As valuable as it is to learn, this is often the result of first making a mistake. These tend to not be any fun, so a wise person does their best to learn from someone else’s mistakes. Or even better, they just ask an expert what to do and not do in advance.
One netizen decided to ask the internet for insider information on what to avoid and professionals from around the world gave their best bits of advice. So get comfortable, make sure your posture is correct and that your eyes aren’t strained, and scroll through. Upvote the best piece of advice and also comment your thoughts and auditions below.
#1
I am a professional caregiver in an assisted living facility. I will definitely drive off a cliff before being locked in a memory care unit for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Image source: Constant_Target, Dominik Lange
#2
Brachycephalic dogs. Pugs, bulldogs, frenchies, all of them. I don’t understand why we keep making them.
Image source: FeralGinger
#3
Verbal confirmations. Always get it in writing via an email ,a text, carrier pigeon ,a letter I don’t care get it in writing,!
Image source: oroscor1, Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk
#4
Don’t volunteer info to anyone that you haven’t solicited to assist you.
Not the cops.
Not your employer.
Not your vacation plans on FB.
Information will be used against you, limit your exposure.
Image source: Devilpig13, Glenn Carstens-Peters
#5
Used to work at FedEx ground.
Pack your s**t like it’s gonna get dropped off a cliff. Package handlers do not care if your box says fragile or has orientation arrows. Stuff it with whatever, packing peanuts, expanding foam, bubble wrap. Pack. Your. S**t. Or even better pack that box and put a bigger box around it. They will toss your s**t, put heavy stuff on top of it. Use it as a step stool to reach higher boxes.
Pack. Your. S**t.
Image source: Sharp-Pop335, Bannon Morrissy
#6
Historian here. Not labeling anything.
Meta data is your friend. Always better to add too much information rather than have too little. Label the backs of your photographs. Write clearly. For the love of all that is holy WRITE CLEARLY!
Image source: TJtherock, Adolfo Félix
#7
Go on a date without notifying a friend or family member where I am and who I’m with. I work in law enforcement
Image source: Forensic_Chick-81, René Ranisch
#8
I work in accessibility.
Do not hesitate or wait to put grab bars, a tub cut out etc in your house when you grow old or if you have mobility issues.
Put grab bars in your bathroom before you fall in the shower, not because you already had a fall in the shower.
Image source: HipityHopityHotSauce, Antony Trivet
#9
End of life treatment. Good God, why anyone chooses to be a breathing corpse is beyond me. Whether on machines or due to oxygen interruptions, there is no quality of life… support. Give it the ol’ college try, and if I don’t respond in the first 10 minutes, peace out cub scout.
That’s not to say I won’t take end of life CARE. If I’m 90 and still won’t throw in the towel, I still want help eating and cleaning myself. But the day i stop responding to the world around me, just give me a solid Kevorkian and free up bed space for the next poor schmuck.
Image source: FlipZer0
#10
Bad friends. ER doc. The amount of people that hang out with the wrong people and end up paying the price is astounding. I teach my kids – whatever your friends do to other people, they will eventually do to you.
Image source: Tank3613, Devin Avery
#11
Don’t get back surgery unless it’s absolutely last resort. You need to fix the root cause of the injury – usually it’s core strength weakness or Glut weakness. Go to PT first and really do the exercises. Most people who get spine surgeries have multiple ones over their lives because the level just above or below their surgery becomes injured for the same reason your first one occurred.
Image source: jyzenbok, National Cancer Institute
#12
Chiropractors- as a medical practitioner I have heard of (although never personally seen) horrific, permanent damage come about from their ‘manipulations’
Image source: JonnyBrance, Kenny Eliason
#13
Large cruise ships. The number of suits against cruise lines filed in Miami by cruise ship passengers who got infectious diseases or food poisoning at sea is really staggering, only the absolute worst cases make the news but it happens ALL THE TIME, I’ve heard cruise ships described as “floating petri dishes” and that’s putting it mildly.
Image source: Yellowbug2001, Josiah Weiss
#14
Explaining your side to the police. Just don’t do it. It’s fine to give them your license etc on a traffic stop, tell them where you’re going or coming from (be general if you’re like coming from a crack house; you can say “the west side visiting a friend”) also fine to say you haven’t been drinking (never ever that you have). But, DO NOT CONSENT TO A SEARCH OR A FIELD SOBRIETY TEST. Let them get a search warrant, call the drug dog, or arrest you for refusal and draw your blood (which also requires a search warrant). All of these things can be challenged in court, your consent usually can’t be and even if it can it’s MUCH more difficult.
If you did not witness a crime or are the victim of a crime and the police want to talk to you, you are a suspect. You know whether you saw or heard a crime or not. Police want to talk to you about your neighbor getting beat and you heard screams, saw him/her throw a punch, you’re a witness and it’s fine. Police come to ask you about where you were last night, whether you know someone, what you said on social media and you didn’t witness a crimes where you were last night or by the person you know or on social media-you are a suspect.
