Advice I'm glad I ignored

[ApatheticNoMore]

Oh yea I heard don't invest in the stock market, with "it's gambling!!!". I listened at first, I didn't invest in my 20s, but sooner or later one has to come to terms with it's not the WWII/Depression era/Greatest Generation's world (uh older father so that was what I was told).

I mostly listened to the advice I got, but much of it was bad, or else it was contradictory (and by definition you can't not ignore that because you can't do two contradictory things). But they were right about smoking being bad, glad I never did.

I was never told to chase money in the private sector because the money wasn't really there by that point (although there was a decent decade the millennials won't ever see). I was told to take civil service exams to get a job, but by and large they didn't exist by that point.

[Simplemind]

"You will make more money working in the private sector" I had great benefits, accrued a lot of time off and was able to retire early with a very nice pension.
"Don't retire early, you will be bored" I retired early, never looked back. Only boring people get bored.
"Don't apply for SS until you reach your full age" I started taking it at 62 and have been investing it.

[Teacher Terry]

When I finished graduate school I only wanted to work for a government employer. Private paid much better but I wanted a pension. We lost money with wage freezes and furloughs through the years. My only regret is wasting almost 4 years in Kansas which didn’t count since I left.

[sweetana3]

My mom, He will never marry you........

Been 48 years Mom.

[herbgeek]

My mom, He will never marry you........

In a similar vein, Mom said that I needed to pretend to be stupid, that a man would never be interested in a smart woman, and many other such things to get me to hide my own light. Not only have I been happily married for 36 years, I became really successful at work only AFTER I put aside all of her sayings in my head. People actually paid me a lot to hear what I had to say.

[JaneV2.0]

In a similar vein, Mom said that I needed to pretend to be stupid, that a man would never be interested in a smart woman, and many other such things to get me to hide my own light. Not only have I been happily married for 36 years, I became really successful at work only AFTER I put aside all of her sayings in my head. People actually paid me a lot to hear what I had to say.

I got some of that, too--like I should always lose when I played games with men--which was an excellent metaphor, come to think of it. And "teachers don't like students who are too smart." It took me years to figure out that was an indication of how she thought. We had a prickly relationship.

[happystuff]

Was advised - definitely out of love and concern - not to adopt one of our children due to medical conditions. Best choice ever was ignoring that advice!