There is so much career advice on the internet.

Every day, I see someone on Instagram or TikTok telling you the one thing you need to know before starting your first job, what they wish they knew at 22, the unwritten rules of corporate life, or the mistake you're apparently making at work right now.

Some of it is actually really good. Some of it needs a little more context. And some of it sounds great in a 15-second video but probably shouldn't be treated like a universal rule.

So I wanted to do something a little different: take some of the work and career advice I've seen online and actually explore it.

I've worked in corporate environments, I've navigated coworkers and bosses, I've tried to figure out what I wanted to do next, and I've made plenty of mistakes along the way. I'm still figuring a lot of this out too.

But these are the pieces of internet work advice that stood out to me, and what I think they're actually getting right.

Not Everyone at Work Is Going to Like You

One piece of advice I found basically said that at some point, you're going to become enemies with an older coworker for seemingly no reason.

Obviously, that's not going to happen to everyone. But the larger lesson behind it is something I completely agree with:

“Not every coworker is your friend, is your best friend. And you're not really always there to make friends.”

That can be difficult to accept when you're first starting out. You want to make a good impression. You want your coworkers to like you. You don't want to walk into the office every day wondering whether someone is annoyed with you.

But you're also there to do your job.

Sometimes you're going to suggest a different way of doing something. Sometimes you're going to get an opportunity somebody else wanted. Sometimes you're going to step on someone's toes without realizing it. And sometimes someone just isn't going to like you.

You can be professional, respectful, and easy to work with without making it your mission to win over every person in the office.

Not every coworker needs to become your friend. If you're just starting out, I wrote more about the habits that actually matter in What Actually Matters at Your First Job?.

Don't Overshare at Work, But Don't Become a Robot Either

Another piece of advice was simple: Don't overshare and don't get too personal.

I agree with the first half more than the second.

There are absolutely things your entire office does not need to know about you. You don't have to tell every coworker everything happening in your dating life, your friendships, or your personal problems.

But I also don't think the answer is showing up every morning and revealing absolutely nothing about yourself.

If somebody asks what you did this weekend, you can tell them. Talk about the trip you're taking. Tell them about the show you're watching. Mention that you went on a date, played pickleball, or went to a concert.

Those little conversations are how you actually build relationships with the people you spend a huge percentage of your week around.

The better rule is probably: be personal without making everything personal.

That applies to feedback too.

If your boss criticizes something you worked on, try to separate criticism of the work from criticism of you. They're not necessarily saying you're bad at your job. They might just be saying this particular thing needs to be better.

Learning that distinction can make work a lot easier.

Keep Track of What You're Actually Accomplishing

This might have been my favorite piece of advice I found:

Every Friday, send yourself an email with what you worked on and what you accomplished that week.

I think this is fantastic.

It doesn't actually need to be an email. Keep a running document, a note, a spreadsheet, or whatever system works for you.

Write down what you accomplished that week and, ideally, what you're planning to work on next week.

There are so many reasons this helps.

When your boss asks what you've been working on, you know. When performance reviews come around, you have receipts. When you're asking for a raise, you can point to what you've accomplished. When you're updating your resume six months later, you're not staring at a blank document trying to remember everything you've done.

Harvard Business Review describes effective performance reviews as both an evaluation of what someone has accomplished and a way to identify how they can continue developing. Keeping your own record means you're not relying on yourself or your manager to remember months of work when that conversation finally happens.

It also helps you understand your own career.

After a year, you can look back and see what you've spent your time doing, which skills you've developed, what you've enjoyed, and what you've been particularly good at.

That's valuable information when you're trying to figure out what you want to do next.

“It's also a great way to share what you're working on so people know your value and what you're doing.”

And if keeping that list eventually makes you realize you want something different, Early Career Questions, Answered gets into how to think about your next move without expecting yourself to have your entire career mapped out.

Give Yourself Something to Look Forward to After Work

One of the pieces of advice I found said to make sure you're doing fun things before and after work during the week.

I completely agree.

When you first start working full time, there's this strange realization that your time doesn't feel entirely like your own anymore.

You're used to school, semesters, summer breaks, and relatively flexible schedules. Then suddenly you're working Monday through Friday every week.

It can feel like your entire life becomes work.

That's why I think it's so important to deliberately put things into your week that have absolutely nothing to do with your job.

Go to dinner with your friends. Go on a date. Work out. See a movie. Go to a comedy show. Take a long walk. Watch something you've been excited about.

It doesn't have to be some massive event.

Try to have at least one thing every week that you're genuinely looking forward to.

There's actual research behind the importance of separating the two. The American Psychological Association points to personal boundaries and the ability to detach and recover from work as important parts of maintaining work-life harmony.

When work gets overwhelming, having something else on your calendar reminds you that your job is part of your life. It isn't your entire life.

That's also why I think the idea of perfect balance is mostly unrealistic. I went deeper on that in How Do You Balance Work, Friends, Dating, and the Gym?

Get Important Things in Writing

This one should probably be taught during everyone's first week of work:

Get important things in writing.

If your boss, coworker, client, or partner gives you an important direction verbally, follow up afterward.

It can be as simple as:

"Just wanted to confirm our conversation about..."

You're not trying to catch somebody doing something wrong. You're creating clarity.

It gives everyone an opportunity to confirm what was decided, and it gives you something to reference later if there's confusion about what you were supposed to do.

