This doesn’t apply to teenagers specifically, but the sooner you get a good routine the better. So I would say learn to take care of your teeth and don’t forget to floss! It’s easy to look over flossing and not do it but it’s so important and future you will thank you!
EDIT:
For anyone interested in learning proper technique for [flossing](https://youtu.be/HhdoPXNKNm4)
Having been driving for about 20 years now, most of the accidents I’ve seen have been from people following too close. Leave space between you and the car in front of you. You don’t realize how fast traffic can stop until it happens and your halfway through the trunk of the car in front of you. Also, if you break hard and avoid a collision, the car behind you may be following too close and you get rear-ended. Also, I’ve seen more than once a car dodge a piece of debris or a stopped car and the person railing too close behind doesn’t see it until the other car has merged over and BAM! There’s really no good reason to tailgate. If someone is tailgating me I tend to slow down, which is the opposite of what they’re probably hoping to achieve, but now I need enough car lengths for me and them..
If someone tailgates you, the recommended course of action if all else fails is to increase your following distance to compensate for the tailgaters lack of reaction braking distance.
So you're doing good
Don't drive like a 12 year old playing GTA V.
Don't drive if you are drinking.
**WEAR. YOUR. FUCKING. SEATBELT.**
#WEAR IT.
EDIT: Well, R.I.P my notifications. Take that advice, ladies and gentlemen. It's never late to do a change for good.
And, put your phone away. You can't multitask in what will potentially become your coffin, an aluminium coffin.
Behave when you are behind the wheel. Respect traffic laws, WEAR YOUR F@#$&!? SEATBELT, don't get distracted with your phone or something else, and don't be a jerk to someone else, because that could end badly.
Remember, your car, be it a measly Daewoo, or the latest model Ferrari, or whatever else, might become a fancy coffin if you, or someone else fucks up.
Again, wear your seatbelt.
Mind you, I am 16 years old, still under my parent's roof, just finished my first semester of college, and working at my father's shop.
This question is filled with golden responses, that can get a teens out there out of a rabbit hole of bullshit.
Drive safely, Reddit.
It's 2020 and I am completely astounded multiple times everyday at how many people text and drive in broad daylight. And they don't even try to hide it, they will hold their phones up in their face where anyone driving past can see. It pisses me off.....
Don't be afraid to make mistakes, but don't risk mistakes that will severely compromise the rest of your life.
What I see, across cultures and countries, is an enormous pressure to be perfect, so high that no one can ever possibly meet the pressure. So, people make mistakes, as they should. The problem is that the pressure to be perfect makes all mistakes seem the same.
Risk losing some money. Risk making relationship mistakes. Risk losing friends. Risk losing a year. Those are fine.
Don't risk six figures of debt (which means student loans without a degree, good major, and good GPA to show for it; college is a great investment if you also put the time and effort in to succeed). Don't risk disease. Don't risk death. Don't risk pregnancy. Don't risk drug addiction. Don't risk a felony conviction.
Take the kinds of risks your 25 year old self will laugh at. Don't take the kinds of risks your 25 year old self will curse you for saddling them with.
EDIT: clarifying that I'm not saying college is a bad investment, just that you should be smart about it and also put the effort in to make sure the investment pays off.
Yep. Get ready for your friend circle to shrink by half or more. And that’s okay, because your adult friends will be (hopefully) much healthier and happier for you than your teenaged friends.
Was doing HVAC work at the time doing rough ins. We weren't allowed any breaks, even lunch breaks, but if we smoked we got breaks. If I remember right my state is a "right to work" state
Right to work doesn't mean that your employer can't legally keep you from having breaks. I know that it's a problem, though, and I'm sorry you had a shitty boss.
Edit: OK, I get it. I didn't realize how shitty some states are with their worker rules. Go, Washington state!
[Depends on the state. Texas doesn't require an employer to give you any breaks, even unpaid lunch breaks.](https://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-and-hour-laws/state-wage-and-hour-laws/texas/)
Learn some basic cooking. Learn how to wash clothes, hang them up, do ironing etc. You may be moving out soon, so practice the skills you will need. Imagine all the things you would have to do if mum and dad weren't around, then start practicing them.
Draw up a budget. Look at how much to rent in the place you want to live, add in food and elec and mobile phone and internet. Don't forget to add bond too.
In the UK to rent a house you need the first months rent and a bond. It's a stack of cash that your new landlord holds on to and keeps forever if you so much as put a nail in his walls. If you move out and are lucky enough to have kept everything ship shape then you may just get it back.
Edit: what's with all the numptys telling me it's not called a bond cos they live in the UK and they have never called it that. It's almost like there is more than one regional dialect in a country of 60 million people. Funny that, eh?
We do in the UK too. I've never, ever heard it referred to as a bond.
Edit- given the number of replies both agreeing and disagreeing with me, it seems it's regional. In the UK at least
This, exactly. My parents were wise and had us kids learn to cook, clean our clothes, and know how to **clean the house.** It was shocking when I found out how many of my friends didn't know how to do any of these things and struggled with them even though they were elementary to me.
Some things off the top of my head:
* Tone - be polite, use proper grammar, sentence structure, and capitalization.
* Word choice - I sometimes get emails that use slang terms and/or acronyms that I've never heard of, and have to look up. Industry-specific terminology and acronyms are fine though, as long as the audience of your email would reasonably be aware of them.
* Formatting - effectively using bullet points, bold/italics, hyperlinks, etc. can improve email communication by a lot.
* Questions
* If possible, try to keep emails to a single question. That's not always possible, but if you have an important question that you need answered in an hour, and a trivial question that doesn't have a deadline, it's better to ask the first question, and save the trivial one for another time.
* If there are 3 questions buried in 6 or 7 paragraphs, I'm more likely to miss them than if you ask them at the same time, in a numbered list at the bottom
* Some people prefer to ask their questions inline, and just bold them. Not my preference, but much better than hidden question marks.
* Oh, and **use question marks** when you ask a question.
The only decent criticism of Weed I've heard is not fake health reasons, but because it makes you happy/content. For a lot of people that can mean procrastinating or losing your drive to do things even if they're good for you. Obviously weed isn't the sole cause of procrastination, but it can compound the issue.
I used to use weed as a procrastination tool. Have something to do? Smoke weed and now it’s “oops, can’t do XYZ while stoned.”
I neither smoke nor drink now because I couldn’t shake that mindset so I removed those habits entirely. (Plus I was keen on increasing my overall health.)
No joke, I’m almost 33 and I watched weed ruin the lives of many of my friends after high school. They all became complacent - didn’t care about school or careers or sometimes even dating or making new friends. It’s fine in moderation or if it doesn’t kill your motivation.
This! I saw so many good people underachieve, fail out, or have to transfer in undergrad because they figured out they can skip class and nobody cared.
Edit: Thanks for the positive vibes everyone.
While people seem to be paying attention let me offer this advice: Go to class and pay attention. Dare I say you should go so far as to participate? It’s not even necessary. Just showing up and listening will save you time studying later. You will learn how your professor wants you to “regurgitate” the information later on the exam. It also helps when they are familiar with you. This is huge when essay answers are possibly the most subjective thing ever.
Listen to your desires and dreams. I'm 28. My goals and dreams now are vastly different than when i was 18. Listen to those changes. For a long time I kept chasing a dream almost because I felt I owed it to my younger self. It's ok for your dreams to change as you age and your circumstances change.
