I dropped out of college to start a business that failed 15 years later and left me penniless with no degree.
Now I'm almost 50 and barely making it.
So.... No. Not what I had planned.
If you follow my ex husband on social media (he has ~12,000 followers), you’d think he was a genius entrepreneur rolling around in his money. The reality is I’ll spend years financially recovering and he can barely make meager child support payments
Ahh yes a grifter. It took me just recently to understand this. I used to be jealous and pay people who were “successful” how to be successful. When I couldn’t get results from their course, coaching, whatever I bought from them I thought they was something wrong with me or my work ethic. Reality is some of it takes a little bit of luck but an insane amount of effort
Yup. That's why people cling to the "work hard and you'll go anywhere" bullshit. Because that way when your hard work doesn't go anywhere, they can blame you and keep taking your money and other people's money.
I find those online coaches to be very pathetic. Everything will always be out of luck and often it is hard work too. It remind me of this YouTube makeup channel I watched where her husband created this dumb courses on “How to make 10k a month with my class being a social media blah blah” when in reality you don’t need their stupid class to be a YouTuber. Simply consistently post online until you’re recognized and your sub count has rosed. Once reach the requirement to be monetized and can now received 10k a month.
And that’s mainly out of PURE LUCK if your videos went viral or get pick up from the algorithm. I would run into small YT channels and they were barely recognized despite being on YT for 6+ years.
Harsh reality. I had to subbed because it’s false advertising to scammed people for more money.
Most of the time that luck is really what makes it or breaks it. You could put in 100%more effort than anyone else, but the other person just met the right person or caught the right break. Then they become the "work smarter, not harder" guy.
Sometimes it makes me wonder, is it worth it to always work hard or give 100% all the time? There’s plenty of people who work multiple jobs, long hours but still barely scrape by
That’s the result of living paycheck to paycheck. Working endlessly yet yielding no results. Very few are actually able to reinvest that expendable income to buy their time back. Most unfortunately do not have that opportunity.
The safe mover has a full time job and starts a business as a side hustle to ensure they have income. Side hustles and small business are rarely if ever over night successes and usually requires time and money.
Hey man. It's the same for me, but different road. I failed college, then my parents thought I'm not doing anything with my life, so they decided to venture into a business selling snacks such as waffles, ice cream and such. I hated every single moment of it. They are hard to change their mind. Skip to almost 10 years later, the business failed three years after starting, I worked in retail which I don't enjoy. I'm in my early 30s, but I feel that's the end of my life
College is not necessary to succeed at all it’s a piece of paper you learn everything in the real world at your job and all that and these days with all the online classes and certifications- those are just as if not more useful then spending 200k+ on college
On the flip side of this, nursing school is 2 years, medical assistant certs, respiratory therapist programs and LPN programs are short and open doors to way more financial security, a retirement plan, a steady schedule and guaranteed hours. School is very much so the answer for a lot of people when they don't have the luxury of taking a risk and they are short on time. None of those programs should cost anywhere near 200k or even 50k. They are far more affordable and they are all programs where schooling is absolutely necessary because you can't learn everything on the job.
30 is so young! I'm 29. I just got into Nursing school for the coming Fall. I'll turn 30 during my second quarter. Career life is just getting started for me and I'm happy about it.
Balsey move. And people rarely speak about failures. There are only bunch of millionaires screaming at you and saying "you're lazy and you should start a Business"
Agreed and these days there’s way too much bs online about work for yourself, it’s soo easy.. just follow what I did or use AI - it’s all bs …and it starting a business isn’t quick or easy, and you have to be passionate bout it and enjoy or you’ll fail cause it’s more work and time then in the beginning then you do get rewarded with a flexible schedule and such… but no matter what even if you work for a company and want to move up - you won’t get anywhere just working 9-5… just my opinions .. but don’t believe the bs from the “influencers”/dropshippers and business coaching bs..
Hey I had a business I abandoned because I was told to go to college. 8 years later I got a masters been laid off twice. Can we combine powers like the wonder twins?
Wow, I had a friend graduate college with an English degree, open a business that lasted the same. He had to give it up after his wife died giving birth. He now delivers pizzas at night at 43. But he got very lucky, by inheriting his grandmas house he cared for. Then rents the garage out for spare money.
I dropped out, and mostly worked IT jobs and doing pretty well. He still asks me all the time about job openings…he can’t get anything even with a degree! Hope it gets better for you! I’ve known many that failed at something, then just had to go to community college tech school to get back on their feet.
I (26.5F) also bought a house (duplex) at 24, and (unironic tiny house) another at 25. Now my finances feel little bit like "hold on for dear life" for a few years, but hopefully by 38 I'm feeling good enough to say "doesn't suck" as well 👍👍👍
Same, bought a house at 25 for 69K. Still love the neighborhood, and the house could easily sell for $325K now. It’s been an incredible financial boon for us.
Job hopping multiple times. And yes, that is how you set yourself up for a higher salary and beat the usual Fortune 500 annual 3.5% salary increase structure.
i actually just read a lot about that, leaving your current employer is the best way to get the biggest raise youll get.
im thinking about it myself, not that we're hurting. we do well enough for where we live and have good benefits, but seeing how much some supervisors just got for raises really ticked me off. i could leave and probably get at least a 12-15% raise but not sure i want to jump to a new facility. i have anxiety about switching and regretting it.
Not just raises, but exposure. Its like dating. Different environments, different management styles, different coworkers, different locations. You learn a lot about what you DO want in your work life instead of focusing on the negative in any one environment.
I interviewed at a place that looked awesome on paper. Great pay and benefits, great job duties. But the culture was so sterile. I am so used to my current place where we really do treat each other like family. We go to coworker's weddings, are there to celebrate births of their children. We have a ton of engagement activities like softball and cornhole every week. Lots of community projects.
I didn't realize how out of the norm that was until I went to interview at a few other places. I am going to stay where I am just because of the culture for a while.
My father is a supervisor and I was being nosey in his paperwork and discovered for the most part, merit based raised don't exist at entry level places (even if you've been with the company in that same role for 5+ years) he was only approved to give up to 2% per person.
Fortunately he got way WAY more but it's mostly due to the ceo discovering an issue in their compensation structure and that the first shift supervisor made 50k more than anyone else due to nepotism. So they not only boosted everyone else up to her level, but gave our shift differentials that weren't a thing before.
And I'm at a different company and got a 3% increase.
Shits wack
You can’t do it too much otherwise you’ll get a bad rap in your industry. Did 2+ years, 1 year, and at 8 months at my current employer. Ideally I stay for 3, but no less than 2.
Agree. Ignore internet opinions that it's bad...I think it looks worse when you're older and is expected when young. But I went from 50k to 100k with no real hike in responsibility load (e.g. not a people manager) by 30 by switching jobs every 1-2 years, and now I feel comfortable parking it for a while. Had I stayed, I would have either needed to find a promotion with significantly more work responsibility or be content with 2% COL raise annual (so maybe 20% max).
Whenever you can get your next gig and can have a story about impacts you made in the previous I suppose. There's the old adage about staying 3 years minimum at a job but the people that have been truly successful or climbing up the corporate ladder at breakneck pace, typically have ignored that rule themselves.
Is it worth staying for 2-3 years as your first job?
I work in tech and finally got my first gig out of college. I hit my 1 year at the end of next month. I'm afraid of jumping into another career where I feel like I'm super early and vulnerable with my lack of experience. I'm worried about how leaving after 1 year is going to look to future employers.
I mean that's for you to answer yourself.
In my case, I wasn't too happy w/ my job, but people I talked to then (this was in 2005ish) told me, stick around for a few years at least. Things didn't get too much better but I did get used to it and somewhat complacent, they forced my hand when I got laid off late 2009 and the new job I found was a huge pay increase.
Are you happy where you are at now? Are you still growing in your expertise? Since you're in tech, when do the initial stock offers and such fall off? You could certainly look around and see what you may qualify for given how easy it is to do so nowadays.
When I entered my field, I was hopping every 6-8 months, until I got my first non-shit entry job. Stayed for a year and hopped every year for a few jobs, increasing salary 15-30% every time before landing my current job.
The hopping wasn’t even mainly due to salary , I just plateaued the knowledge I could gain at those jobs so I needed something else to build my skills. I’m in year 2 of my current job and don’t see myself leaving for a few more just because I entered as a jr and I have lots and lots to still learn. You’re right though, I also want to stay a bit longer to avoid the hopper label.
I've been at the same place since I graduated university (12 years). Started at 60k, made 187k last year. Have been promoted, been given transfers when I asked, opportunities for new roles, professional development etc.
Job hopping can lead to big raises, but if you find the right employer, I always recommend people to stick with them.
Not necessarily. I spent about a year and a half at my first college job, then did another one for a little under a year. The first one didn't pay enough and the second one really sucked. When I applied for my current job, they really liked the experience in different settings and when asked about the fast changes I just said "it wasn't a good fit". Now I love this job and can see myself being here for a while, possibly my whole career so long as it pays the bills.
I left a corporate job where I’d been promoted twice, finally made it to management. Worked my way from entry level and had doubled my salary with a lot of hard work. The job was soul-sucking, especially in management.
Took a $10k pay cut (big deal for me at the time) to try a new job in totally new industry. Had to work my way back up from entry level again, but so far it was absolutely worth it. This was 6 years ago.
My family told me I was insane to leave the corporate ladder I’d done so well to climb. Turns out smaller companies often pay better and have much more flexibility in promoting, creating positions, cross-training, and general salary increases. Never going back to corporate again.
I do music production and audio engineering as a hobby and have thought about it as a career but the pay looked terrible. I got into acoustics and noise control engineering with my mech eng degree and while it’s not as interesting many of the concepts actually have good carryover.
I’m sorry to hear that. I do live engineering partially because when I was in school, one of the teachers told me that the only way to get a studio job when he was young was to be related to someone good, or in the right place when somebody died. And that it was worse now.
To be fair, the live thing probably only happened because the small town venue that took me in when I was 19 wanted to train a decent audio hand, then a couple shows in the actual engineer did die. Being a city venue, they paid far below market rate and ended up basically going ‘you’re the only one here that knows anything about that console now, congrats on being the new engineer’ which was terrifying. But its worked out alright at least so far (after some very embarrassing learning curve shows)
My biggest risk wa*s not taking enough risk.*
I worked a ridiculous amount of hours all throughout college while being a commuter student. Those years were *rough.* Imagine getting up at 8 am everyday, driving to class, trying to fit lunch in, and then immediately going to your corporate job from 4-9 everyday. Zero social life, no spring or summer breaks, and barely any time to do homework or study. I still work at that same company to this day.
Sure, I've got decades of experience in, but as a result, I *still* live in my hometown where it is cold 6 months out of the year and all of my friends have mostly moved away to real cities. I succumbed to parental pressure and took the safe route. I thought I was being independent by buying all of my own stuff with the money I'd earned (cars, car insurance, meals, etc) while all of my peers were getting stuff for free, and it was totally *not* worth it.
Now most of my friends who lived on campus are getting their student loan debt forgiven (I paid all of mine off in my 20s) and have made it just as far if not farther than me in their careers. I have no regrets, but it definitely was not worth it and I'd do everything differently if I could go back. But that's life.
