My old manager told me to take the boring job and I'm glad I listened

Tbh, my old boss at a marketing agency in Austin told me to take a data entry gig at a bank instead of chasing a flashy social media role. I thought he was crazy at the time. After 8 months, that boring job led to a promotion into their analytics team. Anyone else have a mentor steer you toward the unsexy path that actually worked out?

3 comments

3 Comments

clairen851d ago

My uncle pushed me into fixing old cars instead of buying new ones. That skill still pays my bills.

the_sam1d ago

The boring stuff usually pays off because it teaches you the bones of the industry. Everyone wants the cool job until they realize the cool job disappears when trends change. Data entry sounds dull but it shows you how the machine actually works behind the scenes. Take the unsexy path for a year or two and you'll be the person everyone has to call when things break. Just make sure you're learning something real and not just filing papers into a void.

robert_bell1d ago

Back in 2009 my Master Electrician told me to take a union apprentice gig instead of the "sexy" solar panel install job everyone was chasing. Solar was booming and I felt like I was missing out. But that boring commercial wiring work taught me code inside and out, and now I own a shop that does service work for half the businesses in my county. The flashy stuff comes and goes, but learning the fundamentals of something solid never goes out of style.