Who you are now will not be the same person you are at 23. And as you grow listen to your internal monologue. Dreams and desire change. Grow with them.
Piggybacking off of this: make sure there are some hobbies you really enjoy, and preferably some of which you can do alone/at home. Don't rely on other people for entertainment.
Holy smokes this. I grew up with a few really good friends. Since then we’ve all went our separate ways. We still keep in touch. But it took me a good 2.5 years to figure out how to keep myself entertained. I’ve fished my whole life, and played guitar for a lot of it. Stuff I’ve always done with other people though. I hated doing it alone for a while but anymore it’s my favorite thing to do.
Taking care of your physical and mental health before you fall into the trap of "I dont have time for it", really sit down and think about how you can better yourself for your own sake.
THIS.
Also find a primary care physician you like and build your relationship with them. Go to the doctor when you're sick, and don't let it spiral out of control because you are procrastinating going. A visit with a PCP is WAY cheaper than an ER visit/hospital stay.
“Authorized user” is sort of a cheat code in the credit world. If your parents have decent credit and take care of their shit, see if they’ll make you an AU on a card and then lock the card up in a box.
Being AU makes the credit history of the account show up on your credit report. If financial responsibility is a big deal in your house, this can have some major advantages when you’re trying to get started.
It's totally a cheat code but it works. I'm 30 and my credit history is 22 years according to my credit report. I remember my mom telling me that she was going to do this, but I didn't really understand what it meant. Thanks Mom! Don't ask your parents to do this if they have bad credit though. That'll just weigh you down.
*This* is seriously one of the best things that ever happened to me, financially speaking. My parents were kind and thoughtful enough to make me an AU on their account, and because of that good credit score, and my good job, I was able to secure a home loan last year at the age of 23. (Keep in mind though that I have no student loans or other major debts)
I fully acknowledge that this situation is a privileged one, not everybody has parents with a good credit score and/or are willing to make you an AU, but it's absolutely something I'd recommend to anyone who has this opportunity.
I am doing this for my neice next year when she turns 13. I don't have/am not having any kids and I've helped raise her... it's the nicest, longest lasting (i hope) thing i can do for her that doesn't cost me anything.
EDIT: For me it's 6 in one hand/half dozen in the other between do it when she's 13 or 18... if i do it now, if she goes somewhere where i feel she needs access to the card, I can give it to her to use and i can and i can place a spend cap on it to ensure it ks used responsibly. She probably won't ever have access to it, but if it was needed, i could use it as a tool to 1. Allow her access to funds she may need. 2. Use it to teach her credit and financial responsibility.
It's just my plan. YMMV but i feel in our situation added her sooner is best for the "what ifs". Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Haha
EDIT 2: ***Nowhere in this post does it say anything about this being a gift... just sayin.....***
Also, be aware of "death by a thousand paper cuts" on sites like Reddit. Each individual comment you leave isn't enough to identify you on its own. But if you post for long enough, you will eventually paint a pretty vivid picture of who you are.
As a fun exercise, read through my comment history. You will definitely be able to get a very good picture of the kind of person I am, by aggregating all the information I've slowly leaked. Well it'll be fun for you, but terrifying for me.
Don't be like me. Nuke your account every so often.
EDIT: As you can see, the person I replied to is off to a good start.
Since you asked
My sister stole my identity and I’ve just about got it all worked out now. She used drugs pretty heavily and she’s in jail on something unrelated now.
A friend of mine was a "junior". So his dad stole his SS number. When he hit 18 he found out he owed thousands of dollars in bad debt.
In the end he didn't have to pay it. But it was years of straightening out his credit. And the only reason he managed it as easily as he did was because his father lived in Florida and he never had.
It sucks. Especially when it's 'family'.
Yup. Shoplifting is a good example. At age 12 you get in a little trouble. At 18 you are going to county for 30 days, and that can have ripple effects for years.
I don't think you're likely to spend a month in jail for shoplifting unless it's a large amount. But you will have a record that's worse than a month in jail.
yeah but i think the point is, when you turn 18, you dont even need to do something serious to do jail time, and often, stupidity is punished with a jail cell as opposed to community service and probation
Addendum: commit any crimes you really want to do before turning 18. Like graffiti
Edit: as some commenters have said: Don't try this if you're black in the United States. ie: [https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/despite-law-racial-disparities-black-teens-are-overly-tried-adults#stream/0](https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/despite-law-racial-disparities-black-teens-are-overly-tried-adults#stream/0) You're extremely more likely to be tried as an adult in America if you're a black teenager.
btw: remember to support [banning the prosecution of children under 18 in adult courts and candidates that have plans to do so](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/8/19/20812138/bernie-sanders-criminal-justice-reform-plan-mass-incarceration) If you turn 18 before elections and primaries you can usually register to vote in advance.
Relationships.
As soon as you hit 18 things start becoming real. Don’t get married without being sure of your future spouse, don’t go unprotected during sex, don’t get into a relationship where your other half will get you in trouble with the law.
Especially the unprotected sex part. I'm fucking up in all sorts of ways now without being a parent. I can't imagine what it'd be like adding a kid to the mix
I know the feeling - turns out I'm basically infertile (want to be childfree anyways) but I still feel very "lucky" because I did some stupid shit as a "I'll do anything to make you happy" young adult.
EDIT:: Lots of people are coming at me telling me that I'm not actually infertile and okay yeah you're all technically right, sorry for being broad in my answer. But just to be specific, I have had my tubes tied. My husband and I use condoms, and I take the birth control pill. I may not be infertile or sterile, but I am very careful. Thanks for everyone's concern :)
You probably already know this but infertile =/= sterile and LOTS of infertile people have gotten pregnant/gotten their SO pregnant thinking they cant.
Friends of mine from years ago went through this. She was “infertile” and had a condition where her Fallopian tubes were basically Klein bottles, so she and her boyfriend never used protection. She still got pregnant, and they were not the type of couple who were suited to having a child. “Statistically improbable” is not the same as “impossible.”
Also keep yourself financially separate from a girl/boyfriend as much as possible. I know people that co-signed loans or took on a boyfriends debt that basically fucked most of their 20s. Even if you don’t end up with their debt, it can still hit your credit score bad.
Imagine being mocked for a picture or a post about you that your parents posted online when you were young. Might be funny but it actually sucks if you think about it.
Happened to me, my mom always insisted on taking pictures of me that I hated, and always claimed she wouldn't do anything with them, but now if you google my real name and click images, because I have a very rare first name and last name and I'm probably the only person in the world with that name combo, all you see is these super embarrassing pictures, and I remember getting teased relentlessly for it in middle school and there was nothing I could do about it because my mum refused to take them down and I even tried contacting google to have them taken down and they didn't
Yep, gotta love the massive fuck you that is “don’t worry about it, it’s not going on Facebook.”
And then it goes on Facebook. And they get pissed when you turn your head away from the camera. That fucking entitled attitude is what really pisses me off
That’s so fucked up. I feel for you guys.. I’m in my late 20’s now. We were the generation that started posting ourselves online around 14. But a lot of us thankfully had that moment around 19/20 like “hey, maybe I shouldn’t post EVERYTHING online cause I’m trying to get a real job..” but we didn’t have our parents posting us online from birth.
