Whenever someone says they’re struggling financially, the response shows up immediately:
“Just get a better job.”
It sounds simple.
It sounds logical.
It sounds motivating.
It is also one of the most out-of-touch, lazy, and useless pieces of advice people give.
Not because better jobs don’t exist — but because pretending they’re easily accessible ignores reality entirely.
“Just get a better job” isn’t advice.
It’s a conversation stopper.
It shuts down nuance, context, and actual problem-solving. It turns a complex system into a personal failure and walks away feeling helpful.
It assumes:
None of that is consistently true.
If “better jobs” were easy to get, people would already have them.
The reality:
Telling someone to “just get a better job” ignores:
Opportunity isn’t evenly distributed — pretending it is doesn’t help anyone.
Job searching today isn’t walking into an office with a résumé.
It’s:
People don’t stay in bad jobs because they love suffering.
They stay because leaving is risky — financially, emotionally, and mentally.
Let’s say someone does get a “better job.”
What happens next?
That better job often becomes:
Without systemic change, “better” just means less bad for now.
The advice assumes infinite upward mobility.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Not everyone can move up at the same time.
If everyone gets a better job:
The system relies on people staying where they are — but shames them for it anyway.
Another version of the advice:
“Go back to school.”
School costs money.
Time costs money.
Debt costs future money.
Degrees don’t guarantee pay anymore.
They guarantee eligibility to apply.
Many people did everything they were told — and still landed in underpaid roles with debt attached.
That’s not a personal failure.
That’s a broken promise.
Advice ignores timing.
You can’t:
While you “just” get a better job.
People need income now — not after six months of job searching and hope.
“Just get a better job” places responsibility entirely on the worker.
It avoids uncomfortable truths:
It’s easier to tell someone to try harder than to admit the system isn’t built for fairness.
People are tired.
Not “had a long week” tired.
System-level tired.
Burnout makes:
Telling exhausted people to reinvent their lives without support isn’t empowering — it’s dismissive.
The phrase often carries an unspoken message:
“If you’re struggling, you must be doing something wrong.”
That judgment:
Most people already feel behind.
They don’t need confirmation.
Better advice sounds like:
Progress doesn’t come from slogans.
It comes from strategy and patience.
Side hustles didn’t rise because people love them.
They rose because:
They’re not magic.
They’re not easy.
But they’re often more accessible than “better jobs.”
We don’t believe in telling people to:
We believe in:
No empty phrases.
No moralizing struggle.
If “just get a better job” actually worked, nobody would be saying it anymore.
People don’t need slogans.
They need options.
And until those options exist at scale, blaming individuals for systemic pressure isn’t helpful — it’s lazy.
Welcome to UglyBrokeSmelly, where we stop pretending simple answers solve complex problems.
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