5 erroneous bits of career ‘advice’

Working extra hours, maintaining a work/life balance in the office and coasting a bit more with each promotion are common fallacies in today’s working world, the author asserts.

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Though it’s been popular the last few years to razz millennials for being lazy, narcissistic and entitled, I’ve seen those behaviors attributed to every age group.

With drive-thru restaurants and subscription services for everything from groceries to diapers, we expect to have what we want when we want it. However, we can’t expect to be effective or successful if we apply the instant gratification equation to the working world.

To do good work, it still takes the basic building blocks: dedication, honing your skill set, listening to constructive feedback, improving and growing.

How do we do this in a digital age, a world that promises endless opportunities for instant gratification? Here are five recommendations you should reconsider as antidotes to ineffectiveness:

1. “If you don’t like your job, just find a new one.”

It’s a common misconception that if you’re unhappy in your job it’s simple to abandon it to do something else.

Slow down.

Before you jump ship, consider what you don’t like about your job. Is your job the problem, or is it your attitude? A new job may sound appealing and perfect, but it could also end up feeling the same as your current position.

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