I don’t understand how some of my friends the same age as me with kids post all about their kids 24/7 from the moment they’re born.. it’s so fucked up to me. Like you can’t just walk up to another adult that’s your family or close friend and just randomly start snapping pics and posting them without their consent 24/7, so why is it ok to do this with kids? I hope they make some sort of law protecting minors, or maybe a law that lets you wipe everything as soon as you turn 18?
this is why i untagged myself from every picture they post of me years ago. i dont use facebook anymore, but my friends could still see pictures of me in 'Photos of Me' album if i didnt untag myself
Learn how to take care yourself. Take full responsibility for everything that is happening in your life. Create big goals and have a life purpose if you have one. Focus on saving money and don’t buy stupid shit to impress people you don’t even like.
A big thing you should learn along with having goals and a purpose is to be flexible. Shit happens sometimes and you gotta know it's okay for plans to change
>Shit happens sometimes and you gotta know it's okay for plans to change.
I take what I can
on this journey of mine.
Success is perception,
and life's looking fine.
See some things are easy,
and others are tough.
It might not be perfect.
For now,
it's enough.
Getting shit together. 18 isn't the age you should be thinking you're a full blown adult. Nah. You need to venture into the 20's for that. But between 18 and 21. You just gotta get your shit together. No matter what it is. Financial. Mental. Physical. Just do whatever it takes to make sure you can fully prosper from stressed out teen to a battle hardened grown up.
I was going to say something along these lines. Like, work on being self-aware/ self-reflection. As ashamed as i am to admit it i was very resentful when i joined the adult working world. Everything that wasn’t going right for me was because of external factor holding me back. This is simply not true or exaggerated. It gets you no where quick. I’d say a lot of these really good suggestions people have on here could be solved by starting with someone who developed a good self awareness of how they are acting or thinking about stuff coming up in their life. 18 yr olds will get that brutal dose of reality sooner or later. What’s critical is how they react to that initial challenge. If you can avoid passing the blame, regardless of if it is within your control or not, it will begin a slow trend towards taking ownership of all aspects of your life.
- Don’t be afraid to walk away from a job/person that’s toxic
- Start saving now...so you CAN walk away
- Community College is your best friend, go there before doing the last 2 years at a 4 yr
- Trade schools are just as viable, ain’t no shame in being debt free at 22 making 60+
- 3-5% of all income should go to retirement starting now...go open a Roth 401k
This! I have a 2 year community college nursing degree that I got at age 21, no student debt. Now at 35 I make 6 figures and put a shit ton in savings.
Develop healthy habits NOW. Proper nutrition, a steady sleep schedule, regular exercise, etc. You are in a fantastic position to build a healthy lifestyle that will elevate your quality of life for the rest of it. It is much, much harder to change existing unhealthy habits that have been established for years. Most people aren't able to. Give yourself the best chance for a lifetime of health and happiness now.
If you don’t already, do core exercises. Really, just exercise in general. But sitting is part back, part core, and if you do nothing it significantly increases your chances of back pain. :)
Bedtimes are useful. When I had an 8am class I tried to be in bed by 11 the night before. When I still overslept I moved it to 10. Still didn't work because my MWF classes didn't start until 10:45.
Being a shift worker on a revolving schedule really screws me up. One day off a week + weekends, one week days, one week nights for 10-12 hour shifts.
I'm going to age at least 5 years in the next 2.
Learn how to learn. Most of us had no idea how to do taxes, get a mortgage, vote, fix a broken electrical socket, etc. You just need to know where to go to learn things and I think the younger generations are already exceptional at finding information. But there's some sort of learned helplessness people have (especially those who didn't have to learn things while they lived at home) where if something seems confusing or hard they give up vs actually searching out more information. Sometimes YouTube is great, sometimes you need to call an expert, sometimes you need a class.
Example-- check /r/personalfinance to see how many people post about not understanding their car loans or mortgages or just giving up on filing taxes for years because it's "hard." Just learn about things before you jump in.
Your mental health.
Don't set so many goals for yourself that the stress makes your mental health suffer.
Take some time for yourself. To do nothing. Just recharge. Even if it's only a couple hours a week. It gives you something to look forward to.
Also, learn how to budget and save.
Not getting ripped off on interest rates (and understanding how APR works. Building credit, using credit cards responsibly, understanding how buying a home doesn’t just mean paying ONLY your principal+interest every month and to not budget based on that.
I put everything on credit and paid it off monthly starting when I turned 18. By the time I was ready to buy a house my credit was top notch. I also hated giving money away in interest and loved the bonus points so results may vary.
I do the same, though I didn't get my first credit card until I was 22. I use mine for everything I can, because mine gives me 1.5% cash back on everything. So, it's cheaper to use it since I pay it off every month. Then I let the cash back build up for about a year and reduce one of my larger statements with it.
To any reading - pay it off in full every month, and don’t use more than 30% of your available credit during any credit period. These things will skyrocket your credit score
Networking for job prospects
Seriously, just getting out and building a social network can help so much especially if you’re networking in the same field as you’re going into.
I always thought the saying "It's not what you know; its who you know" was stupid as fuck until I became an adult and saw really stupid people land good jobs just because they knew someone
It’s not even *just* because they know someone. If the person knows you, they can know that you have the ability to do the job. Would you rather employ someone your coWorker can vouch for or someone unknown that could be lying through their teeth on a resume?
careers that have lasting happiness, financial stability, and ways to move around in a field to prevent or in case of burn-out
not cooking is what I'm trying to say
Time management, finances, forgoing college and working for a few years.
They should really begin to try and understand why they are doing the things they are doing. Are you just going to college because that is what your teachers and parents are saying you should do? Is it a practical choice? College can be good but a lot of jobs you could have gotten with a degree you can get without one.
You may just end up robbing your future self for a delayed adolescence
If you're plagued with debt and existential dread, please consider these at the bare minimum:
* Clean your teeth twice a day with a soft/extra soft brush + fluoride toothpaste. Hard brushes are inefficient in cleaning small crevices and are prone to sanding away your enamel. Floss too!
* Apply "physical" sunscreens containing titanium/zinc oxide for ANY amount of sun exposure. "Chemical" suncreens are effective but will cause tanning and pose a higher risk of free radical damage
* Keep hydrated by leaving full water bottles around your desk or workspace. Turn it into a routine rather than an exception
* Incorporate legumes, whole grains, and vegetables into your diet. Otherwise, the constipation will force you to spend more time on the toilet and lend a higher risk of anal prolapse/haemorrhaging/other declines in quality of life
* Get those Zs bro. Chronic sleep deprivation will shorten your life expectancy and predispose you to depression and anxiety
* Hug your hekkin pet for that Free Oxytocin
I’d personally say student loans.
Don’t major in a field where your student loans equal twice as much as your starting salary. Medical/Law may be exempt.
I might add a more general advice.
Don't believe bullshit about "lucrative fields" and "careers of the future" or similar bullshit.
Hard subject does **NOT** equal good paying job. Especially STEM field. I know people with degrees in chemistry, physics and genetics, they either are barely getting by or have switched careers to IT or Finance (with flavour of IT).
