NYU Stern Professor Says This Is the 'Very Worst Career Advice' She Has Received — And Her Students Get It ‘All the Time’

June 8, 2026 - 20:39

Suzy Welch, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business, has a blunt warning for students and young professionals: stop listening to the single worst piece of career guidance floating around. She calls it "dumb, dumb" advice, yet she says her students hear it "all the time."

The bad advice? "Just follow your passion." Welch argues that this popular mantra is dangerously misleading. In her view, passion is not something you find and then chase. It is something you build by getting good at a skill, solving real problems, and earning respect in a field. Telling someone to blindly follow their passion can lead to dead ends, financial stress, and disappointment when a hobby turns into a frustrating job.

Instead, Welch advises people to focus on competence first. She suggests picking a career where you can develop a valuable expertise, work hard, and let the passion grow from mastery and success. The idea is that loving your work often comes after you become great at it, not before. For students constantly told to "do what you love," this is a sharp reality check. Welch believes that chasing passion without a plan is not inspiring - it is just bad strategy.