Seeking out the opinions and advice of others will help us in a myriad of ways, because we can avoid heartache and the costly mistakes made out of naivety. However, most seekers who accept advice have trouble distinguishing the good from the bad. Research shows that they value advice more if it comes from a confident source, such as upperclassmen, a senior employees or our parents. I agree with this statement because the information from peers is less valuable than that from older people.
When it comes to workplace issues, older workers can familiarize us with rules and policies of the company we work for. Unlike the younger generation who are the same age as us and quite new in job market, mature employees are experienced, reliable, have a strong work ethic, have potential to mentor younger colleagues, have existing credibility with customers. Therefore, a career advice from them will help to point us in the right direction, identify appropriate solutions to the problem we encounter. For example, for those who start their career from scratch, the career advice from a mentor within their company is particularly valuable. To be specific, an older worker can identify opportunities for advancement they might overlook, guide them through challenging projects, and help them build relationships with higher-ups. And these are the factors that are going to pave the way for success at their company.
With respect to academic study, it is more advisable for underclassmen to seek advice from upperclassmen than from peers. Because after entering a new school or university, a new student is bound to face many problems, such as how to plan academic schedules, succeed in specific courses, or deal with certain teaching styles and balance activities with major-specific course loads. In this case, what our friends or peers can offer is to accompany us to ask others for help or comfort us when we are confused and hopeless, instead of coping with these troubles efficiently, consequently missing many opportunities. Admittedly, freshmen are usually invited to participate in one-week orientation and can browse on the internet or on the school website, but the advice from the upperclassmen is more valuable as they reflect on their time here and can offer suggestions tailored to us.
Therefore, in light of help from both career advancement and academic study, it is rewarding for an advice seeker to gain information from people who are older than us rather than people of our own age.