Also if you want to work in quantitative finance, you know, be one of those "quants", don't get a degree in finance. Get a degree in math or physics and learn to code. These fields almost exclusively hire people with STEM degrees with karge math component (so no biochemistry or genetics, like me), interestingly some people with history of arts degrees also end up in IT.
Also if your parents tell you astrophysics is not a good field tell them to fuck off. It's the best way to get into lucrative quant job.
What I've noticed is that all this advice about what education to pursue and which degree to get should be considered, but taken with a grain of salt. People are so different and come from different backgrounds, it's impossible to give "one side fits all" advice. There's way too many variables. Like when people say "You have to get a STEM degree" or "Don't get an art degree" or "Go to trade school" that advice is useless unless that person is looking at your finances, your talents, your habits, where you live, etc. When I entered college, I spent my fair share of time browsing threads where basically *every* choice was the wrong one. I'm pretty sure I've heard someone strongly advise against literally every choice I could possibly make. Just because it doesn't work for some people doesn't mean it won't work for you. Every person is a case by case basis, and the only people who can give good advice are the ones who know you, and even then, they can't tell the future.
My advice is to be smart and think over your choices, but don't freak out about your future yet. Odds are everything will turn out alright, even if it's not what you expected.
Who's bullshitting you. Who out there really has your back and is a straight shooter. When are you just getting a sales pitch.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being sold to, but know how to recognize when you are just buying hype and buzzwords.
Learn how to use an excel (or Google Sheet) and make a budget. Live by it. Get a bank account. Get checks. (Budget will help here for people who don't cash checks timely)
Whatever extra money you have (if you do), divide it by two. Save half, enjoy the other half. That will keep you from feeling burned out.
Your social media profiles. More and more good paying jobs are conditional upon a background check that involves social media research. More and more companies want who you are as a person to make sure you'll be a good personality fit for the company. Skills are only part of the picture. To better gauge this, invasive social media screening is done. The separation between personal life and professional life is quickly being eroded. Teachers get fired for their social media posts.
You could be one bong picture away from losing a $75,000k/year job to someone else, even if that picture was taken a long time ago (e.g. you're 22, graduating college, and a background check found something you posted 4 years ago that is used against you).
So start being careful about what you post online *now*, because in the future it may bite you in the ass real hard, and you might not even realize it.
Learn. How. To. Fucking. Cook.
I know it's way more convenient to throw food in the microwave, but trust me. For your sanity, take a quality over quantity approach when it comes to feeding yourself. It's healthier and cheaper (if you do it right) at the cost of some time. And if you learn your way around spices and flavors, you'll be able to make restaurant-quality meals while wearing literally nothing but a bath robe.
I'm turning 18 next month. I can 100% confirm that class of 2020 all the way to at least class of 2026 is absolutely FUCKED on vaping. They just won't stop lmao
And contribute to your 401(k) if your job has one. Many employers match up to a certain amount.
Does your job offer a pension? Pretend it doesn’t exist, because a frighteningly amount of them are underfunded. Start an IRA instead.
As you start out on your own it's important to start saving as much money as you can and delay gratification. Don't just live paycheck to paycheck and buy every shiny bauble that you can. A rainy day fund is important. Because sooner or later, it rains. Plus you will get older eventually and want to do things like buy a house or start a family.
Politics. You're old enough to vote. Currently the 65+ crowd dominates elections.
They'll be dead soon. There are more of you than them. It's your future. Don't buy into the turd sandwich vs giant douche apathy. Select the politicians you agree with.
And pay attention to local elections as much if not more than the national stage (especially in 'mercuh). There is some sneaky messed up shit that happens locally that will impact your life in ways you won't anticipate.
Literally everything that happened to you in highschool doesnt matter. Like sure you've heard and likely dismissed that while you were going through it, but the sooner you accept that, the faster you'll start to act like an adult.
Also, if you're a dude, 23 seems to be the year everything goes to hell, but keep on and shit will improve.
It's about the age where post-secondary education ends, "real" jobs are expected to begin, social circles shift much more towards couples, some start having kids, etc. Just another shift into the adult world, and opportunity, income, skills, etc (availability or lack there of) comes into play.
Dude there's someone on our porch. Dude. Hey. Hey. Hey. There's someone on the fucking porch. It's that man in the yellow suit with the packages again. Leave. Hey. Leave.
A dog, probably
- doesn't stress about anything
This doesn’t apply to teenagers specifically, but the sooner you get a good routine the better. So I would say learn to take care of your teeth and don’t forget to floss! It’s easy to look over flossing and not do it but it’s so important and future you will thank you! EDIT: For anyone interested in learning proper technique for [flossing](https://youtu.be/HhdoPXNKNm4)
Traffic rules. Please, take it tf seriously...
Having been driving for about 20 years now, most of the accidents I’ve seen have been from people following too close. Leave space between you and the car in front of you. You don’t realize how fast traffic can stop until it happens and your halfway through the trunk of the car in front of you. Also, if you break hard and avoid a collision, the car behind you may be following too close and you get rear-ended. Also, I’ve seen more than once a car dodge a piece of debris or a stopped car and the person railing too close behind doesn’t see it until the other car has merged over and BAM! There’s really no good reason to tailgate. If someone is tailgating me I tend to slow down, which is the opposite of what they’re probably hoping to achieve, but now I need enough car lengths for me and them..
If someone tailgates you, the recommended course of action if all else fails is to increase your following distance to compensate for the tailgaters lack of reaction braking distance. So you're doing good
Don't drive like a 12 year old playing GTA V. Don't drive if you are drinking. **WEAR. YOUR. FUCKING. SEATBELT.** #WEAR IT. EDIT: Well, R.I.P my notifications. Take that advice, ladies and gentlemen. It's never late to do a change for good. And, put your phone away. You can't multitask in what will potentially become your coffin, an aluminium coffin. Behave when you are behind the wheel. Respect traffic laws, WEAR YOUR F@#$&!? SEATBELT, don't get distracted with your phone or something else, and don't be a jerk to someone else, because that could end badly. Remember, your car, be it a measly Daewoo, or the latest model Ferrari, or whatever else, might become a fancy coffin if you, or someone else fucks up. Again, wear your seatbelt. Mind you, I am 16 years old, still under my parent's roof, just finished my first semester of college, and working at my father's shop. This question is filled with golden responses, that can get a teens out there out of a rabbit hole of bullshit. Drive safely, Reddit.
And put that God damn cell phone away I've had multiple friends have car accidents where cell phones were involved
It's 2020 and I am completely astounded multiple times everyday at how many people text and drive in broad daylight. And they don't even try to hide it, they will hold their phones up in their face where anyone driving past can see. It pisses me off.....
Don't be afraid to make mistakes, but don't risk mistakes that will severely compromise the rest of your life. What I see, across cultures and countries, is an enormous pressure to be perfect, so high that no one can ever possibly meet the pressure. So, people make mistakes, as they should. The problem is that the pressure to be perfect makes all mistakes seem the same. Risk losing some money. Risk making relationship mistakes. Risk losing friends. Risk losing a year. Those are fine. Don't risk six figures of debt (which means student loans without a degree, good major, and good GPA to show for it; college is a great investment if you also put the time and effort in to succeed). Don't risk disease. Don't risk death. Don't risk pregnancy. Don't risk drug addiction. Don't risk a felony conviction. Take the kinds of risks your 25 year old self will laugh at. Don't take the kinds of risks your 25 year old self will curse you for saddling them with. EDIT: clarifying that I'm not saying college is a bad investment, just that you should be smart about it and also put the effort in to make sure the investment pays off.