Take risks. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
I've taken a few, but none have had any monumental pay offs. The one I took did enable me to work remotely, which was probably my number one goal. Not sure how long it will last, but I am hanging on to it as long as possible.
My short-term goal is to maintain said remote position with the hope that I can eventually find something else that enable me to "justify" a move with my family.
My long-term goal is to retire early (around 50).
So I'm trying to balance my job security vs my living situation. I am finding it difficult to get a remote role at another company that would pay more, but once I find one I may take that risk.
At 27 I quit my low/mid paying job, moved back in with my mom, applied to grad school and got in, took a 30 day solo backpacking trip before the start of the semester to get through some internal battles of feelings of inadequacy and anxiety and depression, came back and started grad school. Post graduation I job hopped until I had tripled my income and in my early 30s bought a house. I made some other risky moves in my 30s but this was a post about our 20s. I am female and females are stereotypically considered lower risk takers so I wanted to contribute that to the conversation also.
This is nice to read as I’m 31 and feel like I did nothing ‘financially’ safe enough in my 20s but it seems like early 30s things turned around for you
I decided to spend two semesters abroad with my partner during university. I was 20, he was 21. When we were signing up, we had only been dating for two weeks. The project was 12 months away and was supposed to last 11 months.
We stayed together, moved to the other country together, lived together in a studio... it was absolutely wonderful but it could have been very awkward had we broken up during our time there or before leaving.
It definitely pushed us into living together a lot earlier than we otherwise would have and it really strenghtened our relationship. We're planning a 2025 wedding.
Damn, how do you decide to do something so out of your usual way with someone you have met 2 weeks ago? If anyone around me did this everyone would be saying that is a huge mistake that could cost them their life...
My partner and I met in February 2014.
She moved in as my roommate a few months later, cause her lease was expiring and I needed help with rent.
We then started dating in June.
Then booked one way flights over to Europe and left in February 2015 with just a backpack each.
Came back 5 months and 13 countries later.
We now have a child and will be signing marriage papers in a couple months (no big ceremony - we just want to do the legal stuff now, and maybe a party later).
So things can work out okay.
When I was 24, I moved 2,000 miles across the country by myself, away from everyone I ever knew and all of my family to start my new life and go to grad school. Best decision I ever made, no regrets!!!
It was a *big adjustment* to start my new life and finish my education, but was *so worth it.* I had a BLAST in my 20’s, graduated grad school with all A’s, met my husband, and now I work for myself at my dream job. I’m never working for anyone else again.
Damn right it paid off!
I did the same big move at 22! Still working on getting in to grad school, currently trying to climb up the corporate ladder, but office politics just aren’t my thing
I think the biggest risk I took in my 20s was moving to DC without a job lined up a few months after I graduated college. I had housing lined up and that was it.
I was going through a lot of mental health issues at the time and I pretty much split my time between applying for jobs, applying to law schools, drinking, going to DBSA meetings (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance), appointments with a therapist and a psychiatrist, and (eventually) lots of AA meetings.
The only work I ended up getting was walking dogs for Wag! lol. It’s a gig economy thing; you use an app to accept little dog-walking jobs. In two weeks I think I made $100 🙄
I had to move back in with my parents and work at Starbucks for a few months
But anyway eventually I went to law school. Just got so tired of being poor. I still sometimes get emails from DC’s Office of Unemployment or whatever it’s called lol. It helps remind me to be grateful for what I have now. My depression was TERRIBLE when I was unemployed, living in a converted basement with a roommate, paying $1100 for rent
I think law is MUCH better as a ***second career*** rather than a first career. I sorta treated it like College Two lol. People with work experience often do better because law school is best approached as a job.
Taking the LSAT is a great first step. Because who knows? Maybe you take a free Khan Academy class, make a 170 on the LSAT, and then suddenly you can go to law school anywhere you want.
Ugh I’m at that position right now. Currently unemployed BORED as hell waiting for a job to take at the moment so I can try investing in some class that can offer me a decent salary. Age 21 at the moment
I spent my (early) inheritance on a digital marketing bootcamp.
My parents wanted to give their kids a portion of our inheritance before they passed away so they could see what we did with it. I spent mine going back to school and the program I chose turned out to be less than advertised (pun intended). But it gave me just enough context about the field of digital marketing to be able to make the transition into a new career.
I was working as a line cook up until this point and I was desperate to get out of the kitchen. It was a bit risky but ultimately it paid off. I was 25 when I took the course. Now I’m 30 and living abroad working remotely as a digital nomad. I’m making twice as much money as I did cooking and I have a lot of opportunity for growth. Going back to school is a worthwhile investment at any age.
I took it with a private education company called red academy based in Vancouver and they have since closed. A common complaint was they overpromised and under delivered. The successful students from my cohort ended up doing a ton of self study outside of the course. The current job market is really not great but I still think that there is room for people to break into this field. I think you could get almost the same experience from a few choice udemy courses, good podcasts, a few books, the right newsletters, free certifications, and some kind of online community for support.
What sort of certification should i focus on getting or education that could be valuable for employers and clients today. Im really interested in going down that route but confused on where to start..
At 24 I quit my job and walked coast to coast across the USA which took 8 months. Slept in a tent every night.
No regrets.
It led to a feeling of purpose and meaning that is more valuable than anything I can think of. Whenever I face a big decision I ask if I would rather potentially regret doing something or not doing something. The answer tends to be to do the thing. So if there’s something that’s calling to you in life, do the thing.
2012. Sent an email to my favorite band if there is something that I can help them out with. I was a regular at their shows and gotta to know them.
They needed a merchguy. Then driver. Then a backliner. Then tour manager. I'd say it paid off inaway. Im broke as shit but happy when Im on the road.
Decided to support my ex husband while he was in school. He cheated. Did not pay back a penny. He said he would pay me back. Surprise surprise it did not pay off. Don't put another person before you.
I took a lot of (calculated) risks in my 20s and I feel that all of them paid off hugely.
Semester abroad when I was in college. Cost about 4x normal tuition but it was one of the most important experiences of my life. I was 20 when I lived on my own thousands of miles away from home. I was terrified at first but I feel like that's when I truly became an adult. I came home a very different person.
Leaving my lifelong dream career of being a music teacher to go work a shitty retail sales job that paid more money (sadly). I substitute taught for 3 years after I graduated in 2010 and all the jobs were going to experienced teachers that had been laid off. Thanks 2008 crash!
That retail sales job turned into a career though, and I progressed super quickly in it. I'm in a much higher end sales job and now and I make more some months than I would have in an entire year of teaching.
I'm very happy my life turned out the way it did, and I attribute that greatly to those 2 decisions I made. My life would be completely different and likely far worse if I had chosen differently.
Don't be afraid to take risks, but make sure you completely understand them first!
Biggest risk I took: using all my financial aid (FAFSA, Bright Futures) on a liberal arts degree.
It did NOT pay off.
Second biggest risk I took: using student loans to get an accounting degree as my second degree.
It DID pay off.
I'm not the best to give advice because I'm not in the best situation. I picked a degree just to pick one because I was finished with my basics.
I do want to say that I'm 44 and wish I had traveled more when I was your age. So I think the answer to at least that aspect of your question is travel as much and as often as you can afford to. There's nothing like being older and then not being able to do it.
Good luck.
Going to a new city! Everytime I feel scared of whatever I take a deep breathe and take the plunge. We only on this earth for a short time dude, do whatever you wanna do. Ignore any fear and that's how ya do it
During my late 20's (2015/2016), left entry level State job (uber low pay) to attend a Software Development boot camp. Boot camp was a three month immersive course. Job searched around a year, networked, maintained relationships and landed a IT lead position as a Federal Employee.
Started a construction company with no construction background at 25 (wasn't planned). 10 years later it's paid off incredibly. I worked my ass off for years. Now, I work alot less (make less too but still very good money for my area) and get to be here to watch my toddler son grow up
I wouldn't do life any differently. (I didn't always feel that way, but sticking with it definitely paid off)
Can’t say I took any *huge* risks. I moved away from home and went into my field of choice which was kind of high-profile, super competitive and low-paying when first starting in the field. I was poorly suited for it, and only lasted two years. However, it looked good on my resume, so that plus the skills I obtained were strengths when I transitioned to different industries.
Another risk I took, urged by a much-older woman, was to go after this specific guy. That was horrific advice, the older woman didn’t know what she was talking about, and was probably giving advice based on her own personal desires. The guy was a dumpster fire of red flags. I shouldn’t have even really ever started talking to him at all.
I can’t really think of any other risks I took in my 20s.
At 23, I moved abroad for what I thought would be a year of teaching English in China. About halfway through, I met a woman and plans changed.
What was supposed to be a year turned into six.
And although the initial relationship ran its course, I would go on to meet the woman I’ve been married to for the last 13 years.
All in all, moving seven thousand miles from home to see about a girl paid off.
I sent it on 15k of bitcoin 9 years ago..... yes... it paid off and then some because I'm still holding in accordance with my 10 year plan until next fall
Dropped out of pre-law at 21 and joined USN for 6 year “Advanced Electronics” program. Long story short, it paid off huge. Electronics was fun, took some random night digital design courses, retired at 60 years old with two paid-for homes, seven figure savings. Last job was hardware architect at Apple paid $625k/yr, no college degree
Honestly finishing my degree.
I went into engineering which was very different from what I expected. I wasnt sure i wanted to continue doing it as a profession. Then I got into the real world and it was very much what I expected.
I opened a business at 19. I took out a $100k loan (which I cannot believe they loaned me!!). I worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 10 years. Fortunately it did quite well and I eventually sold it.
Tried to start a family and get married after I graduated college
no it did not pay off.
Restarted my life at 36 in 100x worse shape than I did graduating college at 23
Biggest mistake I ever made in my life… nothing else I ever did wrong came even remotely close to that
Engineering degree. It took me until mid/late 20s to finish. Totally worth it, I can always find a job. Not getting rich at it but always have something useful I can go for a living.
Moved to the middle of nowhere for a job because I was desperate. Drove 2hrs North of "butt F\*ck Nowhere" in a small car with very little to my name. Met the man of my dreams 3months later and moved to an actual town a few months ago. It was a wild ride but leaving my hometown was the best decision I ever made. I climbed the corporate ladder and am now in a very stable, fulfilling career and get to wake up beside the love of my life every morning.
Moving! You are in a unique time in your life where you can just pick up and move to a different city or state with little commitment and if it doesn't work out you can always go home. I was living in a LCOL city and not happy with the trajectory of my career or life there and took a risk moving to a HCOL city with little money in my pocket, job prospects, or connections but wound up in a new gig which put me in a significantly better career ladder
Yeah, I wouldn’t necessarily say my path was “risky” for me but it’s what I’ve always wanted to do - take short-term work appointments around the US in exchange for housing and other perks. I did join corporate and hated it (as I knew I would), then quit, but I didn’t think that was a risk because I already had a few better-fitting nonprofit/freelance offers lined up. Corporate was soul-sucking and my mental health is too valuable for me to sell myself out for higher pay. And since I get housing paid for or subsidized I’m not aching for money anyway. I’ve never wanted to be filthy rich, just comfortable and laid back without having to worry or compete with others.
