Go to law school, my dad told me.  My career was long underway, now I was looking for new directions.  Why law school?  My dad admired the legal profession, and had used attorneys many times.  My little sister was an attorney, and I think I have the right mental discipline to do well in a study of law. Tempting. 

One little problem:  Law school was not my goal.  It didn’t interest me. My choice committed me to a doctoral program for the next five years; really, I have never regretted my choice.

Has anyone ever given you bad career advice?  If I could live my life as another person, I might be a great lawyer.  People with advice may be pushing their friends to fulfill their dream. Here's my advice, for what its worth:  Go ahead and listen.  Some people with advice may be convincing, knowledgeable, and wrong.  When you act on advice, you will need to know that the advice works for you. Some advice may be excellent.  Check it out anyway.

What really scares me about advice-givers is being directed by someone who has never taken my kind of risk.  A majority of people in the world don't take career-shaking risks.  Without some "roll the dice" risks, a person will never get to their personal victory.