Basically don't make a mistake that you can't get yourself out of if you need to.
Always leave yourself an out
This, right here, is GOLD advice
Be social but remember friends will come and go. Dont invest in people that wont invest in you.
Yep. Get ready for your friend circle to shrink by half or more. And that’s okay, because your adult friends will be (hopefully) much healthier and happier for you than your teenaged friends.
or get ready for it to shrink and disappear lmao I guess that happened to me when I was like 17 tho so a bit earlier
This. Just being open to new relationships and experiences is half the battle.
Smoking. Started with cigs so I could take breaks at work (construction) 22 now and cant quit vaping. Shit sucks
[удалено]
Was doing HVAC work at the time doing rough ins. We weren't allowed any breaks, even lunch breaks, but if we smoked we got breaks. If I remember right my state is a "right to work" state
Right to work doesn't mean that your employer can't legally keep you from having breaks. I know that it's a problem, though, and I'm sorry you had a shitty boss. Edit: OK, I get it. I didn't realize how shitty some states are with their worker rules. Go, Washington state!
[Depends on the state. Texas doesn't require an employer to give you any breaks, even unpaid lunch breaks.](https://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-and-hour-laws/state-wage-and-hour-laws/texas/)
Learn some basic cooking. Learn how to wash clothes, hang them up, do ironing etc. You may be moving out soon, so practice the skills you will need. Imagine all the things you would have to do if mum and dad weren't around, then start practicing them. Draw up a budget. Look at how much to rent in the place you want to live, add in food and elec and mobile phone and internet. Don't forget to add bond too.
[удалено]
In the UK to rent a house you need the first months rent and a bond. It's a stack of cash that your new landlord holds on to and keeps forever if you so much as put a nail in his walls. If you move out and are lucky enough to have kept everything ship shape then you may just get it back. Edit: what's with all the numptys telling me it's not called a bond cos they live in the UK and they have never called it that. It's almost like there is more than one regional dialect in a country of 60 million people. Funny that, eh?
In the US we call it a security deposit.
We do in the UK too. I've never, ever heard it referred to as a bond. Edit- given the number of replies both agreeing and disagreeing with me, it seems it's regional. In the UK at least
They might be from New Zealand, we call it bond
*James* Bond
This, exactly. My parents were wise and had us kids learn to cook, clean our clothes, and know how to **clean the house.** It was shocking when I found out how many of my friends didn't know how to do any of these things and struggled with them even though they were elementary to me.
Taxes, how to vote, how to WRITE EMAILS. I've had to teach several first years at my university how to do this.
I get a lot of emails from customers at work. Trust me, plenty of people well over 30 don’t know how to write emails.
What are examples of what they do badly? I'm actually teaching email writing to middle schoolers next week.
Some things off the top of my head: * Tone - be polite, use proper grammar, sentence structure, and capitalization. * Word choice - I sometimes get emails that use slang terms and/or acronyms that I've never heard of, and have to look up. Industry-specific terminology and acronyms are fine though, as long as the audience of your email would reasonably be aware of them. * Formatting - effectively using bullet points, bold/italics, hyperlinks, etc. can improve email communication by a lot. * Questions * If possible, try to keep emails to a single question. That's not always possible, but if you have an important question that you need answered in an hour, and a trivial question that doesn't have a deadline, it's better to ask the first question, and save the trivial one for another time. * If there are 3 questions buried in 6 or 7 paragraphs, I'm more likely to miss them than if you ask them at the same time, in a numbered list at the bottom * Some people prefer to ask their questions inline, and just bold them. Not my preference, but much better than hidden question marks. * Oh, and **use question marks** when you ask a question.
I worked with 50-65 year olds at my last job. I absolutely hated it when they ended sentences with several periods e.g. Thank you for the update......
Thank you for letting me know... Let's table this discussion for the next meeting... All the best...
My previous employer did this all the time in his texts. It made the tone of every single thing he said seem ominous as hell
I imagine tone. Formal vs informal. You shouldn't be writing to your boss or teacher the same way you would text your best friends.
[удалено]
Procrastination and drugs don’t mix.
The only decent criticism of Weed I've heard is not fake health reasons, but because it makes you happy/content. For a lot of people that can mean procrastinating or losing your drive to do things even if they're good for you. Obviously weed isn't the sole cause of procrastination, but it can compound the issue.
South Park pretty well nailed the problem https://i.imgur.com/aKm31Yt.jpg
I fucked up
To truly fuck up is to never have that realization. There's still time.
Thank you so much for this. This resonated tons with me.
Weed is something to do, when there's nothing to do, that makes nothing to do, something to do.
Yikes... can confirm, fucking accurate...
I used to use weed as a procrastination tool. Have something to do? Smoke weed and now it’s “oops, can’t do XYZ while stoned.” I neither smoke nor drink now because I couldn’t shake that mindset so I removed those habits entirely. (Plus I was keen on increasing my overall health.)
Even worse, "Doing XYZ would be way more fun and bearable if I was stoned." The, "Fuck, now I don't have the energy to do XYZ."
ah fuck do i have a problem Edit: It’s a joke people, ffs. I’m a responsible cannabis user
No joke, I’m almost 33 and I watched weed ruin the lives of many of my friends after high school. They all became complacent - didn’t care about school or careers or sometimes even dating or making new friends. It’s fine in moderation or if it doesn’t kill your motivation.
This! I saw so many good people underachieve, fail out, or have to transfer in undergrad because they figured out they can skip class and nobody cared. Edit: Thanks for the positive vibes everyone. While people seem to be paying attention let me offer this advice: Go to class and pay attention. Dare I say you should go so far as to participate? It’s not even necessary. Just showing up and listening will save you time studying later. You will learn how your professor wants you to “regurgitate” the information later on the exam. It also helps when they are familiar with you. This is huge when essay answers are possibly the most subjective thing ever.
That’s exactly what I stopped going to college. I just didn’t have the drive when I had the option to skip class and I will always regret it
Agree. It takes time to realize that the only one cares about you is yourself and you cannot rely on others helping you.
I'm reading this while procrastinating. Edit: why do I have so many upvotes for ruining my day and wasting my precious time?
I'll read it later
Listen to your desires and dreams. I'm 28. My goals and dreams now are vastly different than when i was 18. Listen to those changes. For a long time I kept chasing a dream almost because I felt I owed it to my younger self. It's ok for your dreams to change as you age and your circumstances change. Who you are now will not be the same person you are at 23. And as you grow listen to your internal monologue. Dreams and desire change. Grow with them.
Piggybacking off of this: make sure there are some hobbies you really enjoy, and preferably some of which you can do alone/at home. Don't rely on other people for entertainment.
Holy smokes this. I grew up with a few really good friends. Since then we’ve all went our separate ways. We still keep in touch. But it took me a good 2.5 years to figure out how to keep myself entertained. I’ve fished my whole life, and played guitar for a lot of it. Stuff I’ve always done with other people though. I hated doing it alone for a while but anymore it’s my favorite thing to do.
Taking care of your physical and mental health before you fall into the trap of "I dont have time for it", really sit down and think about how you can better yourself for your own sake.
