The person I'm thinking of is my father, who's a civil servant in Hanoi. He's a very sensible man, and normally his advice is excellent, which makes this story a little awkward.
When I finished my business degree three years ago, I had two job offers. One was a secure position at a large state-owned bank, with a good salary, regular hours and a pension. The other was at a small start-up that was developing an app to help farmers in the Mekong Delta sell their produce directly. It paid about thirty per cent less, and there was no guarantee the company would survive. My father strongly advised me to take the bank job. He said that start-ups were for people who already had money, and that stability was more important when you're young.
I didn't follow his advice for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'd done an internship at a bank, and I found it very repetitive. Secondly, I'd grown up hearing my grandparents talk about how hard it was for farmers to get fair prices, so the start-up felt meaningful to me. And, honestly, I think I wanted to make my own decision for once.
Was it the right choice? So far, I'd say yes, though not completely. The first year was hard. We nearly ran out of money twice, and I had to move back in with my parents, which my father found very funny. But the company has grown, I've learned far more than I would at a bank, and I now manage a small team. I think my father's advice was sensible for most people. It just wasn't right for me, and I think he understands that now.