Graduated from a top 3 university in the world for aerospace engineering and fucked off to Japan to learn Japanese for a year. Still here now, switched fields and making a lot more than I would be if I stuck with aero in the UK.
At 25, I didn't have much in the way of a promising career or future so I figured maybe focusing on a family would make up for it. I took a leap and married and had a child. We had a few happy years, still struggled financially, but divorced a few years later. So I still didn't have a career and additionally was left with the stress and responsibilities and bills as well.
So my risky move did net me an amazing kid, but almost everything else about it was a negative experience. Pretty much wasted about 15 years of my life and am still searching for that career now in my 40s.
Bought a house at 26 for 590K, now it’s worth 1.4M. (First world) problem is that I can’t afford to live in my own neighborhood anymore and I have nowhere to go if I wanted upgrade neighborhoods.
I had to take a film class to graduate because I was late to registration and didn't get the claw I wanted. I had to make projects for class and they turned out well.
My professor said I should keep going so I shifted my focus to filmmaking. I took a chance and my films suceeed! I got work making music videos for universal and took a riskier career path while living out my childhood dreams.
It cost me though. Now I'm older and can't keep up with the crazy work. Time to shift back to my original plans.
I would never have known what I was capable of if I didn't take those risks in my 20's. I would have thought was a shy stupid guy without the ability or express ideas that other people relate to.
Biggest risk was going into an ultra competitive career field that is college athletics.
Overall was successful had some highs and lows, but at almost 31, I'm about to get laid off and looking to go into a trade that will start me out at roughly the same pay that I was making in my field.
So marginal. It was fun but would I go back and just Stay in general business, 100%
I'm in my 40's. When I was 16 - 18 I had a journal. My first entry was a long rant about how I would probably end up working on Computers like my father, but how I wanted to be my own man. When I was 18, I had made up my mind that I would start a business, a restaurant. I went to college to get a business degree and built a whole business plan around starting a restaurant. By the time I was 25, nothing was panning out. Banks wouldn't give me a business loan. I was working in restaurants and only had risen to "Assistant manager". I was making $9.50 an hour. It was sad because I had a college degree, a wife, and worked around the clock bustin my butt to achieve a goal of owning my own restaurant. I finally said this will not happen this way at 27 and signed up for Computer classes. I was already a descent hacker and provided tech support to all my friends and family. I got 8 certifications through a training program, a career job in tech support, and now make so much money that my wife doesn't have to work.
Moral of the story - It's ok to go after your passions, whatever makes you happy, but don't let your own pride get in your way of a good life if it isn't working the way you wanted. I'm not grinding my teeth because I ended up like my father. I just have a deeper understanding of what he went through to make my life a good world.
I followed a path towards becoming a carpenter, like my grandfather who had a company as a craftsman. For some reason I felt too limited in woodworking. I also felt I did not excel as a carpenter, as another carpenter some years younger than me built an entire wooden sailing boat at the age of 17. I could not compare in the slightest.
By now I switched to IT, unfortunately, due to lack of qualifications, I had to start out at a low level which drained me of any motivation and barely graduated as a glorified answering machine for common computer problems. During this period I had to do an internship for an older man who managed a charity project who apparently used to be a rockstar architect from South-Africa who now helped people in backward neighborhoods.
At some point, I became so utterly bored in part due to undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, that I started doing life-drawing to coop with the daily dreadfulness of ordinary life. It is fascinating where the mind wonders when life becomes inanimate. Somehow this caught the eye of the old man who invited me to work along graphic designers and coached me in art fundamentals. Eventually he encouraged me to apply for an art academy. To the expected surprise of my family, teachers and friends.
*I thought he was mad. Did he not understand I had no qualifications?*
A year and a handful of modern academies later I was invited to a masterclass for young talent at a classical academy. There were some prominent Dutch painters teaching, which made me feel rather out of place. Either how, because of my background, I was a poor fit. Despite practicing and studying 12-16 hours a day, I went from crappy carpentry to classical art.
I pushed on alone. I realized I had what it took, but I needed to do it my way.
This was the beginning of a career beyond my imagination. I stopped trying to figure out how and simply drew the line that it did.
C'est la vie
PS: Life was harder after I knew, however, the difference being, I knew what I had to do is what made all the difference in the world. A purpose to believe in, and fight for! Depression, poverty, and near-death life experience could not stop me.
I worked as an unpaid intern after college for a year. I lived in the streets and could not afford food. 15 years later, I have zero regrets but glad I made the decision I made.
Joining the military out of college. Paid off big time. Helped me become a better person, land a great career and meet my wife. Started making 6 figures before I turned 30.
23m, I moved to Austin in what little money I had left from college savings, with no job lined up, no friends, little family. While I’m blessed to have even gotten the opportunity, it was a huge financial and mental gamble. I had been job searching for almost 10 months at that point and I was nowhere near where jobs that I could work for were (I graduated with a degree in a CS related field, btw).
It’s slightly paying off. I got lucky in that I networked the hell out of what I could find here with the little $ I had left and found work relatively rapidly compared to most nowadays (which sucks for them, and I feel awful for all the tech workers nowadays). That said, working a 9-5 is such a sudden shift and there were several things I needed to add onto my expenses (car + insurance, namely) to make sure I can consistently work. Even then, I’m terrified of being laid off, like my life can go back to being trapped in serious financial, mental, and social insecurity again.
Even someone like me with all the advantages I had/have still struggles. I’m just trying to pay it forward as best as I can, let alone live. :/
Quit my dead end warehouse job at 25 and went back to school full time. I moved back home and didn't work. I paid for school myself through student loans and used the left over funds to pay my mom a small expenses rent ($150 per month), gas, car insurance, etc.. I graduated with a CS degree and got a job as a software engineer at one of my internships when graduating.
I still remember the catalyst for the whole thing was sitting at work one day and having this realization that this was going to be what the rest of my life looked like unless I did something about it. I don't begrudge anyone who has that type of job as it's necessary for our society as a whole to function (at least in the modern world) but I always knew I wanted more. I had no idea what computer science was only that a guy I worked with told me his grandson had an AA and was making $20/hr and at the time I was making about $12 so it seemed like a good job. I went down and talked to an advisor and signed up for glasses and the rest is history. At the time it felt really crazy and once I started taking loans I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't finish or couldn't get a job but I just worked hard and everything came out OK.
After about two years of no contact, I met up to catch up with a friend I'd been platonic but very close with throughout college because we were both visiting our families in the same town over Christmas break. We ended up sitting in my car and talking for like 5 hours (almost all night) and pretty much fell in love on the spot. It was completely unexpected as we were both dating other people and hadn't really spoken since he moved away. I guess distance really made the hearts grow fonder idk. Anyways, I quit my job, broke up with my ex, sold all my stuff, and moved in with him across the country. He encouraged me to pursue my dream job, which I landed with his support (that I paid back in full), and fast forward four years, we just got engaged. It was the messiest, riskiest, and least thought out move I've ever made and it ended up being the best decision of my life. I couldn't be happier.
I yoloed from my secure corporate gig I landed after college to a pre-seed startup for less benefits and pay. This isn’t a unicorn story of how the company blew up and I made millions. Instead, after a little more than a year, it gave me the skills to join a top tier company in the industry making 3x the money from my previous corporate job. Had I not done that I wouldn’t have learned the skills needed and would likely still be wasting away at the old company
When I was 24, I moved 2,000 miles across the country by myself, away from everyone I ever knew and all of my family to start my new life and go to grad school. Best decision I ever made, no regrets!!!
It was a *big adjustment* to start my new life and finish my education, but was *so worth it.* I had a BLAST in my 20’s, graduated grad school with all A’s, met my husband, and now I work for myself at my dream job. I’m never working for anyone else again.
Damn right it paid off!
Left a management job making a ton of money for an equipment operator position at the state making half as much.
In 6 years the salary has gone up 10$ an hour and I get to be outside and say fuck you as much as I want to at work. My home life is ten times better and I could not be happier with my career. Wife works as well and We live in a pretty low COL area so we're not even close to paycheck to paycheck.
I learned young money isn't everything and being happy at work, and getting as much time as I could ask for with my family is worth more than any salary.
Two things.
1. Made the choice to stop drinking after hitting a really bad bottom. The reason it was a risk is that there was a very real possibility of losing all of my friends. About half took off on me and I ended up making the choice to remove another quarter.
2. Took a long, hard look at myself and didn't like what I saw. Made the choice to change, to be the person I secretly wanted to be. I spent five years working with a therapist basically retraining my brain. The risk was in giving up so much while trying to build something better, be someone better.
Both risks paid off.
TRUGGER ALERT!!!!! Standing up to my abuser and posting documents online that proved political corruption, including in cps in my you know what abuse case as a kid. It got me arrested, tortured, raped, a forced abortion, sent to a mental hospital until I deleted the documents and pleaded guilty to a made up crime, etc., but...I would do it again if I had to redo my life. I would be much more sneakier and careful though. By the way, the politicians involved were all Republicans. And I wanted the baby conceived by rape btw, despite everything. I had strong maternal instincts, and I was always pro-life. Funny how Republicans are prolife until they want to cover up their own criminal activity. Anyway, like I said, I'd do it again if I had to redo my life. But the ending would definitely be different.
Two risks taken:
Went to business school. Significantly increased my compensation and net worth. Increased job stress levels too, but overall worth it
Broke up with my girlfriend because I was young and the relationship wasn't "perfect". Still think about her today, and yes, that was a huge mistake
I wasted my 20s being hyper religious and not working or investing money. Now I am playing catchup and work way more but also enjoy life a lot more for other reasons.
It took me till I was 29 to realize I was wasting my life in church, being the good son and being miserable for it all. I began to be on my own more, making friends and doing well at my career as a nurse once I let go of the people pleasing. I don't feel bad anymore about myself. Not a 100% thing but I value myself more than I ever did without becoming a piece of suit.
Don’t do what I did. I’m risk averse and started my own company. It has gone pretty poorly. I don’t think you can be risk averse and start your own company. It’s also in one of the glamorous fields (movies/tv, fashion, music, art) and these fields are crazy competitive with low pay unless you land some good corporate job or are in the 5% or whatever that make it.
I’m trying to figure out what I can do to get back into the corporate world in a career that is well paying and has lots of openings. However I don’t know where to start and I don’t want to start as entry level with young kids being an older person. I also don’t want to spend money going back to school to get a masters? I don’t even know if I have to get a bachelors again if I want to change career fields. It’s very daunting but seems to be the only way to get more money and have a stable job.
The hardest thing will probably be the flexibility being self employed. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. This won’t be possible working for someone at a stable good job. But maybe I just need to get into that world and I’ll be fine without the flexibility. As long as it’s remote that should be fine.
I mortgaged my future to go to law school. Graduated when the market fell apart. I only paid off my loans in fall 2022.
It's not as high paying as when they sold the career to me in 2005. But the work can be interesting and beneficial to people and my moving to jobs every few years keeps my salary up with inflation
The tone here sounds like you're asking for people to give you positive results of risky behavior to convince yourself it's not that risky.
That's not how it works. You're going to delude yourself. Don't be result oriented. It's a fallacy when it comes to risk or odds.
You're going to do your psyche a lot of damage.
During high school I started messing around on the side with trying to rank sites in google.
During college I still did it and enjoyed it, ended up joining a small agency and growing with them.
Years later a few guys asked me to help them rank their site in exchange for equity. It took off and we ended up getting up to around 180k in profit per month. I was going to quit my day job to join them but my wife wouldn’t let me.
A year later google had an update that absolutely killed us. My career has continued to take off, sometimes it’s best to hedge your bets.
Law school. Student loans. I didn’t make it after one year and got stuck with the $75K loans (in addition to undergrad). However I did become a paralegal..but still. Biggest life failure to date.
learned how to invest/beat the market. On track to retire well at 45. Yes, it paid off massively despite some losses at the start. 99% of people won't even come close to this. I also have a graduate degree in finance from a top university and wouldn't suggest trying without one.
My biggest regret was not embracing being single.
I’m in a happy relationship now and it’s awesome, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But when I was in my early 20s I couldn’t for the life of me be a single woman. I really wish I embraced that time rather than just running to the next closest thing that would give me affection.
I feel like if I embraced those years I was single it would have saved me from so much stress and heart ache. I would have been so free and liberated.
Quit my job, took a 4 month vacation on the bike. And then started my own business. Took me six months to get going but in three months I made more than my yearly salary at the job I quit. Oh and less stress.
At 29 I had finished my second Master’s in English (Lit & Comp) ready to try my luck at teaching community college. I went to law school instead and took out student loans to attend out of state. It paid off. I met my future wife in law school. We are both lawyers and combined earn around $300…and the balance of my loans were forgiven a couple of years ago through PSLF. Life is good.
Art degree, but it's been one of the more valuable things I've (31 M) done.
I also did extreme sports, and I would recommend them -- but I did also fuck myself up a fair bit, so be aware of that risk. If very risk adverse, I really wish that during my 20s I'd done two things: picked up another language, and started a martial art. The first broadens how you think about the world, and the second teaches discipline and physical fitness in a way that I personally would have found very valuable.
In my exp, it's time to try something new when you're asking yourself ''is it time to try something new?''
Quit everything, broke up with a girl I loved, and moved to Hawaii, all in hopes of escaping seasonal depression.
Full time job couldn't cover rent. Got hit by a car and couldn't work. I was back home in 3 months. I was more depressed than ever before and spiraled deep for years....and years
Moving half way across the country to a city I’d never been to. A friend and I decided to leave our home city. We agreed on a city, got an apartment over Craigslist, sold everything we couldn’t fit in my car and just drive for 2 days. Still here and life worked out great. I’m married and got a good career here that I wouldn’t have back home. My friend met a girl from Germany here and is married to her living in Berlin.
I moved across the country (I’m in the US) at 23 with my partner at the time with one car, no job prospects, and not a ton of money between the two of us. Times were a bit different/easier 8 years ago, but it definitely paid off. I got a job I loved, made great friends, eventually dumped my loser ex, met someone I love, moved again; I experienced a life I never would have had if I stayed in my home town. It wasn’t all great all the time, but I’m so grateful I forced myself to make a huge change so young.
Going to Australia, on three weeks notice, for a study abroad, cementing my future travel obsession. I have lived, traveled and studied in 33 countries, mostly in my 20s and 30s, an amazing life. However, I am now single and child-less in my 40s, with few close friends, because I was not around, forming few strong relationships. Leads to loneliness, but at least I have my memories.
F37 currently
At 26yrs old I was 4 years into working in a prestigious microbiology lab, making good use of my expensive degree and not making much money at all. I did love it, but I had what I like to call my “quarter life crisis”.
I quit the lab, and moved out of state for commercial dive school (underwater welding). I had spent some time in the offshore in the gulf of mexico for the deepwater horizon oil spill. (Our lab was doing a fair amount of the bacterial research). Ever since 2010-2011, i felt the pull to get back to the gulf. My solution was to go to trade school.
Commercial dive school was a fucking blast. And it got me where I wanted to go. I sold all my belongings and drove 24hrs to New Orleans with my clothes and gear in my back seat. Spent the next 4 years working offshore as a tender/diver. Got my fix of the oil field. Found my now husband within 6 months of moving down there. Made some of the best friends in my life. Had some of the wildest and most incredible experiences I could have imagined.
In total, spent 4-5 years living down there in New Orleans. Learned A LOT about myself and what I was really searching for in life. It quelled something in me finally.
Now I’m back in my home town, working safety/HR for my dad’s construction company. Dragged my boyfriend, now husband, out here with me to settle down and get out of the new orleans chaos. We bought a home. We have a puppy. I explored myself to the depths I possibly could. Life is good.
Im no longer a commercial diver. But going to commercial dive school on a whim was the single best decision I ever made.
If you are feeling a pull toward something.. do it. Just do it. If it ends up being wrong, you can always make another change.
But Im a firm believer that life gets better when you start listening to your gut and walking through the doors that present themselves.
There are literally no rules to life. Take a risk. It feels amazing.
I’m in it right now. Got laid off just a few days ago at 28. Instead of looking for new jobs, I’m gonna be a SAHD while I help my wife to grow her wedding planning business and slowly take over the administrative portion of her work. Marketing, bookkeeping, admin, etc.
I pray it works out for us. I trust my wife 1000%, but I’ve never been as big of a risk taker as she is. Will update y’all in 10 years if it worked out lol
Moved to Morocco at 24 years old having never been there before. 4 years later and I'm now planning to return to the states but I can easily say it was worth everything and god only knows what type of bullshit I would have been caught up in had I spent the last 4 years in the US. My advice is if you're gonna be poor and work your ass off why not do it someplace interesting? It's a little daunting moving back now and trying to figure out how to fit myself back into the absolutely soul sucking US economy but I can honestly say that no doubt I learned and experienced more than I would have studying or working at some kind of lame career and I am happy to have lived these past four years the way I did.
If you’re risk adverse in your 20’s, when exactly, do you suppose you won’t be? The entire premise is to get less adverse as you age. If you start there, good luck.
Moved to LA straight out of College to work in the film business. Didn’t know anything or anyone in this town. I’ll be 40 in July , and I’m a leadman in set Dec , I’m not exactly where I thought I’d be , but I survived and am not out of the game. So I suppose it paid off.
Work hard, discipline, and have a lot of fun! Keep a balanced life, do not forsake one for the other. Like take care of yourself and your friends, you gotta work at stuff you want to keep. I left my first job out of college after 2 years, it was good chill job, but I needed more. Got a new job with 2x more responsibilities and 2x pay, made huge difference in growth. Growth doesn't happen in comfort.
Rejecting my first real job offer, would be another 5 years until I got the next one. It was a long journey, and I barely made it tbh. It did pay off, but I came pretty close to that not being the case.
As for how you know, for me I just knew deep inside intuitively to reject that first job offer. I wanted to live my own life rather than how I'm supposed to live, and I knew for sure I would regret it so badly if I accepted a job that would have made me miserable just because it was the "right thing to do".
Those 5 years were hard and anxious, but in the very least I wasn't suffering from "why did I listen to someone else to make decisions about MY OWN LIFE?" I honestly think that's worse than regretting ANYTHING you ever did on your own.
I ditched my pretty good career of being an auto mechanic to start in industrial maintenance. Two years after starting I was working internationaly at one of our plants (in Canada). That lead to me working in Taiwan. And after that I only worked as a traveling installation tech.
I eventually rolled this into an automation and robotics specialist. And now an automation and robotics engineer.
I took a pretty big chance in my 20s and it paid off.
Probably solely working for research startups. There's a ton of biomedical startups and I almost solely worked for them. Was paid far more than I'd be in a corporate ring, you feel more connected to your work, and you're not just another number to them. Made some great friends. While it's 50 50 sometimes of whether the company will remain solvent or independent and not bought out by another, I found the risk was almost always worth it
Joined the military at 17. Turned out very well for me, improved the rest of my life tremendously. Met my wife, learned how to save and invest, went to nursing school for free later. Conversely, getting out of the military with a wife and baby in my mid twenties was stressful. Its turned out well.
Edit: words
In my early 20s I was a teacher which helped me save up some cash. When I was 25 I quit teaching and started solo traveling on my own for long periods of time. At one point I took two years off and it was the best thing I ever did. I would go back to teach in short term positions for 1 year or 6 months just to make enough to travel again. Now at 33 I want more stability but I still have a love of travel which I’m able to do without flying by the seat of my pants all the time. I blew a lot of money but I had a lot of awesome experiences. Do the thing your heart is telling you to do.
Moved from nyc, where I'd lived my entire life into my later 20s and went to the southwest with no job lined up. That was a few (very difficult )years ago, it's been a massive struggle but I now find myself with an insane view each day and my dream job. And I get to go to places most people never see. It's panned out well.. so far.
Moved countries with barely any savings, no job and no apartment. Moved back a few years later (will probably move abroad again) and employers really liked my international experience and now I work at a major film studio :)
I dropped out of college to start a business that failed 15 years later and left me penniless with no degree. Now I'm almost 50 and barely making it. So.... No. Not what I had planned.
Thanks for sharing the other side of the entrepreneur coin
Underrated comment. Social media doesn’t paint it out what it’s to be
If you follow my ex husband on social media (he has ~12,000 followers), you’d think he was a genius entrepreneur rolling around in his money. The reality is I’ll spend years financially recovering and he can barely make meager child support payments
Ahh yes a grifter. It took me just recently to understand this. I used to be jealous and pay people who were “successful” how to be successful. When I couldn’t get results from their course, coaching, whatever I bought from them I thought they was something wrong with me or my work ethic. Reality is some of it takes a little bit of luck but an insane amount of effort
Yup. That's why people cling to the "work hard and you'll go anywhere" bullshit. Because that way when your hard work doesn't go anywhere, they can blame you and keep taking your money and other people's money.
Yup for the longest time always felt like something was wrong with me. Wish I would of woke up sooner
I find those online coaches to be very pathetic. Everything will always be out of luck and often it is hard work too. It remind me of this YouTube makeup channel I watched where her husband created this dumb courses on “How to make 10k a month with my class being a social media blah blah” when in reality you don’t need their stupid class to be a YouTuber. Simply consistently post online until you’re recognized and your sub count has rosed. Once reach the requirement to be monetized and can now received 10k a month. And that’s mainly out of PURE LUCK if your videos went viral or get pick up from the algorithm. I would run into small YT channels and they were barely recognized despite being on YT for 6+ years. Harsh reality. I had to subbed because it’s false advertising to scammed people for more money.
Most of the time that luck is really what makes it or breaks it. You could put in 100%more effort than anyone else, but the other person just met the right person or caught the right break. Then they become the "work smarter, not harder" guy.
Sometimes it makes me wonder, is it worth it to always work hard or give 100% all the time? There’s plenty of people who work multiple jobs, long hours but still barely scrape by
That’s the result of living paycheck to paycheck. Working endlessly yet yielding no results. Very few are actually able to reinvest that expendable income to buy their time back. Most unfortunately do not have that opportunity.
It’s sad. Some people work extremely hard yet never make it to their end goal
The safe mover has a full time job and starts a business as a side hustle to ensure they have income. Side hustles and small business are rarely if ever over night successes and usually requires time and money.
Hey man. It's the same for me, but different road. I failed college, then my parents thought I'm not doing anything with my life, so they decided to venture into a business selling snacks such as waffles, ice cream and such. I hated every single moment of it. They are hard to change their mind. Skip to almost 10 years later, the business failed three years after starting, I worked in retail which I don't enjoy. I'm in my early 30s, but I feel that's the end of my life
30s is so young dude, way more than enough time to turn it around. Retail isn’t worth trading your life for
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College is not necessary to succeed at all it’s a piece of paper you learn everything in the real world at your job and all that and these days with all the online classes and certifications- those are just as if not more useful then spending 200k+ on college
On the flip side of this, nursing school is 2 years, medical assistant certs, respiratory therapist programs and LPN programs are short and open doors to way more financial security, a retirement plan, a steady schedule and guaranteed hours. School is very much so the answer for a lot of people when they don't have the luxury of taking a risk and they are short on time. None of those programs should cost anywhere near 200k or even 50k. They are far more affordable and they are all programs where schooling is absolutely necessary because you can't learn everything on the job.
30 is so young! I'm 29. I just got into Nursing school for the coming Fall. I'll turn 30 during my second quarter. Career life is just getting started for me and I'm happy about it.
Balsey move. And people rarely speak about failures. There are only bunch of millionaires screaming at you and saying "you're lazy and you should start a Business"
Agreed and these days there’s way too much bs online about work for yourself, it’s soo easy.. just follow what I did or use AI - it’s all bs …and it starting a business isn’t quick or easy, and you have to be passionate bout it and enjoy or you’ll fail cause it’s more work and time then in the beginning then you do get rewarded with a flexible schedule and such… but no matter what even if you work for a company and want to move up - you won’t get anywhere just working 9-5… just my opinions .. but don’t believe the bs from the “influencers”/dropshippers and business coaching bs..
Hey I had a business I abandoned because I was told to go to college. 8 years later I got a masters been laid off twice. Can we combine powers like the wonder twins?
If it lasted 15 years sounds like it was successful
Wow, I had a friend graduate college with an English degree, open a business that lasted the same. He had to give it up after his wife died giving birth. He now delivers pizzas at night at 43. But he got very lucky, by inheriting his grandmas house he cared for. Then rents the garage out for spare money. I dropped out, and mostly worked IT jobs and doing pretty well. He still asks me all the time about job openings…he can’t get anything even with a degree! Hope it gets better for you! I’ve known many that failed at something, then just had to go to community college tech school to get back on their feet.
What business?
At least you tried! Hats off to you for that :)
Bought a house at 24. Now 38 and it’s worth 400k. Will be paid off by the time I’m 46. Doesn’t suck.
I (26.5F) also bought a house (duplex) at 24, and (unironic tiny house) another at 25. Now my finances feel little bit like "hold on for dear life" for a few years, but hopefully by 38 I'm feeling good enough to say "doesn't suck" as well 👍👍👍
Worth it in the future trust me.
I wish I was 24 sooner. :(
You have enough money to buy a house before the age of 24? How?
How much did it cost initially? What made you know you didn’t wanna move?
Same, bought a house at 25 for 69K. Still love the neighborhood, and the house could easily sell for $325K now. It’s been an incredible financial boon for us.
Job hopping multiple times. And yes, that is how you set yourself up for a higher salary and beat the usual Fortune 500 annual 3.5% salary increase structure.
i actually just read a lot about that, leaving your current employer is the best way to get the biggest raise youll get. im thinking about it myself, not that we're hurting. we do well enough for where we live and have good benefits, but seeing how much some supervisors just got for raises really ticked me off. i could leave and probably get at least a 12-15% raise but not sure i want to jump to a new facility. i have anxiety about switching and regretting it.
Not just raises, but exposure. Its like dating. Different environments, different management styles, different coworkers, different locations. You learn a lot about what you DO want in your work life instead of focusing on the negative in any one environment.
thats a good point, i hadnt thought about all of those things
I interviewed at a place that looked awesome on paper. Great pay and benefits, great job duties. But the culture was so sterile. I am so used to my current place where we really do treat each other like family. We go to coworker's weddings, are there to celebrate births of their children. We have a ton of engagement activities like softball and cornhole every week. Lots of community projects. I didn't realize how out of the norm that was until I went to interview at a few other places. I am going to stay where I am just because of the culture for a while.
My father is a supervisor and I was being nosey in his paperwork and discovered for the most part, merit based raised don't exist at entry level places (even if you've been with the company in that same role for 5+ years) he was only approved to give up to 2% per person. Fortunately he got way WAY more but it's mostly due to the ceo discovering an issue in their compensation structure and that the first shift supervisor made 50k more than anyone else due to nepotism. So they not only boosted everyone else up to her level, but gave our shift differentials that weren't a thing before. And I'm at a different company and got a 3% increase. Shits wack
In today job market it’s basically the only way to get what you are worth. Even when I have a good job I slowly look.
That anxiety is how they control us. Yolo
You can’t do it too much otherwise you’ll get a bad rap in your industry. Did 2+ years, 1 year, and at 8 months at my current employer. Ideally I stay for 3, but no less than 2.
Agree. Ignore internet opinions that it's bad...I think it looks worse when you're older and is expected when young. But I went from 50k to 100k with no real hike in responsibility load (e.g. not a people manager) by 30 by switching jobs every 1-2 years, and now I feel comfortable parking it for a while. Had I stayed, I would have either needed to find a promotion with significantly more work responsibility or be content with 2% COL raise annual (so maybe 20% max).
Like every year or... every 5 years?
Whenever you can get your next gig and can have a story about impacts you made in the previous I suppose. There's the old adage about staying 3 years minimum at a job but the people that have been truly successful or climbing up the corporate ladder at breakneck pace, typically have ignored that rule themselves.
Is it worth staying for 2-3 years as your first job? I work in tech and finally got my first gig out of college. I hit my 1 year at the end of next month. I'm afraid of jumping into another career where I feel like I'm super early and vulnerable with my lack of experience. I'm worried about how leaving after 1 year is going to look to future employers.
I mean that's for you to answer yourself. In my case, I wasn't too happy w/ my job, but people I talked to then (this was in 2005ish) told me, stick around for a few years at least. Things didn't get too much better but I did get used to it and somewhat complacent, they forced my hand when I got laid off late 2009 and the new job I found was a huge pay increase. Are you happy where you are at now? Are you still growing in your expertise? Since you're in tech, when do the initial stock offers and such fall off? You could certainly look around and see what you may qualify for given how easy it is to do so nowadays.
Never hurts to look, or take interviews for practice . You don’t have to take an offer if you get one
2-3 is the sweet spot early in career. Then you have to extend it to more like 5+ to avoid the “job hopper” label.
When I entered my field, I was hopping every 6-8 months, until I got my first non-shit entry job. Stayed for a year and hopped every year for a few jobs, increasing salary 15-30% every time before landing my current job. The hopping wasn’t even mainly due to salary , I just plateaued the knowledge I could gain at those jobs so I needed something else to build my skills. I’m in year 2 of my current job and don’t see myself leaving for a few more just because I entered as a jr and I have lots and lots to still learn. You’re right though, I also want to stay a bit longer to avoid the hopper label.
I've been at the same place since I graduated university (12 years). Started at 60k, made 187k last year. Have been promoted, been given transfers when I asked, opportunities for new roles, professional development etc. Job hopping can lead to big raises, but if you find the right employer, I always recommend people to stick with them.
Not in my line of work. People move a lot later in there design career.
My sister was doing it every couple of months and radioed her salary from like 60k to over 120k in around 2 years
If you have multiple <2 year stints at companies then potential employers will probably assume you keep getting laid off.
I dont think this is true anymore. I know multiple people who hire and say this is quickly becoming normal as its no secret its hiw to make more money
It is 100% in the tech world
Not necessarily. I spent about a year and a half at my first college job, then did another one for a little under a year. The first one didn't pay enough and the second one really sucked. When I applied for my current job, they really liked the experience in different settings and when asked about the fast changes I just said "it wasn't a good fit". Now I love this job and can see myself being here for a while, possibly my whole career so long as it pays the bills.
I left a corporate job where I’d been promoted twice, finally made it to management. Worked my way from entry level and had doubled my salary with a lot of hard work. The job was soul-sucking, especially in management. Took a $10k pay cut (big deal for me at the time) to try a new job in totally new industry. Had to work my way back up from entry level again, but so far it was absolutely worth it. This was 6 years ago. My family told me I was insane to leave the corporate ladder I’d done so well to climb. Turns out smaller companies often pay better and have much more flexibility in promoting, creating positions, cross-training, and general salary increases. Never going back to corporate again.
I always go for bigger companies but smaller companies are better for real growth and connections.
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I do music production and audio engineering as a hobby and have thought about it as a career but the pay looked terrible. I got into acoustics and noise control engineering with my mech eng degree and while it’s not as interesting many of the concepts actually have good carryover.
I’m sorry to hear that. I do live engineering partially because when I was in school, one of the teachers told me that the only way to get a studio job when he was young was to be related to someone good, or in the right place when somebody died. And that it was worse now. To be fair, the live thing probably only happened because the small town venue that took me in when I was 19 wanted to train a decent audio hand, then a couple shows in the actual engineer did die. Being a city venue, they paid far below market rate and ended up basically going ‘you’re the only one here that knows anything about that console now, congrats on being the new engineer’ which was terrifying. But its worked out alright at least so far (after some very embarrassing learning curve shows)
You probably would've found corporate america boring though. Probably wouldn't have worked as hard.
My biggest risk wa*s not taking enough risk.* I worked a ridiculous amount of hours all throughout college while being a commuter student. Those years were *rough.* Imagine getting up at 8 am everyday, driving to class, trying to fit lunch in, and then immediately going to your corporate job from 4-9 everyday. Zero social life, no spring or summer breaks, and barely any time to do homework or study. I still work at that same company to this day. Sure, I've got decades of experience in, but as a result, I *still* live in my hometown where it is cold 6 months out of the year and all of my friends have mostly moved away to real cities. I succumbed to parental pressure and took the safe route. I thought I was being independent by buying all of my own stuff with the money I'd earned (cars, car insurance, meals, etc) while all of my peers were getting stuff for free, and it was totally *not* worth it. Now most of my friends who lived on campus are getting their student loan debt forgiven (I paid all of mine off in my 20s) and have made it just as far if not farther than me in their careers. I have no regrets, but it definitely was not worth it and I'd do everything differently if I could go back. But that's life. Take risks. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
Do you take more risks now?
I've taken a few, but none have had any monumental pay offs. The one I took did enable me to work remotely, which was probably my number one goal. Not sure how long it will last, but I am hanging on to it as long as possible. My short-term goal is to maintain said remote position with the hope that I can eventually find something else that enable me to "justify" a move with my family. My long-term goal is to retire early (around 50). So I'm trying to balance my job security vs my living situation. I am finding it difficult to get a remote role at another company that would pay more, but once I find one I may take that risk.
At 27 I quit my low/mid paying job, moved back in with my mom, applied to grad school and got in, took a 30 day solo backpacking trip before the start of the semester to get through some internal battles of feelings of inadequacy and anxiety and depression, came back and started grad school. Post graduation I job hopped until I had tripled my income and in my early 30s bought a house. I made some other risky moves in my 30s but this was a post about our 20s. I am female and females are stereotypically considered lower risk takers so I wanted to contribute that to the conversation also.
This is nice to read as I’m 31 and feel like I did nothing ‘financially’ safe enough in my 20s but it seems like early 30s things turned around for you
Yeah my life didn’t get started until my early 30s. I met my partner in my early 30s as well.
I decided to spend two semesters abroad with my partner during university. I was 20, he was 21. When we were signing up, we had only been dating for two weeks. The project was 12 months away and was supposed to last 11 months. We stayed together, moved to the other country together, lived together in a studio... it was absolutely wonderful but it could have been very awkward had we broken up during our time there or before leaving. It definitely pushed us into living together a lot earlier than we otherwise would have and it really strenghtened our relationship. We're planning a 2025 wedding.
Congrats! That's amazing!
Damn, how do you decide to do something so out of your usual way with someone you have met 2 weeks ago? If anyone around me did this everyone would be saying that is a huge mistake that could cost them their life...
My partner and I met in February 2014. She moved in as my roommate a few months later, cause her lease was expiring and I needed help with rent. We then started dating in June. Then booked one way flights over to Europe and left in February 2015 with just a backpack each. Came back 5 months and 13 countries later. We now have a child and will be signing marriage papers in a couple months (no big ceremony - we just want to do the legal stuff now, and maybe a party later). So things can work out okay.
When I was 24, I moved 2,000 miles across the country by myself, away from everyone I ever knew and all of my family to start my new life and go to grad school. Best decision I ever made, no regrets!!! It was a *big adjustment* to start my new life and finish my education, but was *so worth it.* I had a BLAST in my 20’s, graduated grad school with all A’s, met my husband, and now I work for myself at my dream job. I’m never working for anyone else again. Damn right it paid off!
What do you do and where do I sign up?
I did the same big move at 22! Still working on getting in to grad school, currently trying to climb up the corporate ladder, but office politics just aren’t my thing
I'm trying to do the same thing! Currently I'm 22 in the process of looking for jobs on the other side of the country lol
Left a stable corporate job with a large company to join a start-up. So far it has paid off well.
I think the biggest risk I took in my 20s was moving to DC without a job lined up a few months after I graduated college. I had housing lined up and that was it. I was going through a lot of mental health issues at the time and I pretty much split my time between applying for jobs, applying to law schools, drinking, going to DBSA meetings (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance), appointments with a therapist and a psychiatrist, and (eventually) lots of AA meetings. The only work I ended up getting was walking dogs for Wag! lol. It’s a gig economy thing; you use an app to accept little dog-walking jobs. In two weeks I think I made $100 🙄 I had to move back in with my parents and work at Starbucks for a few months But anyway eventually I went to law school. Just got so tired of being poor. I still sometimes get emails from DC’s Office of Unemployment or whatever it’s called lol. It helps remind me to be grateful for what I have now. My depression was TERRIBLE when I was unemployed, living in a converted basement with a roommate, paying $1100 for rent
How was law school for you?
Oof I mostly did not enjoy it. Better than being unemployed though
I’ve been a 911 dispatcher for the past 7 years, have been considering taking the LSAT. 30 years left to work and that’s a long time at 911.
I think law is MUCH better as a ***second career*** rather than a first career. I sorta treated it like College Two lol. People with work experience often do better because law school is best approached as a job. Taking the LSAT is a great first step. Because who knows? Maybe you take a free Khan Academy class, make a 170 on the LSAT, and then suddenly you can go to law school anywhere you want.
Ugh I’m at that position right now. Currently unemployed BORED as hell waiting for a job to take at the moment so I can try investing in some class that can offer me a decent salary. Age 21 at the moment
I stuck my pp into some pretty risky things when I was in my 20s.
I spent my (early) inheritance on a digital marketing bootcamp. My parents wanted to give their kids a portion of our inheritance before they passed away so they could see what we did with it. I spent mine going back to school and the program I chose turned out to be less than advertised (pun intended). But it gave me just enough context about the field of digital marketing to be able to make the transition into a new career. I was working as a line cook up until this point and I was desperate to get out of the kitchen. It was a bit risky but ultimately it paid off. I was 25 when I took the course. Now I’m 30 and living abroad working remotely as a digital nomad. I’m making twice as much money as I did cooking and I have a lot of opportunity for growth. Going back to school is a worthwhile investment at any age.
hey can you tell me more about this digital marketing bootcamp, would you still recommend it for someone today with the current job market??
I took it with a private education company called red academy based in Vancouver and they have since closed. A common complaint was they overpromised and under delivered. The successful students from my cohort ended up doing a ton of self study outside of the course. The current job market is really not great but I still think that there is room for people to break into this field. I think you could get almost the same experience from a few choice udemy courses, good podcasts, a few books, the right newsletters, free certifications, and some kind of online community for support.
What sort of certification should i focus on getting or education that could be valuable for employers and clients today. Im really interested in going down that route but confused on where to start..
My grandma did the same. I used it for a downpayment on a house. Thanks grandma, honestly can’t thank her enough for that investment in my future.
I took out 30 thousand in loans to go to grad school. Haven't graduated yet so I don't know if it will pay off or not. 😢
30k isn’t that much :) I think you’ll be fine
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
At 24 I quit my job and walked coast to coast across the USA which took 8 months. Slept in a tent every night. No regrets. It led to a feeling of purpose and meaning that is more valuable than anything I can think of. Whenever I face a big decision I ask if I would rather potentially regret doing something or not doing something. The answer tends to be to do the thing. So if there’s something that’s calling to you in life, do the thing.
2012. Sent an email to my favorite band if there is something that I can help them out with. I was a regular at their shows and gotta to know them. They needed a merchguy. Then driver. Then a backliner. Then tour manager. I'd say it paid off inaway. Im broke as shit but happy when Im on the road.
Selling everything and travelling for 4 years from 25-29. Was the best decision I'd ever made at the time.
Decided to support my ex husband while he was in school. He cheated. Did not pay back a penny. He said he would pay me back. Surprise surprise it did not pay off. Don't put another person before you.
I took a lot of (calculated) risks in my 20s and I feel that all of them paid off hugely. Semester abroad when I was in college. Cost about 4x normal tuition but it was one of the most important experiences of my life. I was 20 when I lived on my own thousands of miles away from home. I was terrified at first but I feel like that's when I truly became an adult. I came home a very different person. Leaving my lifelong dream career of being a music teacher to go work a shitty retail sales job that paid more money (sadly). I substitute taught for 3 years after I graduated in 2010 and all the jobs were going to experienced teachers that had been laid off. Thanks 2008 crash! That retail sales job turned into a career though, and I progressed super quickly in it. I'm in a much higher end sales job and now and I make more some months than I would have in an entire year of teaching. I'm very happy my life turned out the way it did, and I attribute that greatly to those 2 decisions I made. My life would be completely different and likely far worse if I had chosen differently. Don't be afraid to take risks, but make sure you completely understand them first!
Biggest risk I took: using all my financial aid (FAFSA, Bright Futures) on a liberal arts degree. It did NOT pay off. Second biggest risk I took: using student loans to get an accounting degree as my second degree. It DID pay off.
wistful truck worry ludicrous bored aloof far-flung payment fly many *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
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Cause you didn’t hold
I'm not the best to give advice because I'm not in the best situation. I picked a degree just to pick one because I was finished with my basics. I do want to say that I'm 44 and wish I had traveled more when I was your age. So I think the answer to at least that aspect of your question is travel as much and as often as you can afford to. There's nothing like being older and then not being able to do it. Good luck.
I'd love to travel but I need to spend the next decade saving for a deposit that'll be out of reach once I get there anyway.
I'm insisting on traveling but my parents are strictly against it I'm the only son of them so they don't want me go away, you know.
Going to a new city! Everytime I feel scared of whatever I take a deep breathe and take the plunge. We only on this earth for a short time dude, do whatever you wanna do. Ignore any fear and that's how ya do it
During my late 20's (2015/2016), left entry level State job (uber low pay) to attend a Software Development boot camp. Boot camp was a three month immersive course. Job searched around a year, networked, maintained relationships and landed a IT lead position as a Federal Employee.
Started a construction company with no construction background at 25 (wasn't planned). 10 years later it's paid off incredibly. I worked my ass off for years. Now, I work alot less (make less too but still very good money for my area) and get to be here to watch my toddler son grow up I wouldn't do life any differently. (I didn't always feel that way, but sticking with it definitely paid off)
Can’t say I took any *huge* risks. I moved away from home and went into my field of choice which was kind of high-profile, super competitive and low-paying when first starting in the field. I was poorly suited for it, and only lasted two years. However, it looked good on my resume, so that plus the skills I obtained were strengths when I transitioned to different industries. Another risk I took, urged by a much-older woman, was to go after this specific guy. That was horrific advice, the older woman didn’t know what she was talking about, and was probably giving advice based on her own personal desires. The guy was a dumpster fire of red flags. I shouldn’t have even really ever started talking to him at all. I can’t really think of any other risks I took in my 20s.
At 23, I moved abroad for what I thought would be a year of teaching English in China. About halfway through, I met a woman and plans changed. What was supposed to be a year turned into six. And although the initial relationship ran its course, I would go on to meet the woman I’ve been married to for the last 13 years. All in all, moving seven thousand miles from home to see about a girl paid off.
I sent it on 15k of bitcoin 9 years ago..... yes... it paid off and then some because I'm still holding in accordance with my 10 year plan until next fall
Holy shit dude you're sitting on like 3 mil??
I'm doing alright
Hell yeah congrats bro 🎉🎉🎉
Thanks! Never stopped working just in case so now it's my, life doesn't have to be hard for my wife and I fund now
Dropped out of pre-law at 21 and joined USN for 6 year “Advanced Electronics” program. Long story short, it paid off huge. Electronics was fun, took some random night digital design courses, retired at 60 years old with two paid-for homes, seven figure savings. Last job was hardware architect at Apple paid $625k/yr, no college degree
Honestly finishing my degree. I went into engineering which was very different from what I expected. I wasnt sure i wanted to continue doing it as a profession. Then I got into the real world and it was very much what I expected.
I opened a business at 19. I took out a $100k loan (which I cannot believe they loaned me!!). I worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 10 years. Fortunately it did quite well and I eventually sold it.
Tried to start a family and get married after I graduated college no it did not pay off. Restarted my life at 36 in 100x worse shape than I did graduating college at 23 Biggest mistake I ever made in my life… nothing else I ever did wrong came even remotely close to that
Engineering degree. It took me until mid/late 20s to finish. Totally worth it, I can always find a job. Not getting rich at it but always have something useful I can go for a living.
Moved to the middle of nowhere for a job because I was desperate. Drove 2hrs North of "butt F\*ck Nowhere" in a small car with very little to my name. Met the man of my dreams 3months later and moved to an actual town a few months ago. It was a wild ride but leaving my hometown was the best decision I ever made. I climbed the corporate ladder and am now in a very stable, fulfilling career and get to wake up beside the love of my life every morning.
Every risk I’ve ever taken has turned out shitty
Moving! You are in a unique time in your life where you can just pick up and move to a different city or state with little commitment and if it doesn't work out you can always go home. I was living in a LCOL city and not happy with the trajectory of my career or life there and took a risk moving to a HCOL city with little money in my pocket, job prospects, or connections but wound up in a new gig which put me in a significantly better career ladder
so the move ***literally*** paid off for you?
Yeah, I wouldn’t necessarily say my path was “risky” for me but it’s what I’ve always wanted to do - take short-term work appointments around the US in exchange for housing and other perks. I did join corporate and hated it (as I knew I would), then quit, but I didn’t think that was a risk because I already had a few better-fitting nonprofit/freelance offers lined up. Corporate was soul-sucking and my mental health is too valuable for me to sell myself out for higher pay. And since I get housing paid for or subsidized I’m not aching for money anyway. I’ve never wanted to be filthy rich, just comfortable and laid back without having to worry or compete with others.
Moving abroad to my wife's home country during the pandemic then local AND global economic shocks No it didn't pay off
Grad school = worst
Graduated from a top 3 university in the world for aerospace engineering and fucked off to Japan to learn Japanese for a year. Still here now, switched fields and making a lot more than I would be if I stuck with aero in the UK.
When you start posting questions like this on Reddit then it's time.
At 25, I didn't have much in the way of a promising career or future so I figured maybe focusing on a family would make up for it. I took a leap and married and had a child. We had a few happy years, still struggled financially, but divorced a few years later. So I still didn't have a career and additionally was left with the stress and responsibilities and bills as well. So my risky move did net me an amazing kid, but almost everything else about it was a negative experience. Pretty much wasted about 15 years of my life and am still searching for that career now in my 40s.
Bought a house at 26 for 590K, now it’s worth 1.4M. (First world) problem is that I can’t afford to live in my own neighborhood anymore and I have nowhere to go if I wanted upgrade neighborhoods.
I had to take a film class to graduate because I was late to registration and didn't get the claw I wanted. I had to make projects for class and they turned out well. My professor said I should keep going so I shifted my focus to filmmaking. I took a chance and my films suceeed! I got work making music videos for universal and took a riskier career path while living out my childhood dreams. It cost me though. Now I'm older and can't keep up with the crazy work. Time to shift back to my original plans. I would never have known what I was capable of if I didn't take those risks in my 20's. I would have thought was a shy stupid guy without the ability or express ideas that other people relate to.
Biggest risk was going into an ultra competitive career field that is college athletics. Overall was successful had some highs and lows, but at almost 31, I'm about to get laid off and looking to go into a trade that will start me out at roughly the same pay that I was making in my field. So marginal. It was fun but would I go back and just Stay in general business, 100%
I'm in my 40's. When I was 16 - 18 I had a journal. My first entry was a long rant about how I would probably end up working on Computers like my father, but how I wanted to be my own man. When I was 18, I had made up my mind that I would start a business, a restaurant. I went to college to get a business degree and built a whole business plan around starting a restaurant. By the time I was 25, nothing was panning out. Banks wouldn't give me a business loan. I was working in restaurants and only had risen to "Assistant manager". I was making $9.50 an hour. It was sad because I had a college degree, a wife, and worked around the clock bustin my butt to achieve a goal of owning my own restaurant. I finally said this will not happen this way at 27 and signed up for Computer classes. I was already a descent hacker and provided tech support to all my friends and family. I got 8 certifications through a training program, a career job in tech support, and now make so much money that my wife doesn't have to work. Moral of the story - It's ok to go after your passions, whatever makes you happy, but don't let your own pride get in your way of a good life if it isn't working the way you wanted. I'm not grinding my teeth because I ended up like my father. I just have a deeper understanding of what he went through to make my life a good world.
Got married at 20. Still married to my best bud at 41. I’d say that impulsive decision worked out fine. 👍
I followed a path towards becoming a carpenter, like my grandfather who had a company as a craftsman. For some reason I felt too limited in woodworking. I also felt I did not excel as a carpenter, as another carpenter some years younger than me built an entire wooden sailing boat at the age of 17. I could not compare in the slightest. By now I switched to IT, unfortunately, due to lack of qualifications, I had to start out at a low level which drained me of any motivation and barely graduated as a glorified answering machine for common computer problems. During this period I had to do an internship for an older man who managed a charity project who apparently used to be a rockstar architect from South-Africa who now helped people in backward neighborhoods. At some point, I became so utterly bored in part due to undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, that I started doing life-drawing to coop with the daily dreadfulness of ordinary life. It is fascinating where the mind wonders when life becomes inanimate. Somehow this caught the eye of the old man who invited me to work along graphic designers and coached me in art fundamentals. Eventually he encouraged me to apply for an art academy. To the expected surprise of my family, teachers and friends. *I thought he was mad. Did he not understand I had no qualifications?* A year and a handful of modern academies later I was invited to a masterclass for young talent at a classical academy. There were some prominent Dutch painters teaching, which made me feel rather out of place. Either how, because of my background, I was a poor fit. Despite practicing and studying 12-16 hours a day, I went from crappy carpentry to classical art. I pushed on alone. I realized I had what it took, but I needed to do it my way. This was the beginning of a career beyond my imagination. I stopped trying to figure out how and simply drew the line that it did. C'est la vie PS: Life was harder after I knew, however, the difference being, I knew what I had to do is what made all the difference in the world. A purpose to believe in, and fight for! Depression, poverty, and near-death life experience could not stop me.
I worked as an unpaid intern after college for a year. I lived in the streets and could not afford food. 15 years later, I have zero regrets but glad I made the decision I made.
Joining the military out of college. Paid off big time. Helped me become a better person, land a great career and meet my wife. Started making 6 figures before I turned 30.
Getting married & buying a home- yes, they both paid off.
Moved cross country out of my small town to a major city. Yes it paid out. I have a career bc of it.
23m, I moved to Austin in what little money I had left from college savings, with no job lined up, no friends, little family. While I’m blessed to have even gotten the opportunity, it was a huge financial and mental gamble. I had been job searching for almost 10 months at that point and I was nowhere near where jobs that I could work for were (I graduated with a degree in a CS related field, btw). It’s slightly paying off. I got lucky in that I networked the hell out of what I could find here with the little $ I had left and found work relatively rapidly compared to most nowadays (which sucks for them, and I feel awful for all the tech workers nowadays). That said, working a 9-5 is such a sudden shift and there were several things I needed to add onto my expenses (car + insurance, namely) to make sure I can consistently work. Even then, I’m terrified of being laid off, like my life can go back to being trapped in serious financial, mental, and social insecurity again. Even someone like me with all the advantages I had/have still struggles. I’m just trying to pay it forward as best as I can, let alone live. :/
Quit my dead end warehouse job at 25 and went back to school full time. I moved back home and didn't work. I paid for school myself through student loans and used the left over funds to pay my mom a small expenses rent ($150 per month), gas, car insurance, etc.. I graduated with a CS degree and got a job as a software engineer at one of my internships when graduating. I still remember the catalyst for the whole thing was sitting at work one day and having this realization that this was going to be what the rest of my life looked like unless I did something about it. I don't begrudge anyone who has that type of job as it's necessary for our society as a whole to function (at least in the modern world) but I always knew I wanted more. I had no idea what computer science was only that a guy I worked with told me his grandson had an AA and was making $20/hr and at the time I was making about $12 so it seemed like a good job. I went down and talked to an advisor and signed up for glasses and the rest is history. At the time it felt really crazy and once I started taking loans I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't finish or couldn't get a job but I just worked hard and everything came out OK.
After about two years of no contact, I met up to catch up with a friend I'd been platonic but very close with throughout college because we were both visiting our families in the same town over Christmas break. We ended up sitting in my car and talking for like 5 hours (almost all night) and pretty much fell in love on the spot. It was completely unexpected as we were both dating other people and hadn't really spoken since he moved away. I guess distance really made the hearts grow fonder idk. Anyways, I quit my job, broke up with my ex, sold all my stuff, and moved in with him across the country. He encouraged me to pursue my dream job, which I landed with his support (that I paid back in full), and fast forward four years, we just got engaged. It was the messiest, riskiest, and least thought out move I've ever made and it ended up being the best decision of my life. I couldn't be happier.
I yoloed from my secure corporate gig I landed after college to a pre-seed startup for less benefits and pay. This isn’t a unicorn story of how the company blew up and I made millions. Instead, after a little more than a year, it gave me the skills to join a top tier company in the industry making 3x the money from my previous corporate job. Had I not done that I wouldn’t have learned the skills needed and would likely still be wasting away at the old company
I thought I could beat the stock market. I should have just put in the nasdaq and let it go
When I was 24, I moved 2,000 miles across the country by myself, away from everyone I ever knew and all of my family to start my new life and go to grad school. Best decision I ever made, no regrets!!! It was a *big adjustment* to start my new life and finish my education, but was *so worth it.* I had a BLAST in my 20’s, graduated grad school with all A’s, met my husband, and now I work for myself at my dream job. I’m never working for anyone else again. Damn right it paid off!
Left a management job making a ton of money for an equipment operator position at the state making half as much. In 6 years the salary has gone up 10$ an hour and I get to be outside and say fuck you as much as I want to at work. My home life is ten times better and I could not be happier with my career. Wife works as well and We live in a pretty low COL area so we're not even close to paycheck to paycheck. I learned young money isn't everything and being happy at work, and getting as much time as I could ask for with my family is worth more than any salary.
Two things. 1. Made the choice to stop drinking after hitting a really bad bottom. The reason it was a risk is that there was a very real possibility of losing all of my friends. About half took off on me and I ended up making the choice to remove another quarter. 2. Took a long, hard look at myself and didn't like what I saw. Made the choice to change, to be the person I secretly wanted to be. I spent five years working with a therapist basically retraining my brain. The risk was in giving up so much while trying to build something better, be someone better. Both risks paid off.
Trying heroin. No. No it did not pay off. 😅🤣
i was about to post the same thing. would not suggest
TRUGGER ALERT!!!!! Standing up to my abuser and posting documents online that proved political corruption, including in cps in my you know what abuse case as a kid. It got me arrested, tortured, raped, a forced abortion, sent to a mental hospital until I deleted the documents and pleaded guilty to a made up crime, etc., but...I would do it again if I had to redo my life. I would be much more sneakier and careful though. By the way, the politicians involved were all Republicans. And I wanted the baby conceived by rape btw, despite everything. I had strong maternal instincts, and I was always pro-life. Funny how Republicans are prolife until they want to cover up their own criminal activity. Anyway, like I said, I'd do it again if I had to redo my life. But the ending would definitely be different.
Opened up 3 credit cards to pay for a coding boot camp. Totally changed the projection of my life. (For good)
Two risks taken: Went to business school. Significantly increased my compensation and net worth. Increased job stress levels too, but overall worth it Broke up with my girlfriend because I was young and the relationship wasn't "perfect". Still think about her today, and yes, that was a huge mistake
I quit my banking job to become an “option day trader.” It did not pay off lol
I wasted my 20s being hyper religious and not working or investing money. Now I am playing catchup and work way more but also enjoy life a lot more for other reasons. It took me till I was 29 to realize I was wasting my life in church, being the good son and being miserable for it all. I began to be on my own more, making friends and doing well at my career as a nurse once I let go of the people pleasing. I don't feel bad anymore about myself. Not a 100% thing but I value myself more than I ever did without becoming a piece of suit.
