I feel it is an obligation for any older folk to pass wisdom to those not-in-the-know of things regarding life. Some people are born directionless and they get lost in their lives and before they know it, they’re knee-deep in debt, they’re in awful minimal-wage jobs, they make poor decisions regarding their love lives .etc
I have several and my more prominent one is;
- Know Your Numbers
This is a key and must-have piece of knowledge. You must know your numbers. How much you’ll earn a month, how much your expenses are, how much is in your bank account, interests and much more. I don’t care if you’ve hated math growing up, you will need to know this. Because going off on guesswork and estimations, only gets you so far before you slip up. Once you slip up financially, missing a payment, you will fall behind faster than you’ll get back ahead or break even. As someone said, everyone is one car repair or medical emergency away from being in poverty.
- Do not get kids in your teens and 20s
Your teenage and young adolescent years, are better spent figuring out who you are and what you want to achieve. Recklessly getting kids with someone who you thought you loved or poor planning are reasons people end up paying child support and having to go to family court and having to deal with custody battles for the rest of their lives. Supporting a kid is $250k PER child, that’s the average, moreso because of the economy. Is it really worth the few minutes of sex at all for that expense?
- Avoid Jail
Going to jail, over anything, is a bad setback to have in life. If you think finding a job is hard normally with the way the job market is, it’ll be twice that if you have a criminal record. That is just shit not a lot will be ignored.
You’ll lose time, you’re likely to lose any jobs you’ve had at the time of going to jail, you may polarize family and friends even. It’s just not worth it, regardless. The more times you end up in jail too, consider your life over.
- Thrift and Thrift Away!
Thrifting can be a dirty word to some who prefer to get things new, which I understand. But it is a money-saver in the long run. For example, my apartment is 85% of thrifted items and I have a hard time recalling anything I’ve spent more than $10 for, aside from select things I bought new because I wanted them new, like some appliances.
Just try not to be a hoarder if it can be helped.
Don’t chase after women and buses.
Don’t confuse someone always being around with friendship. Some people won’t hesitate to drop a dime on you at the first sign of trouble
“Treat every computer like you’re in a library and the head librarian is stood behind you with someone in a very plain black suit next to them”
Pretty much another bit of “Don’t put anything personally identifying on the internet, you don’t know who wants that information or why, but you know they’ll be able to take it if they want to” kinda advice. (Thankfully haven’t learned that one the hard way, just heard it and now it’s stuck.)
I’m 29yo, come on, advise me!!!1! WE STILL HAVE TIME!!!
You will notice your body slowing down soon. It might not be the second you turn 30, but almost definitely by 32.
I’m 35 and I should not be advising absolutely anybody.
Never too late for a career change. Started my 2nd career at 30. 12 years later I’m the lead software engineer on a large project.
Never stop learning.
If you want kids there’s a few things to consider.
- Graduate highschool then get married before kids.
- Kids are physically easier when you’re younger.
- No one is ever really ready for kids, but you should have some level of financial stability and be prepared to have significantly less freedom.
Be purposeful in what you spend money on. You don’t need the best of everything, especially when starting a new hobby. You can find someone spending absurd amounts on anything, but no one can do that on everything.
Everything you said is spot on.
I had kids older. I don’t agree with OPs advice for not having kids in your twenties. I’d argue a planned pregnancy in your twenties is the way to go.
Take better care of your knees and back.
Read books, get off the internet.
Younger generations? Find your fucking way out of wild capitalism. You deserve to have a home, free time and mental health.
I’d just say Do not get kids, period.
This. Invest in friends. No kids.
Where exactly did you get them? Can’t you just return them?
If it works like their car seat recycling program then returns should be a pretty simple process.
The car seat what?
Nobody, and I mean nobody, would take my old kids car seat. They all told me to just throw it out.
Ah, if that were possible, how many children would be returned!
Read books, go to therapy,
Reject defensiveness and self righteousness. Embrace humility and human connection.
School is the only place where we don’t expect you to be productive. It’s the only place where people spend time and money only for you, without expecting something in return. It’s the only place where we want you to think by yourself and not just be a workforce on a product line.
Think about this next time you’ll learn that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
Remember that any advice from your parents (or anyone over 30, apparently) is, at best, 20 years past its best by date. Doesn’t mean it’s not still good, but give it a sniff test.
Just one comment. I’m just over 50 now and can confirm that every decade you look ahead people appear wiser, but every decade you look back people look young with lots still to learn.
Experience is everything, age means very little.
Life is hard and stressful whether you’re kind or unkind, so be kind. I don’t mean be a doormat, but don’t be a dick.
Seriously don’t be a dick, just absurdly relevant.
Simple compliments help a lot too. "Nice work!“ or whatever can really make sometimes day!
