What’s the worst bit of advice you’ve ever received?

[Chrisinmd]

What’s the worst bit of advice you’ve ever received?

Did you know it was bad advice at the time or did you have to try it and learn this was not going to work for you?

 

[jobo]

What’s the worst bit of advice you’ve ever received?

Did you know it was bad advice at the time or did you have to try it and learn this was not going to work for you?

dont go running after her, she come back on her own
.bullies are all cowards
put your money in the bank it will be safe there
dont worry about that engine noise , its nothing

yea just leave your bike in the garden no one will nick it round here

yes, its that way to the,station

the bosses dont mind if you have the afternoon off to go chismass shopping

beer tins float, just put them in the lake to keep them cool

just stand here and watch for the police, no one will know you were involved

these speed traps cameras are all dummies

just say your a friend of mine and they will let you in,

if you climb to the top of that big hill youl get a phone signal

and that just off the top of my head, there is more, much much more

 

[dvcochran]

Don't waste you money on Apple.

 

[Buka]

Go to Boston Latin School.

 

[Bruce7]

My cousin join the Navy and got medical to get out of boot.
Later he became a fireman at the airport. Vietnam War was on so they let him join the air force and 24 years later he retired.
I told him I wanted to join the Navy, He told me Navy boot was hell, join the air force boot is easy.
Everyday in boot camp, I thought I was pretty stupid for not taking his advice.
Once I got out of boot camp, I was glad I did not follow his advice.

 

[hoshin1600]

• instead of fighting with this bully, why dont you try talking to him and if that doesnt work tell a teacher
• you should go to a trade school rather than college, that way you always have something to fall back on.
• take out a 2nd home loan to pay off your credit cards and other debt.
• just pull out
• if you work hard while at work the boss will notice and promote you.
• If you join our Multi Level Market business you will be a millionaire, it only costs a few thousand to join.
• i know this financial guy named Bernie Madoff, you can trust him.
• we can just roll your current car payment into the new car payment but your monthly cost will stay at $250. a month
• (2017) home prices always go up. the monthly payment on this house may be a stretch now but in a few years you will have the equity to refinance before that balloon payment thingy.
• (1970) the food pyramid says you need 6 to 11 servings of bread, cereal or pasta a day
• Anything that is followed by "whats the worst that could happen"

 

[Chrisinmd]

• you should go to a trade school rather than college, that way you always have something to fall back on.

That is good advice actually to go to a trade school. A good tradesmen will always have work and it can pay very well. Not for everyone but it is good advice.

 

[hoshin1600]

That is good advice actually to go to a trade school. A good tradesmen will always have work and it can pay very well. Not for everyone but it is good advice.

Having actually followed that advise I disagree. My mother gave me that little nugget of advise and while is sounds good, the reality didn't match up.
1st many kids that go to a trade school actually never follow a career in their chosen trade. Second the subliminal message is "rather than reach for the stars ,and try to fulfill your potential, let's aim your life at a low target and hope you get a job"
Tradesmen make good money and are great jobs and maybe in today's society going to a trade school is good advise when looking at the results the university is producing but sacrificing your future with low expectations is what I was really getting at

 

[dvcochran]

Having actually followed that advise I disagree. My mother gave me that little nugget of advise and while is sounds good, the reality didn't match up.
1st many kids that go to a trade school actually never follow a career in their chosen trade. Second the subliminal message is "rather than reach for the stars ,and try to fulfill your potential, let's aim your life at a low target and hope you get a job"
Tradesmen make good money and are great jobs and maybe in today's society going to a trade school is good advise when looking at the results the university is producing but sacrificing your future with low expectations is what I was really getting at

Certainly this could be a difference in countries but the math fleshes out quite well for trade school and trade jobs. Over the span of a 30 year career a person who completed a 4 year university degree versus a trade school graduate is only $90k. So about $3,000/yr in salary. The average trade school cost $33,000. The average 4 year University costs $102,000 worldwide (very different in the US). So the average person will be negative $60k making the increased income for a career lifetime from going to University more like $30k.
Here is the biggest reality in my opinion. WAY too many people still go to university/college expecting to be spoon fed and leave with a higher skill set than the next person. Foolish thinking and not reality. Sadly this scale has ben sliding negatively for around 2 decades.
Yes, the income for a tradesman/woman is a flatter curve on average. But Statistically, people 5 years out of college follow their college degree only %32 of the time and are far below their expected income. Trade school grads 5 years out are following their discipline 71% of the time and satisfied with their income. Whether a person goes to university, trade school, or only finishes high school, it is the people who have been taught good work ethic and who go out and works their butts off that are successful and happy.
When I was young, I had a very non focused career for a while. I went to college for three years out or high school. It did not cost me anything (sports scholarship) but didn't really gain me anything financially. We are 3rd generation beef farmers so that has always been there. After & during college I did several different trade skill jobs like mechanic and pipe fitter. Then I was a LEO for a while. All this is about a 12 year span. Also during this span I bought my first commercial properties. Eventually I successfully got into my desired field, and later on went back to school to complete 2 Masters degrees. But that was as much for me a personal accomplishment as a career move. And I doubt I would have done it had the company I worked for at the time not paid for all of it.
My point to make with this is that it is okay not to have one specific direction as long as you are moving forward in a good direction and that is Very, Very important to embrace the reality that it is up to the individual, not the university or trade school to be successful. Either school is only a tool to use. Knowing how to use it is up to you.
Sorry for the rambling but it is a hard point to make with some people.

