# Most useless Career advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820 "2002-07-19T15:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/1 "2002-07-19T15:28:27Z")
Around 10 years ago, when I was leaving the first job that I got right out of college, my former boss sat me down to impart his sage advice on why I would not succeed in business. In short, he felt that I needed to spend more time keeping my work area tidy. He was very earnest and thought that I would not succeed until I learned this skill. During this year’s annual review (which occurred yesterday) I harkened back to this earnest bit of advice. Although I never did learn to keep my workplace tidy, I still get good reviews year after year, regardless of where I work. To amuse myself, when my boss came to the “areas for improvement” portion of my review, I suggested that he include that I need to learn to keep my work area tidy. He gave me an odd look and said “why the bloody heck (he’s british) would I care about that? I’m paying for your software expertise, not for your housekeeping skills.” So, what useless advice have you recieved over the years? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/2 "2002-07-19T16:39:14Z")
Plastics! ---
**Author:** ![MachV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@MachV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachV)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/3 "2002-07-19T17:18:34Z")
Well, I was once told that if I found six people that wanted to be independently wealthy, and they each found four people who wanted to be independently wealthy, and they each found two people who wanted to be…well, you get the idea… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/4 "2002-07-20T01:53:48Z")
From my dear uncle: “You don’t need that ed-jew-cation! The enameling plant is hiring!” QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/5 "2002-07-20T05:58:26Z")
LOL. QtM, did you listen? ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Rubin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billy_rubin/32/3622_2.png) [@Billy\_Rubin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Rubin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/6 "2002-07-20T13:26:19Z")
The president of our company actually believes that sitting alone in our cubicles wearing dockers rather than sitting alone in our cubicles wearing jeans makes us more professional. After all, nobody worthwhile has ever worn denim. Every morning when I dress I plan a new way to strangle him. b. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/7 "2002-07-20T14:36:09Z")
From a teacher in high school… “Make yourself indispendible” If they can’t do without you… then you can’t be PROMOTED! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/8 "2002-07-20T14:46:03Z")
I valid point GrizzRich and one that too many people forget. ---
**Author:** ![mmeblueberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@mmeblueberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmeblueberry)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/9 "2002-07-20T19:55:45Z")
I attend a university that is well-known for its engineering, computer science, and management programs, but I am going into education. I came up with a rough draft of a resume and took it to the Career Services office so the “professionals” could critique it for me. I was told, “You need to quantify everything. In this part where you talk about student teaching, say something like, ‘Taught more students than any other teacher in seven weeks.’” Right–I’m sure THAT’S what administrators are looking for! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/10 "2002-07-20T21:01:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mmeblueberry \* > \*\*… I was told, “You need to quantify everything. In this part where you talk about student teaching, say something like, ‘Taught more students than any other teacher in seven weeks.’” Right–I’m sure THAT’S what administrators are looking for! \*\* LOL. And exactly how would you be able to prove this? Go with your gut mmeblueberry, a claim like that would be laughed at. ---
**Author:** ![Loneraven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@Loneraven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loneraven)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/11 "2002-07-20T21:50:00Z")
I got ambushed by my career adviser today. “Raven, you need to show some respect! You’ll get nowhere in life if you don’t start filling your absence slips in now!” ---
**Author:** ![madcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@madcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madcat)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/12 "2002-07-21T16:15:08Z")
First day of a graduate-level Statistics class: Prof walks up & leans over me & screams: "What the _FUCK_ are _YOU_ doing in here!!!??? Don’t you realize you’re stealing this seat from a man who actually _NEEDS_ to be educated as something beyond the _FUCKING HOUSEWIFE_ **YOU SHOULD ALREADY BE**!!??? it’s these little moments of enougagement that mean so much ---
**Author:** ![Father\_of\_Loki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/13edae/32.png) [@Father\_of\_Loki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Father_of_Loki)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/13 "2002-07-21T17:33:04Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by madcat \* \*\*First day of a graduate-level Statistics class: Prof walks up & leans over me & screams: "What the _FUCK_ are _YOU_ doing in here!!!??? Don’t you realize you’re stealing this seat from a man who actually _NEEDS_ to be educated as something beyond the _FUCKING HOUSEWIFE_ **YOU SHOULD ALREADY BE**!!??? Trying to figure out what to do with my life, I went and had a career assessment done. The #1 pick that came up for me was ‘professor’. (Really.) So off I went to university, to become a professor. When I came face to face with a bunch of them - particularly some of the department heads - I realized I didn’t want to be a professor. I wouldn’t have been able to put up with their heifer dust. (And probably vice-versa.) Btw - The one stats prof I had (a nice guy) always called into question the validity of much of statistics. FoL ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/14 "2002-07-21T19:03:48Z")
And on the flip side, from one of my undergrad professors: “You should certainly go to grad school, because we need more talented women in high-level faculty positions. You see, when there are more women professors, they’ll realize how silly these sexual harrassment rules are – did you know nineteen-year-old males are at their sexual peak? – and we can finally get them repealed so _they_ can take advantage of their students.” I _think_ he was joking. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/15 "2002-07-21T19:42:50Z")
The only piece of career advice my father ever gave me – as an alternative to going to college; “You should learn to play a musical instrument, so when you’re out of a job, you can make money playing for tips at a bar.” I suppose it’s correct in absolute terms, but it wasn’t very encouraging at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Spoonbender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spoonbender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoonbender)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/16 "2002-07-21T19:58:57Z")
“Do what you love, the money will follow.” How, exactly, does one get paid for lying on one’s ass? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/17 "2002-07-21T21:47:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > > Btw - The one stats prof I had (a nice guy) always called into question the validity of much of statistics. > > FoL \*\* 86% of all statistics are made up. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-useless-career-advice/119820/18 "2002-07-21T23:44:54Z")
My high school careers counsellor came up with this gem: “Girls, marry someone who is very old and very rich”