Five Scary Pieces of Career Advice

This is the time for all things scary but what you always want to avoid is scary advice that can derail your job opportunities and career.

Perhaps you’ve received some of the advice below (or maybe even offered it) but you’ll want to think carefully before you take it to heart.

Do what you love. This sounds great at first but should be taken with some caveats. Loving what you do also needs to be able to provide you with a sustainable income to live. You might love playing video games or taking pictures of your cat but only a few people make a living with those ventures. You might also love something you’re not particularly gifted or skilled at. Sometimes the work we do is difficult and hard to like but you’re able to use your strengths and skills to make a difference. By all means, if you can do what you love and make a living, then do so. But that should not be the only, or primary, factor in deciding your career path.

If the money is good you can learn to love any job. There are many people who make good money and hate their job and higher rates of income often relate to higher levels of job dissatisfaction and stress. Don’t assume that if the money is right, you’ll be able to enjoy your work.

Just take this job until something better comes along. If you feel hesitant to take a job and there are red flags warning you to stay away, do just that. If you can be patient, do so. Of course, in some situations you desperately need to find work but, in general, it’s best to avoid a job that could bring more headaches and make it more difficult for you to make the move once you’re in a bad work situation.

To get ahead you need to go back to school. There are many jobs and career paths that don’t require you to get another degree and there are alternative educational opportunities and training programs that can provide you with the skills and information needed to move forward, while you are gaining important experience working in the field.

You need to stick with a job for a few years. Don’t be a job-hopper. That may have been true decades ago when people often took a job out of high school or college and stayed in that job until retirement, but that’s no longer the case, and it’s acceptable now to move on to new experiences and higher levels of responsibility in your field.