 

[Chrisinmd]

The subliminal message is "rather than reach for the stars ,and try to fulfill your potential, let's aim your life at a low target and hope you get a job"
Tradesmen make good money and are great jobs and maybe in today's society going to a trade school is good advise when looking at the results the university is producing but sacrificing your future with low expectations is what I was really getting at

Not sure that becoming a tradesman such as a master plumber or electrician is setting a low target or low expectations. Sounds like a bit of elitist statement to me. Dividing people with white collar jobs against people with blue collar jobs.

 

[dvcochran]

Having actually followed that advise I disagree. My mother gave me that little nugget of advise and while is sounds good, the reality didn't match up.
1st many kids that go to a trade school actually never follow a career in their chosen trade. Second the subliminal message is "rather than reach for the stars ,and try to fulfill your potential, let's aim your life at a low target and hope you get a job"
Tradesmen make good money and are great jobs and maybe in today's society going to a trade school is good advise when looking at the results the university is producing but sacrificing your future with low expectations is what I was really getting at

Whew! Have you ever bought completely into the "you must go to college to be someone" lie.

 

[dvcochran]

Not sure that becoming a tradesman such as a master plumber or electrician is setting a low target or low expectations. Sounds like a bit of elitist statement to me. Dividing people with white collar jobs against people with blue collar jobs.

Funny thing is at some point many of the master plumbers, electricians, etc... end up running a crew, project, or even a whole company. Sounds like suspiciously like being a manager/director of an IT or similar department/division.
Some people really need to get outside their small world.

 

[hoshin1600]

while i did make a few comical references in my list of bad advise,
please pay attention to the fact that the question was worst advise YOU have ever received
so Chris you can stuff it.
i am in no way belittling trades men, the fact is ,,, I WAS TOLD to go to trade school. i should have gone to college,
in my own particular case i took welding ,, never wanted to be a welder. the school put me there and if i wanted to change classes, i would have had to repeat a grade to do so. i never worked in that trade, never wanted to. all said and done i am a manager in a manufacturing plant that supplies the semi conductor industry. not having a degree has held me back and so many doors would have been open if i had gone through more education, bottom line is i hated school and didnt want to go. but it wasnt the right decision, my parents should have pushed me to go.

 

[dvcochran]

while i did make a few comical references in my list of bad advise,
please pay attention to the fact that the question was worst advise YOU have ever received
so Chris you can stuff it.
i am in no way belittling trades men, the fact is ,,, I WAS TOLD to go to trade school. i should have gone to college,
in my own particular case i took welding ,, never wanted to be a welder. the school put me there and if i wanted to change classes, i would have had to repeat a grade to do so. i never worked in that trade, never wanted to. all said and done i am a manager in a manufacturing plant that supplies the semi conductor industry. not having a degree has held me back and so many doors would have been open if i had gone through more education, bottom line is i hated school and didnt want to go. but it wasnt the right decision, my parents should have pushed me to go.

My apologies, but I know it doesn't work well that way if at all. It isn't your parents fault that you hated school and that you did not get a degree. Whether it was your school pushing you to take a course you did not want to take or your parents pushing you through college, because of your attitude toward school at the time it was never going to result in anything of value.
I didn't finish my college degrees until my late 30's but when it became enough of an issue to be a real problem for me at work I went back and finished. I will not bore you with the story of how busy my life was back then but suffice it to say it was 100 hour weeks for a long time.
Again, this my be a difference in educational systems but we also had a trade school avenue in high school. It wasn't a requirement but many good programs. Like you, I know a lot of folks that tried a craft and did not like it. We also have what is commonly called Vocational school post high school. I imagine it is what you think of as trade school. I have been a guest teacher in the Mechatronics class and can tell you there are usually several kids there simply because they don't know what they want to do yet and are tool lazy or entitled to go to work. This is the scenario that is never going to work well whether they are in trade school or university.
You know, some of the best lessons we learn are the ones that teach us what Not to do. That sounds like what your welding class experience was. I Hope you are doing the kind of work you enjoy and that it all worked out.

