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What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

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Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#141

Post by Teever »

ok_coo wrote: post #133
Balgair wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Especially throwing other people under the bus. Hard disagree with this one. I've seen better success with 'compliment everyone behind their backs, giving a good reason'. Throwing everyone under the bus can be very very effective, but it's got to be for a very short run at the goal, typically. If you end up working with those people again, you're cooked. I'd say, if you don't see yourself working with that person e…

You have to be careful with throwing people under the bus because if it's noticed by people..going to be honest, they are not going to trust you and word will get around. You become that snake to avoid, you're dangerous to work with. So, hopefully you do it in a way where it can't come back to you. At the org I work at, if you're seen doing this, you're not a team player and you get an unofficial mark against you. Pe…

What if you gain a reputation as the person who throws snakes under the bus?

That seems like it would be a very good reputation to have with non-snakes because it would signal to them that you'll defend them the need arises.

Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#142

Post by insickness »

knaik94 wrote: post #140
insickness wrote: post #139

- When trying to decide on a new career direction, go onto career websites such as Indeed.com and look up what is the highest paying and most desirable. For example, whenever I go for a certification, I do a search for it on Indeed. I look at how many hits come up, how much it pays, etc. - Dress just a little bit nicer/more formal than everyone else in your workplace. People who don't know you will assume you are mor…

Questions about the audio recording, have you ever had pushback from others? Is it a ask for forgiveness not permission situation? How transparent have you been day to day, for example is it visible during meetings or in your pocket? And do you keep a specific audio recorder/use only work phone or have you recorded on personal devices like your non-work phone?

I hit record on my personal phone before I go into the meeting, then turn the screen off and put my phone on the table at the meeting. A lot of people put their phone on the table at meetings.

Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#144

Post by toomuchtodo »

adrianpike wrote: post #33
ggm wrote: post #21

Have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, even if it terminates your employment status. I'm only unkeen to have my name on this, because I haven't done it, and I wish several times in the past, I had. I respect the person who did this early in his career in one ISP immensely: it was stunning to watch somebody say "you're full of shit" to the new CEO, and walk out. (he was btw, full of shit)

I think so many of us dream of having the financial freedom to be able to do this. At least for me, that's one of my big drivers to build passive income streams and lifestyle hustles. Honestly, that's the kind of teammate I deeply love to work with - one who doesn't _need_ the job, but one who _wants_ it and believes in what we're doing.

There are very few jobs worth believing in to be honest.

Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#145

Post by mdorazio »

lidHanteyk wrote: post #134
mdorazio wrote: post #71

Article comments and comments in this thread seem to miss the point of the title entirely. Here's some actual advice I don't want my name on, but seems pretty effective based on working at a lot of different Big Cos: - Always go for prestige over purpose. Have a choice between a shiny project with very little actual impact to the company and a behind the scenes project that will actually make lives better for employe…

You would have done well to show more examples; people are having trouble with the art of bus manipulation. * Throw people under the bus, but pull them out at the last moment. "I could say that it's the other team's fault, but we're practicing blameless postmortems. Can we focus on fixing our process?" * Throw people under multiple busses. "We're behind on the upgrade effort because there are three different upgrade…

To be clear, bus throwing is most effective in two situations:

1) The executives-wrangling-for-a-role level. If three people want that sweet VP title, they're not just trying to show they're the best, they're also trying to show the other two people are not good for the role. Taking a promotion competitor and throwing them under the biggest bus possible is a great way to knock them out of the running. Chances are they're trying to do the same to you. (Note: at Big Cos, high-level promotions are at least as much about politics as about actual merit of work / competency).

2) The other person is a different part of the org entirely. For example if there's a project that's a joint effort between IT and Marketing and something goes wrong you better believe the ladder climbers are going to look for the biggest bus available to throw the other team lead under. It's an effective strategy because it's a responsibility avoidance tactic and, hey, screw those other guys because they never give you what you want anyway.

Please note I don't actually recommend people do these things unless they care more about career advancement at all costs than about actually building strong relationships, well-functioning teams, and general life happiness. The thing is, a lot of people prioritize the former, which I think is the whole impetus behind the article's title.

Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#146

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

maxk42 wrote: post #27

Unless required by law in your profession: Don't go to college.

> Unless required by law in your profession: Don't go to college.

Good advice if you don't actually like your profession and don't mind spending your career at the middle to bottom rungs of your profession. That's not necessarily a slam, the average is where most people are.

If you want a career doing fun and interesting things, even going to college isn't by itself enough; you have to master the things you learn there so that they're second nature. But, trust me, it's worth it both professionally and financially.

Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#147

Post by romwell »

maxk42 wrote: post #27

Unless required by law in your profession: Don't go to college.

Yeah right, because colleges exist only as trade schools and don't give people who go there any other benefits.

And they are useless even as trade schools, no mater how complex the trade might be. That is why all the science and engineering * conferences are teeming with people whose education ended at high school.

* as in "making actual things" engineering

Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#148

Post by romwell »

Erudite_Genius wrote: post #5

Never see a job as a career. The ONLY PATH for wealth is to work for yourself by starting and building your own business. Make no mistake... You are always building a business, and if you're not building YOURS, you are building THEIRS.

Why wouldn't you put your name on it?

Re: What’s good career advice you wouldn’t want to have your name on?

#149

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

gota wrote: post #99
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #61

Be female. The pendulum is swinging back and overcompensating. At my workplace women are given opportunities and preferential treatment that men are not. And I work in defense software.

I assume you're being downvoted not because what you said os controversial - it is in the spirit of the topic - but because it is not advice at all. Its just misogyny. "Women - make a point of branding yourselves in linkedin, communication, personal branding to leverage the advantages that are being offered, use the overcompensating in treatment of women to your advantage" - still stupid, less overtly misogynistic, a…

How is it misogyny? Do you work where I work? I feel weird even saying it because it does feel misogynistic but it matches my actual experience at my current job.
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