Advice For My 18-Year-Old Self
We all wish we could go back in time and yell at ourselves. Even if you only had 5 minutes, you would cram every last bit of advice you have learned since being 18 as you could. I know I would. Unfortunately, that is not how life works. There isn’t a guide to life and there isn’t one answer that works for everyone. So, I guess this is made for anyone in high school, or graduating high school. I know I felt completely lost when I graduated. To sum it all up, everything is going to be just fine.
You Can Not Avoid Figuring Out What Want To Do In Life
Trust me. It did not work for me. Part of the reason I went to college was to just push off this decision. But, now I am sitting here with the same dilemma. Luckily, I figured out what I want to do next in life (and what I don’t want to do). You have to sit and genuinely think about what next step you should take in life that works best for you. Go out and get experience. Research jobs, take some career quizzes, research on Google, talk to people in that industry. Who do you watch/read/admire? What do they do? How do you get there? Sometimes you have to work backwards from a higher position. College isn’t right for everyone. Especially in this day and age. It is possible to get experience and work your way up. You just have to be a bit more creative. Check out you community college. There might be a certificate or 2 year program that is perfect for you. Even if it doesn’t work out, community college is CHEAP.
Worry About The Next Step, Not Forever
I think what causes people to freak out when they are trying to figure out their next move is thinking long term. I was trying to think about what I wanted to do in 20,30,40 years. But, that is a terrible approach doomed for failure. Just try to think about what you want to do next, or in the next 12 months. From there, break it into smaller chunks and get going. As long as you keep moving forward, good things will come. Sometimes they are in the form of progress or lessons (setbacks).
Read for Fun
I stopped reading in high school, but got right back into it after. I try and read 30-50 pages a day. Read what interests you! Go back and read some childhood favorites to get back into the groove. The GoodReads app is a great place to start and get book recommendations. There is also the lovely website - What Should I Read Next? and this has helped me find countless books.
Retirement and Investing
If you are in the position to do so, look into setting up a retirement account and look into investing. No one ever got rich from savings account interest. I’ve been maxing out a Roth for a few years. This is money I can take out after I turn 59.5 and its all tax free. If your employer offers a retirement account with match, take it! That is free money. Nerd Wallet is a great place to start reading about finance. Your 20’s is a great time to build solid finance foundations. The earlier you start, the more you have down the road. Remember- its about time in the market, not timing the market.
Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things
You never know what might come out of trying something new. Sometimes it leads to an indirect realization about something else. If something interests you, research it and find a way to try it out before you fully invest.
We All Move Through Life At A Different Pace
This is much easier to tell someone, but everything happens for a reason. I look back and I may have been mad at how something turned out, but a few months later it was clear it happened for a reason. Life if weird that way. So, if you are looking around and you feel like you’re behind what people your age “should” be doing…who cares? We’re all doing our own things and life is a marathon. You might be behind now, but who knows what will happen in 2-3 years. I was getting frustrated for still being in school when most people my age graduated a few years ago. But, this approach had a few advantages-
I had no debt since I spent as little as I could on school (max credits at a community college and only 3 semesters at a 4 year school)
I had built up a savings account
I was investing heavily
This was not the case for most of my friends. Many had taken on large amounts of loans and ended up going back to school for a different degree.
Take A Deep Breath, It’s All Going To Be Fine
In the end, if you’re doing your best and not sitting around waiting to be given opportunities, you’ll be fine. Just be patient.
If you’re still looking for more advice, this article gave me a lot of clarity.
What else should I add to this? Let me know friends.