The worst advice I ever got was that I didn’t need to take that typing class in high school. I believe I was told this by my parents, guidance counselors and peers. Obviously, I would be a big shot doing big-shot stuff, and typing would be taken care of by secretaries! I was happy to take this advice because I assumed (correctly) that I would be a bad typist, and I didn’t want to get a bad grade in high school class. The folly of leaving this gap in my knowledge became apparent as soon as I entered college, where they started asking that I TYPE my papers. It was even worse in graduate school. I did indeed manage to get by at my jobs with the help of skilled secretaries, but then along came COMPUTERS! I am now a self-taught, and not very good, typist! (DR)

“Hindsight is 20/20.” 20/20 is not perfect vision, therefore, looking back on a situation, it’s not obvious the errors. Reflecting on the past is a lesson, but not a perfect lesson. (JP)

The worst advice I ever got was: “Here, try this.” Nine out of 10 times, a truly bad idea, especially if it’s medical. (TP)

I went to a festival with my friends in my VW Beetle. Couldn’t find a space to park – friend said, “No one will notice, too many people and cars.” And guess what? Towed car, got ticket and still needed a ride home. I paid all the fees because it was my car. Never again! (X)

When I was doing my year abroad in Munich, Germany, my friend Andrea and I went to visit an acquaintance of my mother’s who lived near the Swiss-German border. We tried hitch-hiking there and had decent luck getting close to her house, but we decided to go back by train or bus since we wanted to be back in time for classes. My mother’s friend convinced us we should hitchhike back. We were picked up by a normal-looking man in a suit who started making suggestive comments and acting a little strange. I’m not sure how it came about, but he dropped us off in the middle of a field with no town or houses in sight. We walked around for an hour and did not see a single vehicle or person. We eventually started walking and came to a small village where we were able to get a bus a few hours later. (NB)

I went to my doctor because I was short of breath. My blood oxygen was 85%. She gave me a nebulizer treatment and sent me home with a couple of prescriptions. She said, “Call me if you aren’t feeling better in a couple of days.” Two days later, I was in the ICU after having a massive pulmonary embolism removed. I’m lucky to be alive. I saw my doctor a week after, and she claimed that I didn’t tell her all my symptoms and she berated me for not recognizing the symptoms of PE. She’s not my doctor anymore. (JM)

I have rarely received advice, guidance or even hints. Looking back at my life’s path, I feel any advice, even bad advice, might have been useful! (RE)