Asklemmy

Research your professional value and have the courage to go after it if you are not being paid what you are worth.

I worked 17 years for the same company. I was promoted 4 times during those years and received a few extra pay increases along the way, but I was underpaid as soon as I took the first promotion and the gap increased with each additional promotion. I probably walked away from more than $100k in lifetime earnings, plus interest, by sticking with the company.

I should have changed companies at least once and probably twice. You don't have to be on a promotion path to run into this. It could be you were underpaid on day 1, but you needed the job or you didn't have experience. That's fine, but once you have the experience and have proven yourself, find out what the market rate is for your role and ask for it, be ready to show your research. If you don't get it, start applying for other jobs.

Don't be afraid to talk to your peers about salary. If you are making less, you know there is a gap you can go after (just don't name your coworker when you ask for more, do market research and make it impersonal/just business). If you are making more, pass this advice on to your coworker.

If you are being paid fairly for the work you are doing, but know you can do more, start looking into what it takes to make a move. For example, you might be the best fast food or retail worker the world has ever had, but the job only pays so much. What else might you be good at? You could look for training in a trade or try to find an entry level role in a company that has a wider set of tasks available that offers a growth path.

I agree with a lot of the comments here about saving and investing and keeping expenses down, but growing your earnings is typically easier than shrinking your rent. It still isn't easy though, especially if you need to relocate to earn more.

Forgive others and yourself quickly. You're going to make a lot of mistakes and so are the people around you.

Save money and keep in shape.

I'm 2 months from 36 so I want to weigh in, behind every great man, is a good partner. Don't waste your youth chasing flings and living it up, find your person, someone who will help you build yourself in a better person every step of the way. Not controlling but supportive, and do the same for them.

Get somekind of workout and stretching routine going on. It's much harder to build the habit later when you've got maybe a family going on and probably more work responsibilities.

Be prepared for age-related farsightedness! No changes if my aging body irritated me as much so far. I think mainly because of the abruptness of how that set in. It felt like an almost instant change, people showing me things on their phone and I couldn't read it anymore. Taking pictures of fineprint to zoom in etc.

Look after your back and neck. Floss. Drink more water. Find out if you have family inheritable disease risk and adjust accordingly.

But also, take advantage of some of your best years, and the freedom which comes with not being tied down.

Forget one piece!

Put money into your 401k. Learn more about personal finance than video games. Lift heavy things with proper form and put them back down again a lot. Give all people respect and kindness even if they’re being snotty. Brush your god damn teeth.

Compatibility is probably the most important quality to look for in a romantic partner.

Invest in yourself.

Increase your skills, weather it's university, an apprenticeship or on the job training. Your skills compound over time.

And as another poster said, take care of your teeth.

Antidepressants can be life changing, for those who need them

(44) look, listen, you don't have to figure everything out right now. There will come a time in your late twenties and early thirties that you'll feel like you've missed the boat, that you're lagging behind, that it's too late to still start or switch... And then you'll get over it in your late 30s again. Finally realise that life doesn't end and in fact that there is a lot left after 40. And that's when they call it the midlife crisis, it's not a crisis. The crisis is in your late twenties and early thirties.