I’ve practiced criminal defense for over a decade. Only 1 time have I ever seen a Defendant get out of criminal charges by talking to the police. And guess what, he didn’t do it by himself. Lawyer found evidence to back up what he said yada yada yada, The DA made the call to drop the charges.
You know what, the police were PISSED. They targeted him when he got out jail because no matter all of that, they still believed he committed the crime.
When you’re a suspect talking to the police always ends badly. Always.
Image source: Golden_standard
#15
Going outside without sunscreen on my face if nowhere else. I’m a Pathology resident and the amount of ears, noses, lips and other chunks of face I see that surgeons have chopped off due to skin cancers caused by sun damage is sobering. Please in the name of all that’s good an holy find a daily sunscreen that works for you and wear it.
Image source: streptozotocin, Dimitris Chapsoulas
#16
Doctors and physicians are regular people, which means some of them really suck at their jobs (treating your health). Don’t ignore that feeling if you think you might have a bad doctor. There’s nothing wrong with consulting multiple professionals.
Image source: my_7th_acct_sux
#17
Consultants. We get paid to interview your staff to document the issues and solutions they’ve already identified but can’t get approval to do. Then we put some cool slides and bogus ROI numbers around it so your executives will fund the work.
It’s super rare for a company to not have someone on staff who knows what needs to be done and has it 3/4ths documented already. Execs either don’t trust their own team enough or need an outside group’s recommendation to get through the political BS to implement change.
Image source: bigdaddyjw, Scott Graham
#18
Opening any links or attachment of an email without verifying the sender mail address
Image source: tehlaurent97, Brett Jordan
#19
As a software engineer, internet-connected ‘smart’ home stuff. I don’t need some internet random gaining access to my security cameras.
Image source: bendvis, Alan J. Hendry
#20
Not getting agreements in writing when it comes to loaning substantial amounts of money. Family, friends, doesn’t matter. A loan without an agreement is a gift.
Image source: KaBri29, Kenny Eliason
#21
Not getting a DNR or having and End of Life plan when I become elderly/if I become incredibly ill.
I’m a carer in elderly care and the idea of having my life extended just to live in pain and losing all my independence is horrific. I don’t want to leave it to family members who might not be willing to let me go or be in denial about how unwell I am to decide those types of things for me.
Humans are emotional and it’s totally understandable to go into shock/denial when you find out your loved one is dying, but forcing them to be resuscitated or to go to hospital to prolong their life regardless of the quality is painful to see.
Image source: bplatinumm
#22
1 – I wouldn’t drink water from the tap without letting it run a few seconds first. Especially first thing in the morning.
I used to work for my state’s drinking water compliance program and would collect and analyze drinking water samples from all sorts of public drinking water sources, including people’s homes. All the contaminants, minerals, etc. from the water source to the pipes and even the solder (especially if old) leach and accumulate the longer the water sits in the lines. Letting the tap run for a few seconds flushes out that “stagnant” water and draws fresher water from the mainlines.
2 – Don’t be an a*****e to anyone in customer service – from retail to sales and food service – I worked in retail for many, many years. These folks are just trying to get by and aren’t responsible for whatever is that got you all upset in the first place. In fact, simply being nice to them in a difficult situation can more times than not actually work out in your favor as they may sympathize/empathize with you.
Image source: AK12thMan, Andres Siimon
#23
After working as a paralegal at an insurance defense firm, DO NOT TAKE ANY HELICOPTER TOURS. At least in Hawaii, a lot of the helicopters aren’t well maintained and there are a surprising amount of crashes they manage to keep quiet. One of the evidence exhibits I helped put together for one case was a picture the family had taken in front of the helicopter before they boarded it and were all killed when it crashed. That was almost 20 years ago and that one sticks with me.
Image source: TrainwreckMooncake, Martin Wyall
#24
Wearing contacts in the shower/pool/any body of water. Worked as an ophthalmic photographer in Pittsburgh for seven years. College students were coming in with ulcers and amoeba in their corneas from swimming in their contacts and then sleeping in them for days.
Image source: Varthredalgo, Lensabl
#25
Not all confidential/anonymous surveys are as confidential/anonymous as you think
Image source: Glittering-Athlete81, Myriam Jessier
#26
Always always always argue a claim denied by health insurance. They will arbitrarily reject claims with no justification.
EDIT: ALSO, insurance companies will always send you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), which is not a bill, but has the amount that should appear on the bill. If there is any question in your mind about a bill, always compare the bill from the provider with the EOB.
Image source: SmashLanding
#27
Texting/emailing anything negative to anyone I work with about anything.
I work in HR.
Image source: annajoo1, Jonas Leupe
#28
Don’t build or buy a house in a floodplain or near a stream.
Image source: EverChosen1
#29
Cleanses and detoxes, your body does this with organs, lol. Specifically lungs, skin, liver and kidneys. Take whatever you want the body still needs those organs to get it out.
Image source: phuktup3
#30
Allow a pet to fly as checked luggage. I haven’t witnessed any mistreatment of animals during loading or unloading, but the whole process is generally stressful for them and most don’t look very comfortable.