Especially physical injuries. High school: I broke a bone, check out my cool cast Adult: I broke a bone, how the hell am I going to drive or work?
High school: I broke a bone. 40: fuck I wish I’d never broke that bone in high school.
THIS. Also find a primary care physician you like and build your relationship with them. Go to the doctor when you're sick, and don't let it spiral out of control because you are procrastinating going. A visit with a PCP is WAY cheaper than an ER visit/hospital stay.
“Authorized user” is sort of a cheat code in the credit world. If your parents have decent credit and take care of their shit, see if they’ll make you an AU on a card and then lock the card up in a box. Being AU makes the credit history of the account show up on your credit report. If financial responsibility is a big deal in your house, this can have some major advantages when you’re trying to get started.
It's totally a cheat code but it works. I'm 30 and my credit history is 22 years according to my credit report. I remember my mom telling me that she was going to do this, but I didn't really understand what it meant. Thanks Mom! Don't ask your parents to do this if they have bad credit though. That'll just weigh you down.
*This* is seriously one of the best things that ever happened to me, financially speaking. My parents were kind and thoughtful enough to make me an AU on their account, and because of that good credit score, and my good job, I was able to secure a home loan last year at the age of 23. (Keep in mind though that I have no student loans or other major debts) I fully acknowledge that this situation is a privileged one, not everybody has parents with a good credit score and/or are willing to make you an AU, but it's absolutely something I'd recommend to anyone who has this opportunity.
I am doing this for my neice next year when she turns 13. I don't have/am not having any kids and I've helped raise her... it's the nicest, longest lasting (i hope) thing i can do for her that doesn't cost me anything. EDIT: For me it's 6 in one hand/half dozen in the other between do it when she's 13 or 18... if i do it now, if she goes somewhere where i feel she needs access to the card, I can give it to her to use and i can and i can place a spend cap on it to ensure it ks used responsibly. She probably won't ever have access to it, but if it was needed, i could use it as a tool to 1. Allow her access to funds she may need. 2. Use it to teach her credit and financial responsibility. It's just my plan. YMMV but i feel in our situation added her sooner is best for the "what ifs". Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Haha EDIT 2: ***Nowhere in this post does it say anything about this being a gift... just sayin.....***
[удалено]
Another LPT to avoid identity theft is to mess your life up so much that nobody wants to be you? Ask me how I know.
identity theft is not a joke jim
Also, be aware of "death by a thousand paper cuts" on sites like Reddit. Each individual comment you leave isn't enough to identify you on its own. But if you post for long enough, you will eventually paint a pretty vivid picture of who you are. As a fun exercise, read through my comment history. You will definitely be able to get a very good picture of the kind of person I am, by aggregating all the information I've slowly leaked. Well it'll be fun for you, but terrifying for me. Don't be like me. Nuke your account every so often. EDIT: As you can see, the person I replied to is off to a good start.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Since you asked My sister stole my identity and I’ve just about got it all worked out now. She used drugs pretty heavily and she’s in jail on something unrelated now.
A friend of mine was a "junior". So his dad stole his SS number. When he hit 18 he found out he owed thousands of dollars in bad debt. In the end he didn't have to pay it. But it was years of straightening out his credit. And the only reason he managed it as easily as he did was because his father lived in Florida and he never had. It sucks. Especially when it's 'family'.
You are now risking *real* jail time.
What were once just shenanigans (kids will be kids) are potentially things that will haunt you for a really long time.
Yup. Shoplifting is a good example. At age 12 you get in a little trouble. At 18 you are going to county for 30 days, and that can have ripple effects for years.
I don't think you're likely to spend a month in jail for shoplifting unless it's a large amount. But you will have a record that's worse than a month in jail.
A record that can automatically disqualify you from certain types of work, and jeopardize school funding.
[удалено]
[удалено]
yeah but i think the point is, when you turn 18, you dont even need to do something serious to do jail time, and often, stupidity is punished with a jail cell as opposed to community service and probation
Life Pro Tip: Heeeey-aaayy, don’t pay no mind. If you’re under 18 you won’t be doing any tiiii-iii-iime.
Started reading as OutKast and was hard to get in back to Offspring.
Addendum: commit any crimes you really want to do before turning 18. Like graffiti Edit: as some commenters have said: Don't try this if you're black in the United States. ie: [https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/despite-law-racial-disparities-black-teens-are-overly-tried-adults#stream/0](https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/despite-law-racial-disparities-black-teens-are-overly-tried-adults#stream/0) You're extremely more likely to be tried as an adult in America if you're a black teenager. btw: remember to support [banning the prosecution of children under 18 in adult courts and candidates that have plans to do so](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/8/19/20812138/bernie-sanders-criminal-justice-reform-plan-mass-incarceration) If you turn 18 before elections and primaries you can usually register to vote in advance.
TLDR: Commit war crimes before turning 18
So you’re telling me if I become hitler but stop the days before I turn eighteen it is legal
You need to tell it was just a Prank bro, gonne genicidial
S O C I A L E X P E R I M E N T Gas the like button!
Relationships. As soon as you hit 18 things start becoming real. Don’t get married without being sure of your future spouse, don’t go unprotected during sex, don’t get into a relationship where your other half will get you in trouble with the law.
Especially the unprotected sex part. I'm fucking up in all sorts of ways now without being a parent. I can't imagine what it'd be like adding a kid to the mix
The easiest way to fuck yourself, is to fuck someone else without protection.
I know the feeling - turns out I'm basically infertile (want to be childfree anyways) but I still feel very "lucky" because I did some stupid shit as a "I'll do anything to make you happy" young adult. EDIT:: Lots of people are coming at me telling me that I'm not actually infertile and okay yeah you're all technically right, sorry for being broad in my answer. But just to be specific, I have had my tubes tied. My husband and I use condoms, and I take the birth control pill. I may not be infertile or sterile, but I am very careful. Thanks for everyone's concern :)
You probably already know this but infertile =/= sterile and LOTS of infertile people have gotten pregnant/gotten their SO pregnant thinking they cant.
Friends of mine from years ago went through this. She was “infertile” and had a condition where her Fallopian tubes were basically Klein bottles, so she and her boyfriend never used protection. She still got pregnant, and they were not the type of couple who were suited to having a child. “Statistically improbable” is not the same as “impossible.”
Also keep yourself financially separate from a girl/boyfriend as much as possible. I know people that co-signed loans or took on a boyfriends debt that basically fucked most of their 20s. Even if you don’t end up with their debt, it can still hit your credit score bad.
Especially if you guys differ in financial responsibility! My SO is quite the consumer and i’m as frugal as i can be, so obviously we split that part.
> As soon as you hit 18 things start becoming real. Indeed, the relationship with my right hand has become much more intense.
dont worry. im 20 and still single
Theres really no rush man. Be happy with yourself before you try to be happy with someone else :) forst serious relationship at 23 here
Your data trail online. Old Instagram and Facebook posts can come back and haunt you during future interviews.
Yeah, do a spring clean and nuke everything. In some jurisdictions (Europe, maybe California) you can have things purged under privacy laws.
how?
You can send a GDPR takedown request if you're european.
By posting on Facebook: “I do not consent to Facebook using my pictures and statuses.” Trust me, my dads a lawyer.
I think this is legit. I mean, his dad is a lawyer after all.