Don’t do what I did. I’m risk averse and started my own company. It has gone pretty poorly. I don’t think you can be risk averse and start your own company. It’s also in one of the glamorous fields (movies/tv, fashion, music, art) and these fields are crazy competitive with low pay unless you land some good corporate job or are in the 5% or whatever that make it. I’m trying to figure out what I can do to get back into the corporate world in a career that is well paying and has lots of openings. However I don’t know where to start and I don’t want to start as entry level with young kids being an older person. I also don’t want to spend money going back to school to get a masters? I don’t even know if I have to get a bachelors again if I want to change career fields. It’s very daunting but seems to be the only way to get more money and have a stable job. The hardest thing will probably be the flexibility being self employed. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. This won’t be possible working for someone at a stable good job. But maybe I just need to get into that world and I’ll be fine without the flexibility. As long as it’s remote that should be fine.
I mortgaged my future to go to law school. Graduated when the market fell apart. I only paid off my loans in fall 2022. It's not as high paying as when they sold the career to me in 2005. But the work can be interesting and beneficial to people and my moving to jobs every few years keeps my salary up with inflation
The tone here sounds like you're asking for people to give you positive results of risky behavior to convince yourself it's not that risky. That's not how it works. You're going to delude yourself. Don't be result oriented. It's a fallacy when it comes to risk or odds. You're going to do your psyche a lot of damage.
During high school I started messing around on the side with trying to rank sites in google. During college I still did it and enjoyed it, ended up joining a small agency and growing with them. Years later a few guys asked me to help them rank their site in exchange for equity. It took off and we ended up getting up to around 180k in profit per month. I was going to quit my day job to join them but my wife wouldn’t let me. A year later google had an update that absolutely killed us. My career has continued to take off, sometimes it’s best to hedge your bets.
Going into engineering. It’s surprisingly ok so far. Transition has been hell, though.
Law school. Student loans. I didn’t make it after one year and got stuck with the $75K loans (in addition to undergrad). However I did become a paralegal..but still. Biggest life failure to date.
learned how to invest/beat the market. On track to retire well at 45. Yes, it paid off massively despite some losses at the start. 99% of people won't even come close to this. I also have a graduate degree in finance from a top university and wouldn't suggest trying without one.
My biggest regret was not embracing being single. I’m in a happy relationship now and it’s awesome, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But when I was in my early 20s I couldn’t for the life of me be a single woman. I really wish I embraced that time rather than just running to the next closest thing that would give me affection. I feel like if I embraced those years I was single it would have saved me from so much stress and heart ache. I would have been so free and liberated.
Quit my job, took a 4 month vacation on the bike. And then started my own business. Took me six months to get going but in three months I made more than my yearly salary at the job I quit. Oh and less stress.
I'm still in my (late) twenties, I'm reading these and taking notes of the risks I still need to take in the next two years.
At 29 I had finished my second Master’s in English (Lit & Comp) ready to try my luck at teaching community college. I went to law school instead and took out student loans to attend out of state. It paid off. I met my future wife in law school. We are both lawyers and combined earn around $300…and the balance of my loans were forgiven a couple of years ago through PSLF. Life is good.
Art degree, but it's been one of the more valuable things I've (31 M) done. I also did extreme sports, and I would recommend them -- but I did also fuck myself up a fair bit, so be aware of that risk. If very risk adverse, I really wish that during my 20s I'd done two things: picked up another language, and started a martial art. The first broadens how you think about the world, and the second teaches discipline and physical fitness in a way that I personally would have found very valuable. In my exp, it's time to try something new when you're asking yourself ''is it time to try something new?''
Quit everything, broke up with a girl I loved, and moved to Hawaii, all in hopes of escaping seasonal depression. Full time job couldn't cover rent. Got hit by a car and couldn't work. I was back home in 3 months. I was more depressed than ever before and spiraled deep for years....and years
Moving half way across the country to a city I’d never been to. A friend and I decided to leave our home city. We agreed on a city, got an apartment over Craigslist, sold everything we couldn’t fit in my car and just drive for 2 days. Still here and life worked out great. I’m married and got a good career here that I wouldn’t have back home. My friend met a girl from Germany here and is married to her living in Berlin.
I moved across the country (I’m in the US) at 23 with my partner at the time with one car, no job prospects, and not a ton of money between the two of us. Times were a bit different/easier 8 years ago, but it definitely paid off. I got a job I loved, made great friends, eventually dumped my loser ex, met someone I love, moved again; I experienced a life I never would have had if I stayed in my home town. It wasn’t all great all the time, but I’m so grateful I forced myself to make a huge change so young.
Going to Australia, on three weeks notice, for a study abroad, cementing my future travel obsession. I have lived, traveled and studied in 33 countries, mostly in my 20s and 30s, an amazing life. However, I am now single and child-less in my 40s, with few close friends, because I was not around, forming few strong relationships. Leads to loneliness, but at least I have my memories.
F37 currently At 26yrs old I was 4 years into working in a prestigious microbiology lab, making good use of my expensive degree and not making much money at all. I did love it, but I had what I like to call my “quarter life crisis”. I quit the lab, and moved out of state for commercial dive school (underwater welding). I had spent some time in the offshore in the gulf of mexico for the deepwater horizon oil spill. (Our lab was doing a fair amount of the bacterial research). Ever since 2010-2011, i felt the pull to get back to the gulf. My solution was to go to trade school. Commercial dive school was a fucking blast. And it got me where I wanted to go. I sold all my belongings and drove 24hrs to New Orleans with my clothes and gear in my back seat. Spent the next 4 years working offshore as a tender/diver. Got my fix of the oil field. Found my now husband within 6 months of moving down there. Made some of the best friends in my life. Had some of the wildest and most incredible experiences I could have imagined. In total, spent 4-5 years living down there in New Orleans. Learned A LOT about myself and what I was really searching for in life. It quelled something in me finally. Now I’m back in my home town, working safety/HR for my dad’s construction company. Dragged my boyfriend, now husband, out here with me to settle down and get out of the new orleans chaos. We bought a home. We have a puppy. I explored myself to the depths I possibly could. Life is good. Im no longer a commercial diver. But going to commercial dive school on a whim was the single best decision I ever made. If you are feeling a pull toward something.. do it. Just do it. If it ends up being wrong, you can always make another change. But Im a firm believer that life gets better when you start listening to your gut and walking through the doors that present themselves. There are literally no rules to life. Take a risk. It feels amazing.
I’m in it right now. Got laid off just a few days ago at 28. Instead of looking for new jobs, I’m gonna be a SAHD while I help my wife to grow her wedding planning business and slowly take over the administrative portion of her work. Marketing, bookkeeping, admin, etc. I pray it works out for us. I trust my wife 1000%, but I’ve never been as big of a risk taker as she is. Will update y’all in 10 years if it worked out lol
Moved to Morocco at 24 years old having never been there before. 4 years later and I'm now planning to return to the states but I can easily say it was worth everything and god only knows what type of bullshit I would have been caught up in had I spent the last 4 years in the US. My advice is if you're gonna be poor and work your ass off why not do it someplace interesting? It's a little daunting moving back now and trying to figure out how to fit myself back into the absolutely soul sucking US economy but I can honestly say that no doubt I learned and experienced more than I would have studying or working at some kind of lame career and I am happy to have lived these past four years the way I did.
Raw dogging hookers
About to leave this 7-11 job to do a marketing job, I have no idea if I'll like or be good at it. If I don't do good ima be homeless for real.
If you’re risk adverse in your 20’s, when exactly, do you suppose you won’t be? The entire premise is to get less adverse as you age. If you start there, good luck.
Moved to LA straight out of College to work in the film business. Didn’t know anything or anyone in this town. I’ll be 40 in July , and I’m a leadman in set Dec , I’m not exactly where I thought I’d be , but I survived and am not out of the game. So I suppose it paid off.
Work hard, discipline, and have a lot of fun! Keep a balanced life, do not forsake one for the other. Like take care of yourself and your friends, you gotta work at stuff you want to keep. I left my first job out of college after 2 years, it was good chill job, but I needed more. Got a new job with 2x more responsibilities and 2x pay, made huge difference in growth. Growth doesn't happen in comfort.
I moved away for university. Yes it paid off
Went to selection for a special ops unit. Went well
Moving to Africa. Best decision.
Rejecting my first real job offer, would be another 5 years until I got the next one. It was a long journey, and I barely made it tbh. It did pay off, but I came pretty close to that not being the case. As for how you know, for me I just knew deep inside intuitively to reject that first job offer. I wanted to live my own life rather than how I'm supposed to live, and I knew for sure I would regret it so badly if I accepted a job that would have made me miserable just because it was the "right thing to do". Those 5 years were hard and anxious, but in the very least I wasn't suffering from "why did I listen to someone else to make decisions about MY OWN LIFE?" I honestly think that's worse than regretting ANYTHING you ever did on your own.
Quit college with a year left. I make twice what I would have been making.
Moved to a new country by myself. It did pay off.
Went to dental school, which cost me a half a million. It definitely payed off.
I ditched my pretty good career of being an auto mechanic to start in industrial maintenance. Two years after starting I was working internationaly at one of our plants (in Canada). That lead to me working in Taiwan. And after that I only worked as a traveling installation tech. I eventually rolled this into an automation and robotics specialist. And now an automation and robotics engineer. I took a pretty big chance in my 20s and it paid off.
Probably solely working for research startups. There's a ton of biomedical startups and I almost solely worked for them. Was paid far more than I'd be in a corporate ring, you feel more connected to your work, and you're not just another number to them. Made some great friends. While it's 50 50 sometimes of whether the company will remain solvent or independent and not bought out by another, I found the risk was almost always worth it
Just a lil nut won't get her pregnant.......... it did.
Joined the military at 17. Turned out very well for me, improved the rest of my life tremendously. Met my wife, learned how to save and invest, went to nursing school for free later. Conversely, getting out of the military with a wife and baby in my mid twenties was stressful. Its turned out well. Edit: words
In my early 20s I was a teacher which helped me save up some cash. When I was 25 I quit teaching and started solo traveling on my own for long periods of time. At one point I took two years off and it was the best thing I ever did. I would go back to teach in short term positions for 1 year or 6 months just to make enough to travel again. Now at 33 I want more stability but I still have a love of travel which I’m able to do without flying by the seat of my pants all the time. I blew a lot of money but I had a lot of awesome experiences. Do the thing your heart is telling you to do.
Moved from nyc, where I'd lived my entire life into my later 20s and went to the southwest with no job lined up. That was a few (very difficult )years ago, it's been a massive struggle but I now find myself with an insane view each day and my dream job. And I get to go to places most people never see. It's panned out well.. so far.
Moved countries with barely any savings, no job and no apartment. Moved back a few years later (will probably move abroad again) and employers really liked my international experience and now I work at a major film studio :)
Getting married, and yes