Image source: Mauro_Ranallo
#31
I’m a athletic trainer. Never letting my kids play football.
Image source: toekneeAT
#32
Your coworkers are not your friends, they’re your colleagues. Do not date people you work with. I’ve seen it a million times, and it seldom works out. I’m sure there are people who were coworkers that fostered happy relationships outside of work, but it’s rare.
Don’t get your honey where you get your money!
Image source: Silvawuff
#33
Health and fitness field- don’t argue with people who speak in “absolute” terms. Example: “___ is bad for you.” You’ll never win and it isn’t worth the time nor energy
Image source: Perfect-Egg-9619, Victor Freitas
#34
Meth-I’m a clinical social worker
Image source: PennyMarie27, christopher lemercier
#35
TikTok and any short form social media video content. As a teacher I saw a rapid and significant drop in student’s attention spans when they got popular. It’s made me more self aware of the fact my own attention span is worse than it used to be when I started using them too. So I cut it all out and my attention span and general anxiety levels have dropped
Image source: chisox100
#36
The first production run of any product. I build and maintain automation. It’s never perfect on the first try. Employees need time to learn how to assemble the product properly and trades need time to work out the kinks.
Image source: gloggs, Minku Kang
#37
Not setting boundaries for your child/ren – daycare worker
Image source: NightOwlIvy_93
#38
I used to work for a ver large casket manufacturer. The deathcare industry (funeral homes) are some of the most predatory businesses I have ever dealt with. They pressure people who are usually an emotional wreck into making quick decisions about products that are ridiculously marked up by telling them “your mom is literally on ice and we need a decision”.
Funeral home reps hang out near hospitals and end of life care facilities like vultures that swoop in the minute someone passes OR they have agreements with these places to push their services. I’ve seen the sheets of paper these funeral homes gives to hospitals to pass on to literally anyone who just passed aways family. They aren’t snatching the bodies they are pushing their services as soon as someone passes. It’s usually just a “menu” of what they offer but I know for a fact some places do this. The markup on caskets is near 1000% in some cases. They promote a “white glove” service and I can tell you that is complete BS. We threw those caskets around as quick as we could and repairs were made in house with whatever we could use. We fixed scratches and dents in wood caskets with meted crayons and painted imperfections in metal caskets with nail polish. The rule of thumb was “if you can’t see it in dim light through watery eyes it’s fine” because most people stop paying attention to the details of the $3000 casket once it’s been “bodied” and the service starts.
When I die, cremate me and spread my ashes somewhere cool or just throw me away. If you put me in a Batesville casket I will haunt you.
Edit: Anyone who tells you a casket is protected from the elements is full of s**t. The gaskets on the hardware are cheap as hell and we NEVER replaced them when we were supposed to. Most of the caskets underground are full of groundwater and most of the caskets above ground will eventually leak remains. You don’t see the underground damage unless you exhume the casket and the ones above ground are placed in a way that the liquid collect and drips in a place you’ll never see. One more reason I want to be cremated is because I don’t wanna turn into a puddle of people goo and rainwater. Sorry to break it to anyone visiting loved ones gravesites but whatever is in there is disgusting.
Edit 2: I didn’t work at the production plant, I delivered finished caskets to funeral homes and had daily interaction with these people and when they get friendly they get talkative. Every single one was in it for the money and wouldn’t hesitate to brag about how much they could sell a casket for. We had one guy who was very proud of his ability to sell casket accessories that never went into the ground. “Oh your dad was a marine? For an extra $65 we can put a really nice metal and enamel EGA on each corner instead of those basic plastic ones bay are currently on there. And guess what, they are magnetic so you could even get it one for yourself to keep on your fridge that way you can always have something to remember him”.
Image source: Cormano_Wild_219
#39
That certain plastics that we use regularly really shouldn’t be exposed to high heat and a lot of the disposable products we use aren’t as safe as we truly think. A lot of plastics break down when hot and a lot of our coffee cups and things are lined with plastic that also isn’t superb at high temps. Also, a lot of our “recyclable” goods can only be recycled in a handful of facilities in the U.S. which means most of this still ends up in the trash
Image source: Collard-Greens, tanvi sharma
#40
If you’re a creative–actor, musician, painter, etc–avoid self-proclaimed coaches that charge you an arm and a leg telling you they’ll get you into the industry quick.
I’m coming from the world of voice over. There are a thousand and one “I’ll teach you everything you need to know!” type of coaches who charge hundreds of dollars for a single hour or two. They’ll promise to train you, do your demo, etc. Truth is, their business isn’t voice over, it’s education. *You* are their job. And you will overspend and burn out for very little return.
If you want a coach or class, look for people who are known by everyone in your industry and who have verifiable results from their own work. And for goodness sake, **don’t wait for formal coaching to start doing what you want to do!** A book or YouTube video is enough to get you started in almost every case; the best thing you can do is work on it every day.
Image source: CreepyBlackDude, Soundtrap
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