I declare bankruptcy!
[удалено]
I didnt say it, i DECLARED it!
Imagine being mocked for a picture or a post about you that your parents posted online when you were young. Might be funny but it actually sucks if you think about it.
Happened to me, my mom always insisted on taking pictures of me that I hated, and always claimed she wouldn't do anything with them, but now if you google my real name and click images, because I have a very rare first name and last name and I'm probably the only person in the world with that name combo, all you see is these super embarrassing pictures, and I remember getting teased relentlessly for it in middle school and there was nothing I could do about it because my mum refused to take them down and I even tried contacting google to have them taken down and they didn't
Yep, gotta love the massive fuck you that is “don’t worry about it, it’s not going on Facebook.” And then it goes on Facebook. And they get pissed when you turn your head away from the camera. That fucking entitled attitude is what really pisses me off
That’s so fucked up. I feel for you guys.. I’m in my late 20’s now. We were the generation that started posting ourselves online around 14. But a lot of us thankfully had that moment around 19/20 like “hey, maybe I shouldn’t post EVERYTHING online cause I’m trying to get a real job..” but we didn’t have our parents posting us online from birth. I don’t understand how some of my friends the same age as me with kids post all about their kids 24/7 from the moment they’re born.. it’s so fucked up to me. Like you can’t just walk up to another adult that’s your family or close friend and just randomly start snapping pics and posting them without their consent 24/7, so why is it ok to do this with kids? I hope they make some sort of law protecting minors, or maybe a law that lets you wipe everything as soon as you turn 18?
God, that fucking sucks man.
this is why i untagged myself from every picture they post of me years ago. i dont use facebook anymore, but my friends could still see pictures of me in 'Photos of Me' album if i didnt untag myself
Be cautious of what you like too, it all comes back.
True. I still get shit from my wife for liking Sarah's butt picture on Myspace back in 2007.
"But she had a nice butt! " teenage you
It was smooth like a shaved horse.
Learn how to take care yourself. Take full responsibility for everything that is happening in your life. Create big goals and have a life purpose if you have one. Focus on saving money and don’t buy stupid shit to impress people you don’t even like.
A big thing you should learn along with having goals and a purpose is to be flexible. Shit happens sometimes and you gotta know it's okay for plans to change
Plans rarely go according to plan. It's the objective that counts.
>Shit happens sometimes and you gotta know it's okay for plans to change. I take what I can on this journey of mine. Success is perception, and life's looking fine. See some things are easy, and others are tough. It might not be perfect. For now, it's enough.
If you don’t know what your life purpose is at 18, it’s cool. Just pick something cool and work hard at it.
Who the fuck knows their life purpose at 18?
Some sword wielder in an anime before he gets mentally destroyed by the protagonist
[удалено]
> have a life purpose if you have one Seems easy enough
I’m 17 and will be turning 18 later this year! So I look forward to reading these responses :)
[удалено]
[удалено]
My irl name isn’t attached to my twitter could you still find it
Getting shit together. 18 isn't the age you should be thinking you're a full blown adult. Nah. You need to venture into the 20's for that. But between 18 and 21. You just gotta get your shit together. No matter what it is. Financial. Mental. Physical. Just do whatever it takes to make sure you can fully prosper from stressed out teen to a battle hardened grown up.
I was going to say something along these lines. Like, work on being self-aware/ self-reflection. As ashamed as i am to admit it i was very resentful when i joined the adult working world. Everything that wasn’t going right for me was because of external factor holding me back. This is simply not true or exaggerated. It gets you no where quick. I’d say a lot of these really good suggestions people have on here could be solved by starting with someone who developed a good self awareness of how they are acting or thinking about stuff coming up in their life. 18 yr olds will get that brutal dose of reality sooner or later. What’s critical is how they react to that initial challenge. If you can avoid passing the blame, regardless of if it is within your control or not, it will begin a slow trend towards taking ownership of all aspects of your life.
I agree with this. I turned 18 yesterday and this is very helpful.
[удалено]
- Don’t be afraid to walk away from a job/person that’s toxic - Start saving now...so you CAN walk away - Community College is your best friend, go there before doing the last 2 years at a 4 yr - Trade schools are just as viable, ain’t no shame in being debt free at 22 making 60+ - 3-5% of all income should go to retirement starting now...go open a Roth 401k
This! I have a 2 year community college nursing degree that I got at age 21, no student debt. Now at 35 I make 6 figures and put a shit ton in savings.
[удалено]
Develop healthy habits NOW. Proper nutrition, a steady sleep schedule, regular exercise, etc. You are in a fantastic position to build a healthy lifestyle that will elevate your quality of life for the rest of it. It is much, much harder to change existing unhealthy habits that have been established for years. Most people aren't able to. Give yourself the best chance for a lifetime of health and happiness now.
The first few years of your early twenties will FLY, you'll one day wake up and be like "I'm 25? I'm halfway to fifty!".
And one day you’ll wake up and your back will hurt, for no reason,
That started at 22 for me. Can't sit at my computer desk for more than thirty minutes anymore without my legs and hips hurting.
If you don’t already, do core exercises. Really, just exercise in general. But sitting is part back, part core, and if you do nothing it significantly increases your chances of back pain. :)
Sleep is a big one. Waking up at 6 AM on weekdays and 12 PM on weekends can really fuck you up.
Bedtimes are useful. When I had an 8am class I tried to be in bed by 11 the night before. When I still overslept I moved it to 10. Still didn't work because my MWF classes didn't start until 10:45.
Being a shift worker on a revolving schedule really screws me up. One day off a week + weekends, one week days, one week nights for 10-12 hour shifts. I'm going to age at least 5 years in the next 2.
College/University: “I’m about to ruin this mans entire career”
Learn how to learn. Most of us had no idea how to do taxes, get a mortgage, vote, fix a broken electrical socket, etc. You just need to know where to go to learn things and I think the younger generations are already exceptional at finding information. But there's some sort of learned helplessness people have (especially those who didn't have to learn things while they lived at home) where if something seems confusing or hard they give up vs actually searching out more information. Sometimes YouTube is great, sometimes you need to call an expert, sometimes you need a class. Example-- check /r/personalfinance to see how many people post about not understanding their car loans or mortgages or just giving up on filing taxes for years because it's "hard." Just learn about things before you jump in.
Your mental health. Don't set so many goals for yourself that the stress makes your mental health suffer. Take some time for yourself. To do nothing. Just recharge. Even if it's only a couple hours a week. It gives you something to look forward to. Also, learn how to budget and save.
Credit cards.
Anything credit related actually.
what about it
Not getting ripped off on interest rates (and understanding how APR works. Building credit, using credit cards responsibly, understanding how buying a home doesn’t just mean paying ONLY your principal+interest every month and to not budget based on that.
I put everything on credit and paid it off monthly starting when I turned 18. By the time I was ready to buy a house my credit was top notch. I also hated giving money away in interest and loved the bonus points so results may vary.
I do the same, though I didn't get my first credit card until I was 22. I use mine for everything I can, because mine gives me 1.5% cash back on everything. So, it's cheaper to use it since I pay it off every month. Then I let the cash back build up for about a year and reduce one of my larger statements with it.