The other side of this is remembering that your work computer is your work computer.

Your Slack messages, emails, and activity on company devices may be accessible to your employer. An Associated Press report on workplace surveillance details how workplace monitoring technology can track employee communications and activity, which is another good reminder to treat your company devices like company devices.

You don't have to be paranoid about everything you type. But maybe save the shit talking for somewhere else.

Should You Get Comfortable Being Bored at Work?

This was one piece of internet advice I didn't completely agree with:

Get comfortable being bored.

Yes, sometimes work is boring.

Every job has repetitive tasks. Sometimes you're going to sit through a meeting you don't care about. Sometimes you have to spend two hours doing something you'd rather not be doing.

That's work.

But I don't think you should automatically accept being bored all the time.

I think there are three different types of boredom at work.

The first is temporary boredom. You have a boring task. You finish it. That's part of the job.

The second is I-have-nothing-to-do boredom. If that's happening, ask your manager if there's something else you can take on. Ask a coworker if they need help. See if there's another project you can contribute to.

Being the person who asks, "Is there anything I can take off your plate?" is rarely a bad reputation to have.

Then there's the third kind: I've-been-bored-for-months boredom.

That's different.

If you're consistently bored, you've learned everything you can learn, you're no longer challenged, and you don't see that changing, maybe it's worth asking whether it's time for something new.

Boredom can sometimes be information.

Pay attention to what it's telling you.

Your Full-Time Job Can Completely Change Your Routine

One piece of advice I hadn't really thought about was that it can become much harder to stay active when you start working full time.

And I think that's incredibly real.

You're suddenly sitting at a desk for eight or nine hours. Maybe your company orders lunch. You're grabbing snacks. You're going out for drinks after work. Then you get home exhausted and the last thing you want to do is work out.

It's incredibly easy to become less active without really noticing it.

That's why I think establishing some kind of routine early is important.

For me, working out before work completely changed things.

I originally tried going after work, but I constantly felt like I had to choose between the gym and having a life. If I had dinner, drinks, a date, or anything else planned, suddenly the workout wasn't happening.

Eventually, I switched to mornings.

It required changing my entire routine. I started laying out my clothes the night before, packing what I needed, and getting up earlier.

But once I adjusted, I loved it.

“I was much more present. I was much more attentive. I was much more able to kind of switch what I was doing or be more present or be more active and ready and prepared and responsive.”

I showed up to work more awake and with more energy. And when I left work, my night was mine.

That doesn't mean everyone needs to become a 7 a.m. gym person.

The bigger lesson is to build movement into your life before your work schedule builds it out of your life.

Find whatever routine actually works for you and make it part of your week.

Prepare for Tomorrow Tonight

This connects directly to another piece of advice I found:

Pick out your clothes and make your lunch the night before.

Yes.

I have been picking out what I'm going to wear the night before for years, and it makes mornings so much easier.

There are already enough decisions to make during the day. I don't need to stand half asleep in front of my closet wondering what the fuck I'm supposed to wear.

If you work out in the morning, put those clothes out too. Pack your bag. Get your lunch ready. Do whatever you can to make tomorrow morning easier.

You're basically doing a favor for your future self.

And Whatever You Do, Don't Sit Down

This might be the most painfully accurate advice of everything I found:

If you have things you want to do after work, don't sit down when you get home.

Because once you sit on that couch, it might be over.

You tell yourself you're going to watch one episode. Then you're scrolling on your phone. Then suddenly you're waking up and it's 11:30 p.m.

I've done this. Recently.

If you want to work out, cook, clean, or get something done, sometimes the best thing you can do is keep moving when you walk through the door.

Go change. Go to the gym. Start cooking. Do whatever you were planning to do before the couch gets you.

And Here's The Thing

There is endless career advice online, and I don't think you're supposed to follow all of it.

You couldn't.

Some advice will be perfect for your situation. Some won't apply to you at all. Some will sound ridiculous until six months from now when you're sitting at your desk thinking, Oh shit, that's exactly what they were talking about.

The goal isn't to become the perfect employee who wakes up at 6 a.m., works out, prepares every meal, documents every accomplishment, gets along with every coworker, and never accidentally falls asleep on the couch.

You're going to mess some of this up.

I still do.

The better approach is to find one thing that resonates with you and try it.

Keep track of your accomplishments this week. Make plans for Wednesday night. Lay out your clothes tonight. Ask your boss if there's something else you can help with.

Try something and see whether it makes your work life a little easier.

Because figuring out work, your career, and what the hell you're supposed to be doing with your life isn't something you solve once.

We're all learning it as we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best career advice when you're first starting out?

Focus on being reliable, curious, and willing to learn. You don't need to know everything immediately, but you should show that you're willing to figure it out.

Should you be friends with your coworkers?

You can absolutely become friends with coworkers, but you don't need everyone at work to like you. Focus first on being respectful, professional, and good to work with.

How do you stand out at work?

Do your job well, follow through, keep track of your accomplishments, and look for opportunities to help beyond what's explicitly assigned to you.

How do you maintain a work-life balance with a full-time job?

Build things you care about into your schedule outside of work. That could mean working out, seeing friends, dating, pursuing hobbies, or simply having something each week you're excited about.

How do you know when it's time to leave a job?

If you're consistently bored, no longer learning, don't see opportunities to grow, and have felt that way for an extended period, it may be worth exploring what else is out there.