The Worst Career Advice Weve Ever Gotten

The Worst Career Advice Weve Ever Gotten unterstellung days, it seems theres no shortage of helpfulcareer advice.At Fairygodboss, were working hard every day to hook you up with some game-changing tips about tricky topics likewhat to wear to an intervieworhow to pump at work. But sometimes its just as helpful to hear about whatnotto do. We all learn from our mistakes and oftentimes, we fall intocareer mistakesprecisely because we took some bad advice.So today, were giving you a roundup of career tips we suggest youignore.At Fairygodboss HQ, weve compiled some pretty terrible advice that weve gotten some of which weve taken and some of which we havent. We hope that youll not only get in a good laugh, but will also learn to recognize that not all advice is worth following.At my first job out of college, there welches a much older, much more senior man who made some pretty inappropriate comments. Another woman I worked with overheard him once and when he walked away she looked at me, saw my horrified face, and with a straight face, said, Sometimes you will just have to deal with things like that. The next day she came over and apologized after being urged to do so by another male who had seen everything. Sometimes women dont get it, eitherOn another note,my mom was horrified that I took anunpaidinternship in college, and she advised against it. I took it anyway, and it ended up being a great experience and led to a job offer immediately after graduation.-Anni, Fairygodboss Director of Growth* * *Early in my career, I was always told that you should very cautious about interviewing for another job outside your company -- because if your current manager found out you were interviewing, you would be penalized. How crazy Later I realized that you should always be out there interviewing, networking, and getting a sense of what your value in the market is. A good manager will understand and support that. And if yours doesnt, you probably have the wrong manager. -Romy, Fairygodboss President and Co-founder* * *When I entered law school I was very sure it was the right thing to do, but after my first year and then my first legal internship, I started to get the feeling that practicing law was very different than studying law and learning about how law is interpreted and made (something I still find very interesting). Someone told me to ignore my doubts and just give law a chance, instead of applying to non-legal jobs right out of law school. It wasnt the greatest advice, even though it sounds perfectly logical. Ultimately I only gave my legal career 6 months, but I did have to spend a couple summer months indoors studying for the New York Bar exam. Sometimes you have to just follow your gut instead of what looks like it makes sense on paper. -Georgene, Fairygodboss CEO and Co-founder* * *The worst career advice Ive ever gotten was to be patient. As a female in mostly male-dominated industries, I have often found that Ive been told to just be patie nt for everything, from project timelines to promotions. In reality, Ive found that its in my most impatient moments that Ive been able to contribute the most, progression the fastest, and energize those around me to do so, too -Karen, Fairygodboss Head of Customer Success* * *I once started at a job and very quickly realized it just wasnt a good fit for me. I began brainstorming what my next move would be, but a lot of people told me I should wait at least a year before even considering finding a new job they said otherwise it would look bad on my resume. I didnt wait a year, and Ilovedmy next job, where I stayed for nearly 5 years. No ones ever looked at my resume and questioned why I only lasted 6 months in a previous position. I get that it doesnt look good to change jobs constantly and that you always need to give a new job a chance. But if youre feeling certain that youve wound up in a position thats not good for you, dont waste time trying to make it work. Move on to somethin g you feel better about-Sam, Fairygodboss Editorial Director* * *Anyone who pauses to give you career advice probably has your best interest at heart, but that doesnt mean they necessarily know whats best for you or your professional development. If youre questioning what someones telling you to do, you may be wise to listen to your instinctsFairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer