I'm in my mid-twenties and trying to figure out how to use this period wisely.
- What should I focus on—career, learning, personal growth, or something else?
- What habits or decisions should I prioritize?
- What common mistakes should I avoid in this stage of life?
I'd love to hear your experiences and advice.
- I'd suggest to maximize healthy habits based on having a deeper understanding of your own body, make it so good and so custom that most likely with only work for you, the compound effect in months years or even decades is notable
- avoid lifestyle inflation (could overlap your second question) polish your personal finance knowledge and try to adapt it to your generation ("modern" vs "classic"), as example don't think that own > rent as default, question the status quo, question the principles on which that kind of statement relies and do the same for similar situations
Is this to avoid hoarding or to avoid things being stolen?
Also, keep in touch with friends from college/high school. For career reasons, they can help you find jobs -- but it's also good for your mental health.
Follow the Golden Rule.
Good health is your most important asset.
It gets more difficult with each passing decade to find and have good, safe sex, so maximize your enjoyment while you can.
In a relationship, you have to be on the same page when it comes to how you feel about money and how you feel about sex. Everything else will be relatively unimportant.
When I was in my 20’s, I started out in grad school, but a physics course overwhelmed me. That so happened to be draft era, and my lucky number was 17, so I spent four years in the Coast Guard. (Volunteered. I don’t think they drafted.) and then got started in aerospace.
Looking back, I don’t think that an academic career would have worked out. The fit honestly wasn’t there. How do I know? Well, several aerospace jobs later, I went to work on the staff at Cal Berkeley, as the computer systems manager, and I got a deep look over the fence. I was more comfortable solving small problems that directly impacted people.
One thing I do remember from those 20-ish days is that I built up a small network and we made a few bucks referring each other for jobs. And looking back, it continued, though not always with great results. (Oh, those repeated interviews at the fruit company didn’t pay off) but I see the pattern in retrospect. It opened many doors.
And the oddest thing is that when aerospace was laying off, my wife and I visited a coffee shop and found a newspaper lying about with an ad for that Berkeley position. Newspaper ad? Well, that says how old I am. I found my wife via an ad in a personals newsletter “Trellis Singles” in the valley.
But do make friends, make connections, and ask the universe for unusual opportunities. I was a Woz kind of person but never found the matching “Jobs”. One guy came close, but he trashed his personal life. So long.
Cultivate some lasting hobbies and habits that will give you enjoyment throughout life. Mine were (besides pioneer microcomputers) photography and classical piano, and at my (redacted) age, they are constant delights. Raining? Look for a rainbow. I got one the other evening. And the 50 year old Hasselblad still works fine (needed a minor repair) Not bad. But I am lazy lately.
You will find that taking quality photos in your 20’s will make great memories later on. I married at 36, no less, and took wonderful photos of my daughter growing up. And the stumbling piano practice then, and through the years, suddenly got better when my sight reading took a major leap not so long ago.
Never put off doing a good deed. The opportunity may never come again. Build foundations. And that includes the math skills that somehow got “unwired” from my brain (college was a highly stressful time, late 60’s) I was a jack of all trades person, and each job change built on the previous one, but also demanded going beyond, so learn new stuff all the time.