 

[Graywalker]

All people, deep down inside, are basically good.

Experience has shown me, that this is the other way around.

 

[hoshin1600]

My apologies, but I know it doesn't work well that way if at all. It isn't your parents fault that you hated school and that you did not get a degree. Whether it was your school pushing you to take a course you did not want to take or your parents pushing you through college, because of your attitude toward school at the time it was never going to result in anything of value.
I didn't finish my college degrees until my late 30's but when it became enough of an issue to be a real problem for me at work I went back and finished. I will not bore you with the story of how busy my life was back then but suffice it to say it was 100 hour weeks for a long time.
Again, this my be a difference in educational systems but we also had a trade school avenue in high school. It wasn't a requirement but many good programs. Like you, I know a lot of folks that tried a craft and did not like it. We also have what is commonly called Vocational school post high school. I imagine it is what you think of as trade school. I have been a guest teacher in the Mechatronics class and can tell you there are usually several kids there simply because they don't know what they want to do yet and are tool lazy or entitled to go to work. This is the scenario that is never going to work well whether they are in trade school or university.
You know, some of the best lessons we learn are the ones that teach us what Not to do. That sounds like what your welding class experience was. I Hope you are doing the kind of work you enjoy and that it all worked out.

I should make it clear that I believe in ownership for our lives. I am not complaining about my life. I have done quite well. I didn't join the military even though at 17 I wanted to go into special forces. When I recount this to others I hesitate to say that I regret not doing so. Because we are never sure of the outcome. Had I joined, the probability of me being dead would be quite high. but if I had joined it would have been an advantage in my ambition of working as law enforcement and later looking into being an Air marshal. Both of which obviously never happened.
The thread is supposed to be about bad advise. For my personal journey that was trade school because I never used it. BUT for others that could have been just as valid for college or university. I would say more so. many kids are graduating unable to get a job and so many useless degrees out there all while being thousands in debt. They are starting their lives in a negative position.

 

[dvcochran]

All people, deep down inside, are basically good.

Experience has shown me, that this is the other way around.

I still believe it is more than 50% good. Glass half full and al.

 

[hoshin1600]

good and bad is context dependent. malevolent, now thats something all together different.

 

[dvcochran]

good and bad is context dependent. malevolent, now thats something all together different.

Okay, so let's stay with the '50% of people are bad'. Of this number what percentage do you think are 'malevolent?

ma·lev·o·lent
/məˈlevələnt/

adjective

1. having or showing a wish to do evil to others.

You are coming at this like you really believe a large majority of people are going around with this intent. Now, lets help understand your perspective.
Your friend pulls a practical joke. Evil?
Someone accidently steps on your foot. Evil?
Someone accidentally hits your car. Evil?
Your boss did not give you the promotion. Evil?
A regular at the pub/bar has a few too many and decides to throw a punch at you. Evil?
Someone tries to rob you. Evil?
Someone tries to do bodily harm or kill you. Evil?

This list could go on for a very long time. And it is likely that each line is interpreted differently by each person reading it. So when talking about it from an individual point of view or in specifics, the word malevolent seldom ever comes up. When looking at society corporately it could be used as a valid term, albeit a bit dated.

 

[hoshin1600]

Okay, so let's stay with the '50% of people are bad'. Of this number what percentage do you think are 'malevolent?

ma·lev·o·lent
/məˈlevələnt/

adjective

1. having or showing a wish to do evil to others.

You are coming at this like you really believe a large majority of people are going around with this intent. Now, lets help understand your perspective.
Your friend pulls a practical joke. Evil?
Someone accidently steps on your foot. Evil?
Someone accidentally hits your car. Evil?
Your boss did not give you the promotion. Evil?
A regular at the pub/bar has a few too many and decides to throw a punch at you. Evil?
Someone tries to rob you. Evil?
Someone tries to do bodily harm or kill you. Evil?

This list could go on for a very long time. And it is likely that each line is interpreted differently by each person reading it. So when talking about it from an individual point of view or in specifics, the word malevolent seldom ever comes up. When looking at society corporately it could be used as a valid term, albeit a bit dated.

Honestly I have no idea what your talking about. I made a simple comment about good and bad being dependent on the view point of the observer and it seems like you took it overly serious and way further than I intended. Sorry not interested in continuing this further.