As exhilarating as it can feel to be young, it’s easy to also feel lost and unsure. Let’s face it, without life experience, it’s pretty darn hard to know what to do and, just as importantly, what not to do. Mistakes are good teachers, but seldom fun to go through.
A netizen asked people 30 and older “What advice can you give to people in their early 20s or younger?” and folks from across the internet gave their best suggestions. So get comfortable as you scroll through and take note if you are on the younger side. Upvote your favorites and share some wisdom if you happen to be thirty or older.
#1
If you feel like college isn’t for you or you have no idea what you want to do, you can make a very respectable living and have far more job security if you learn a trade. The world will ALWAYS need electricians, carpenters and plumbers…etc.
When I was growing up, college was pushed on us so hard that we would feel like failures if we went into a trade. Buying into that mentality is something I will always regret.
Image source: OkaySureBye, Nick Karvounis
#2
Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t ask for advice. Why would you let a bunch of basement-dwellers’ DMs make you feel bad about yourself?
Image source: throwtheclownaway20, Dev Asangbam
#3
Take care of your teeth.
Image source: Status_Fact_5459, Diana Polekhina
#4
It’s okay to keep things private and live offline. As you get older, you might regret how ‘open’ you were with the world.
Image source: randombeing222, Erik Lucatero
#5
Don’t start using tobacco products. Your health will thank you.
Image source: willi3blaz3, Pawel Czerwinski
#6
For guys especially – don’t be afraid to seek help if you feel you’re struggling mentally (male s*icide rates remain shamefully high in Western societies). Also, no matter how embarrassing you may find it, if you have medical concerns about your d**k, balls, prostate, etc., then for f***s sake go see a doctor.
Image source: DavosLostFingers, Austin Kehmeier
#7
Don’t keep toxic people in your life based on brief memories of good deeds. It’s temporary and probably manipulative tactics. Friendship is a two-way street, it’s a mutual giving. If this person tears you down, makes jokes at your expense, doesn’t contact you unless they want something. Get rid. I had so many toxic friends in my early 20s that took me way too long to get rid of.
Image source: Gingerpyscho94, Surface
#8
The entire economy is set up to abuse you in every way that it can. Learn math, financial literacy and how to plan EARLY, OFTEN and CONSISTENTLY.
Image source: ChangingHats, Adeolu Eletu
#9
Indulge in your hobbies, it’s so fulfilling and gratifying. Sketching, painting, pottery, crochet? DO IT. Hobbies nurture the soul and feed the spirit. If it makes you happy keep at it. You don’t need to make a career out of it. Just so long as it makes you happy.
Image source: Gingerpyscho94, Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦
#10
Don’t rush growing up. Enjoy yourself.
Image source: Rippling_Debt, Aaron Burden
#11
Don’t be afraid to say I’m sorry/ I was wrong/ I don’t understand/ could you please explain that again? People don’t think about you as much as you think they do.
Image source: Which_Ad3038, cottonbro studio
#12
Take care of your body. Eat healthy and exercise. You will be shocked at how much your body starts falling apart as you age. I know I was.
Image source: CockfaceMcDickPunch, Tyler Nix
#13
Keep in mind that when someone who is older and more experienced gives you advice, they’re generally giving the advice that they wish they had followed when they were young. It’s not necessarily advice that is calibrated for you or your circumstance.
Image source: ForgettableUsername, Tim Kilby
#14
Don’t try and be the person that everybody likes. Not everybody is going to like you. Deal with it. The faster you realise that some people are always going to be a******s, or the faster you realise that some people are just never going to like you, and that you shouldn’t give a f**k, in return – the faster, and happier, you will be.
Image source: Dippycat149, Levi Guzman
#15
I have two pieces of advice. Do not run up debt it will follow you or ruin you. Do start saving money as soon as you possibly can. If you have 5000 dollars in savings you will be better off then 70% of Americans.
Image source: Tink2013, Towfiqu barbhuiya
#16
Wait to have kids.
Image source: _ObsessiveCoder, Ben Wicks
#17
Drink less booze or non at all.
Image source: LonnieJaw748, Dylan de Jonge
#18
Learn to cook. Way cheaper and way healthier. Learn to change your car’s brakes yourself. There’s not much else with owning a car where you can turn a $500 fix into an $80 fix in two hours.
Image source: Son_Of_Toucan_Sam, Conscious Design
#19
Don’t stay in a job that makes you miserable. I’ve had multiple jobs and at nearly every single one I was treated like shit by management or bullied by coworkers. My mental health suffered and I was miserable. I’ve since left years ago and found myself a happier one. It’s just not worth it, even for the pay.
Image source: Gingerpyscho94, Magnet.me
#20
Wear sunscreen… everyday.
Regardless of skin tone or type.
Image source: runnersblock, BATCH by Wisconsin Hemp Scientific
#21
Please put your own health at one of the highest priorities. Both physical and mental. Things get much harder the older you get. Your health will help you if you take care of it for many things.
If it means deciding on taking breaks from things that’s OK.
Image source: RoseWolfie, Jonathan Borba
#22
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. When you do own up to them, learn from them and move on.
Image source: Bizzlebanger, CHUTTERSNAP
#23
Appreciate your body and imperfections! Don’t waste your 20s feeling insecure about things you cannot change. You will likely look back one day and wish you had the body you have now so enjoy it. Wear what you want. If insecurity creeps in, think about what you DO like about yourself every day. Remember there will be people out there who LOVE the things about you that you don’t like so much.
Image source: reminisce2222, Valeria Smirnova
#24
Never stop being active.
Image source: youbetchamom
#25
Don’t get married yet. You have no idea who you actually are and what’s really important to you in your early 20s.
Image source: 12345_PIZZA, Wu Jianxiong
#26
Save for retirement. Nobody else is going to help you in the US.
Image source: First_Code_404, Towfiqu barbhuiya
#27
DO NOT SETTLE! You are young. You may feel societal, familial, or relationship pressures to settle. Whether that be settling in a relationship with someone you are afraid to leave, or settling in a career that you don’t like because it will appease your family etc… don’t do it. You will regret it later on down the road. Enjoy life, be free/ be your authentic self.
Image source: BigBearSD, Javier Quesada
#28
You can’t control what other people say or do. You can only control your own actions and words. Stop trying to change others and focus on ensuring what you say and do reflects who you are. Likewise, nobody else can control your words or actions. Be accountable for yourself, and don’t let someone else have control over what you say or do.
Image source: Oldschoolgroovinchic
#29
Love people. Hold onto the people who matter to you, learn to forgive (with the caveat that you keep a soft eye out for manipulators), and know that no one is perfect. But they’re worth keeping around. Hold on tight, for as long as you can.
Image source: OverallAd9971, Tyler Nix
#30
If you think you might have a addiction take care of it now. The whole “you hurt the people closest to you” isn’t a cliche and if you have a conscious it’ll be hard to live with. It’s better to get it taken care of sooner than later.
Image source: ravendarkangelx, kychan
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