather terrible.

1.   Follow your heart

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The truth is, your gut intuition isn’t always right. There are times when doing something feels so good and so right but ends up being the exact opposite of what is good or productive in the long run. Like that time in college when I thought I’d make a great architect because I was good at drawing. It didn’t matter that I sucked at physics, it felt so right. Thankfully, a level-headed teacher talked me out of it. Needless to say, there are times when your thoughts and feelings will totally betray you.

So, you know what? Sometimes I don't follow my heart. Sometimes I have to tell my feelings to “hush child, I’m thinking” and reason. Is it hard? Yes. But feelings can be biochemical illusions and so not everything you think or feel is real or a reflection of reality.

Now I’m not saying do the opposite of what your heart is telling you everytime (e.g. take that job in that industry you absolutely hate) I’m just saying that making a decision solely on how you’re feeling isn’t reliable at all. Sometimes your heart lies to you.

Imagine if we all just did what we felt like in our careers? Some of us might never leave our beds. Imagine if Mozart just didn’t feel like putting his practice in, or Leonardo Da Vinci decided he’d rather spend time chilling than painting or Nelson Mandela thought, “hmmm this whole fighting-for-equality-thing is a bit too tough” … you get the picture.

Following your ‘gut’ and what you feel like doing isn’t the basis of a good decision and can limit your potential for greatness.

2. Que sera sera, Whatever will be, will be

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Bonus points to you if you managed to read that without bursting into song (I failed).

On a serious note, this one baffles me. It also manifests itself in the words “just see how it goes”. People often say this when you’re at crossroads and need to make a decision.

To answer your very valid worries with “just see how it goes” to me, is the lazy way of saying “This worry isn’t valid enough for me to actually help you come up with a solution” aka “meh”.

It’s like your house burning down and your neighbour tells you to “just chill”. Doesn’t really cut it, does it?

The advice also disarms you and implies that there is nothing you can do about your situation; just go through life and let things happen to you. I’ve heard it said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to that (ok, so the data geek within me is like “well did you test this in a randomised control trial? How did you control for variables? Were the results statistically significant?’ ;) ). To an extent YOU have power, YOU have control. Use it. Leverage it to find a neighbour who will actually help you call the fire brigade and shut that fire down.

3. You can be anything you want to be

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Ok, so this one is usually used by parents trying to inspire their child. And i’m not knocking that. I think every child should be instilled with a ‘can-do’ positive attitude towards life (because the opposite very rarely yields good results).

But whilst human beings have tremendous resilience and the ability to shatter records and boundaries, sometimes limitations need to be acknowledged. Lets take my physics example; I sucked at physics at school. Take it this way; I loved physics but physics didn’t love me. It ditched me for someone younger and prettier than me. So no matter how much effort I put into it, I was always just average. I willed myself to be a mini Marie Curie genius and imagined studying complex theoretical models at university…but the hard reality was that it was not my strength. On the other hand, I excelled in every humanities class without even trying; history, geography, religious education, sociology, english but i still didn’t appreciate that. I wanted physics. Physics was prestigious. Physics was hard. Physics showed I was somebody. So I spent my time focusing on a subject that didn’t come naturally to me.

Could I have been a physics genius if i tried harder? Maybe…but probably not. But you know what? Its very likely that it would have made an even better humanities genius (whatever that looks like??).

What I’m saying is, sure you can do anything you want to do, but doesn’t it make more sense to focus on what you’ll be amazing at rather than just average? Why settle at being a mediocre Maths teacher when you can be an inspirational Spanish teacher who helps students really connect with the language?

Can you see how this piece of advice may be true but isn’t actually useful? Sure, you can do anything you want to do, but that’s not always the best option. Possibility doesn’t always mean necessity; Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should.

4. Do what you love

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So…most people’s list of “things I love to do” usually goes something like…watching movies, eating out, hanging out with friends. Now sure, there are professional ice-cream tasters and movie critics, but, realistically how many people earn a living doing these kinds of things?

The truth is, being passionate about something isn’t enough to forge a career in it. Its incredibly rare that one gets to make a living from what they “love doing”. Also, think about some of the things you were into 10 years ago? WWF? Skateboarding? Make-up? Some things are fads and what you are interested in one day isn’t necessarily going to pique your interest in the years to follow.

So what would a better piece of advice be? Do something that you are really good at. Go for it 100% and be one of the best. Once you’re so good, you’re going to love it because you’re so good at it. 

5. Get an education

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If I had a penny for every time this was said to me…

I think us as millennials know that a degree doesn’t mean a dream job. Shoot, it doesn’t even mean a job. With the rising cost of degrees and their abundant supply (everyone has one), it’s clear that it no longer makes you competitive on the job market. 

We have so many graduates who can recite complex theories but how many can use an excel spreadsheet? How many know how to code? How many know how to negotiate? All those BA’s and BSc’s and MA’s but no actual skill. Instead university can leave you in masses of debt, under-skilled and under-prepared for life.

Its important to note that we’ve come to a point in history where, because of the internet, education is easily accessible and can even be free. Education doesn’t only mean being boxed into the four walls of an ivy league university…its meeting people, learning practical skills, exploring and reading widely. There are so many wonderful jobs you can get out of school if you grab some work experience and hustle. The key question is, can you get where you want to get to without an education? If the answer is yes, then skip the debt and aim for the prize. If you do decide to go to university, choose your subject well and pile up on extracurricular activities. If you leave university with only just a degree, you’re going to struggle.

So...that PhD my parents are expecting? Sorry Dad, not going to happen.

Ok, rant over. What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received? or…given!