Ask HN: What do you wish you knew when you were 25?

Whenever I hear about young people asking for advice, it invariably turns into a conversation about regret, etc... And, in hindsight, yes, I wish there were LOTS of things I knew when I was 25. However, I wouldn't have learned any of those things unless I went through the process. At nearly 40 y.o. and back in school, I shoulda, coulda, woulda many times over. But, I also have, done, and did lots of things that I also regretted or turned out to be disappointments. I followed my childhood dreams, in fact, and that turned out to be a nightmare. I also saw this happen to a few friends who pined to work in the video game industry since their youth only to be so severely burnt out several years later to vow off programming forever.

So, all I can at this point it, you won't know what you want to know until you go through those experiences. And, stop listening to everyone else. We're all different and have different values and beliefs. What works for me probably won't work for you. I can say follow your passion, and that may just completely backfire like it did me. I can say save all of your money and be frugal, look at what's happening to most Americans! But, you could end up with cancer and die in your 30's without having truly lived. I guess what I'm saying is, 15 years from now, when you look back at your life, and you think, "Man, I shoulda, coulda, woulda..." Realize, your decisions are half chanced. Just like everybody else's...

loyalty to a corporation or even an smaller LP doesn't count for anything. always ruthlessly cultivate your career, growth & salary potential. And always be looking for a better environment. The "organization" will take everything from you it can to your personal & health detriment.

How to buy stocks. Didn't buy just-issued Microsoft stock because the mysterious "how" was just daunting enough. (You had to actually go to a brick-and-mortar broker office; no such thing as "online trading".)

"yes, you should throw a few grand into bitcoin..."

Not a whole lot, actually. I think by 25 most of the "core" of me was developed. The things after 24/25 came as a result of the experiences I had. That can't be taught. For example, I could tell you 1,000,000 things on how to be a father and you could totally buy into it. None of that is a substitute for learning how to deal with a brooding 8yo prodigy though. It might help, but it isn't a substitute for how that specific kid reacts to anything.

Save 25 times your annual spending, invest it in index funds, and you are financially independent. Spend the rest of your life working on whatever you think is important.

If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Or, alternatively, if something looks too good to be true, one should ask oneself two questions: "What's the worst case scenario if I go for it?" and "What's the worst case scenario if I don't go for it?"

Interesting read - http://hbs1963.com/

I wish I had lived in an urban area like SF, Chicago, or NY at 25 and then settled down in the suburbs a few years later. Instead, I've spent almost my entire career in the burbs or burb-like centers.

I would have told myself to stop trying to figure out how other people become successful and trust yourself more. What works for others might not work for me.

When in doubt, don't park there. (Even for a second)

It's not nighttime panic attacks, it's severe sleep apnea. Get to an ENT specialist and save yourself 12 years of hell.

I wish I knew how much I didn't know. Self-awareness for the win.

A programming language.

- I wish I knew about https://news.ycombinator.com and startups. Back then I knew you could build your own company but not like this. Most importantly, I wish I knew about how life is made up of your choices and how you can control how your life turns out.