Last week I stumbled upon an article by the chief executive of Boston Consulting Group telling twentysomethings how to “accelerate” their careers. Rich Lesser has based his advice on his own splendid, if safe, one — a few years at Procter & Gamble followed by an MBA from Harvard and then 28 years at BCG. Along the way he has spoken to thousands of young people and felt moved to tell them where they were going wrong — and how they could become more like him.

The piece was on LinkedIn months ago but BCG is so taken by Mr Lesser’s insights that it is still trumpeting them on social media. However, when I read the article through to its conclusion — “with self-reflection, focus, and a commitment to investing in yourself and making a difference, you can find the place that is right for you” — boredom gave way to alarm. This was very bad advice indeed and I needed to protect twentysomethings from trying to follow it.

His first tip is to choose “something you find truly energising and satisfying”. This sounds OK, but there are three things wrong with it. It is vapid — no one would recommend a job that was enervating and frustrating. Second, it is unhelpful, as when you are in your twenties it is hard to know if you are going to find a job satisfying until you have tried it. Third, it sets expectations far too high. Even the best jobs are only intermittently energising or satisfying. For a lot of the time they are boring or frustrating or both. The gap between expectation and reality is the biggest problem for millennials, and Mr Lesser ought not to widen it.