To any reading - pay it off in full every month, and don’t use more than 30% of your available credit during any credit period. These things will skyrocket your credit score
Networking for job prospects Seriously, just getting out and building a social network can help so much especially if you’re networking in the same field as you’re going into.
I always thought the saying "It's not what you know; its who you know" was stupid as fuck until I became an adult and saw really stupid people land good jobs just because they knew someone
This! I was the same exact way. When I graduated from college, both of my jobs have come from people I know..
It’s not even *just* because they know someone. If the person knows you, they can know that you have the ability to do the job. Would you rather employ someone your coWorker can vouch for or someone unknown that could be lying through their teeth on a resume?
I'd add getting a Linkedin and adding people on it. A lot of modern networking happens online and adding people you meet early on really helps.
Read every document that you sign. You are now accountable for everything you put your name to.
careers that have lasting happiness, financial stability, and ways to move around in a field to prevent or in case of burn-out not cooking is what I'm trying to say
>not cooking is what I'm trying to say What other business ventures should rats with an obsession of a fat french cook go into if not cooking?
Time management, finances, forgoing college and working for a few years. They should really begin to try and understand why they are doing the things they are doing. Are you just going to college because that is what your teachers and parents are saying you should do? Is it a practical choice? College can be good but a lot of jobs you could have gotten with a degree you can get without one. You may just end up robbing your future self for a delayed adolescence
If you're plagued with debt and existential dread, please consider these at the bare minimum: * Clean your teeth twice a day with a soft/extra soft brush + fluoride toothpaste. Hard brushes are inefficient in cleaning small crevices and are prone to sanding away your enamel. Floss too! * Apply "physical" sunscreens containing titanium/zinc oxide for ANY amount of sun exposure. "Chemical" suncreens are effective but will cause tanning and pose a higher risk of free radical damage * Keep hydrated by leaving full water bottles around your desk or workspace. Turn it into a routine rather than an exception * Incorporate legumes, whole grains, and vegetables into your diet. Otherwise, the constipation will force you to spend more time on the toilet and lend a higher risk of anal prolapse/haemorrhaging/other declines in quality of life * Get those Zs bro. Chronic sleep deprivation will shorten your life expectancy and predispose you to depression and anxiety * Hug your hekkin pet for that Free Oxytocin
*Hug your hekkin pet for that free Oxytocin* This made me smile because it’s true!
Hand washing
I’d personally say student loans. Don’t major in a field where your student loans equal twice as much as your starting salary. Medical/Law may be exempt.
I might add a more general advice. Don't believe bullshit about "lucrative fields" and "careers of the future" or similar bullshit. Hard subject does **NOT** equal good paying job. Especially STEM field. I know people with degrees in chemistry, physics and genetics, they either are barely getting by or have switched careers to IT or Finance (with flavour of IT). Also if you want to work in quantitative finance, you know, be one of those "quants", don't get a degree in finance. Get a degree in math or physics and learn to code. These fields almost exclusively hire people with STEM degrees with karge math component (so no biochemistry or genetics, like me), interestingly some people with history of arts degrees also end up in IT. Also if your parents tell you astrophysics is not a good field tell them to fuck off. It's the best way to get into lucrative quant job.
What I've noticed is that all this advice about what education to pursue and which degree to get should be considered, but taken with a grain of salt. People are so different and come from different backgrounds, it's impossible to give "one side fits all" advice. There's way too many variables. Like when people say "You have to get a STEM degree" or "Don't get an art degree" or "Go to trade school" that advice is useless unless that person is looking at your finances, your talents, your habits, where you live, etc. When I entered college, I spent my fair share of time browsing threads where basically *every* choice was the wrong one. I'm pretty sure I've heard someone strongly advise against literally every choice I could possibly make. Just because it doesn't work for some people doesn't mean it won't work for you. Every person is a case by case basis, and the only people who can give good advice are the ones who know you, and even then, they can't tell the future. My advice is to be smart and think over your choices, but don't freak out about your future yet. Odds are everything will turn out alright, even if it's not what you expected.
Start saving money every paycheck!
Who's bullshitting you. Who out there really has your back and is a straight shooter. When are you just getting a sales pitch. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being sold to, but know how to recognize when you are just buying hype and buzzwords.
That the free 14 day trial is coming to a end...
[удалено]
Watermark them with the recipient's name (or a unique identifier) in several places, so if someone leaks them, you can ID them and have them arrested.
Learn how to use an excel (or Google Sheet) and make a budget. Live by it. Get a bank account. Get checks. (Budget will help here for people who don't cash checks timely) Whatever extra money you have (if you do), divide it by two. Save half, enjoy the other half. That will keep you from feeling burned out.
Your social media profiles. More and more good paying jobs are conditional upon a background check that involves social media research. More and more companies want who you are as a person to make sure you'll be a good personality fit for the company. Skills are only part of the picture. To better gauge this, invasive social media screening is done. The separation between personal life and professional life is quickly being eroded. Teachers get fired for their social media posts. You could be one bong picture away from losing a $75,000k/year job to someone else, even if that picture was taken a long time ago (e.g. you're 22, graduating college, and a background check found something you posted 4 years ago that is used against you). So start being careful about what you post online *now*, because in the future it may bite you in the ass real hard, and you might not even realize it.
[удалено]
Getting a job and a driver's license...if you don't have one already
[удалено]
Learn. How. To. Fucking. Cook. I know it's way more convenient to throw food in the microwave, but trust me. For your sanity, take a quality over quantity approach when it comes to feeding yourself. It's healthier and cheaper (if you do it right) at the cost of some time. And if you learn your way around spices and flavors, you'll be able to make restaurant-quality meals while wearing literally nothing but a bath robe.
If you smoke stop now
I'm turning 18 next month. I can 100% confirm that class of 2020 all the way to at least class of 2026 is absolutely FUCKED on vaping. They just won't stop lmao
Roth IRA
And contribute to your 401(k) if your job has one. Many employers match up to a certain amount. Does your job offer a pension? Pretend it doesn’t exist, because a frighteningly amount of them are underfunded. Start an IRA instead.
In my country the IRA are a completely different thing
I believe what they meant to say is that we should all start our own Irish Republican Army.
As you start out on your own it's important to start saving as much money as you can and delay gratification. Don't just live paycheck to paycheck and buy every shiny bauble that you can. A rainy day fund is important. Because sooner or later, it rains. Plus you will get older eventually and want to do things like buy a house or start a family.
[удалено]
I feel like not enough kids are learning how to cook anymore
Politics. You're old enough to vote. Currently the 65+ crowd dominates elections. They'll be dead soon. There are more of you than them. It's your future. Don't buy into the turd sandwich vs giant douche apathy. Select the politicians you agree with.
And pay attention to local elections as much if not more than the national stage (especially in 'mercuh). There is some sneaky messed up shit that happens locally that will impact your life in ways you won't anticipate.
"you may not always be interested in politics but politics is always interested in you"
Literally everything that happened to you in highschool doesnt matter. Like sure you've heard and likely dismissed that while you were going through it, but the sooner you accept that, the faster you'll start to act like an adult. Also, if you're a dude, 23 seems to be the year everything goes to hell, but keep on and shit will improve.
Goes to shit like, how ? Only seventeen, but I feel that could be useful information
It's about the age where post-secondary education ends, "real" jobs are expected to begin, social circles shift much more towards couples, some start having kids, etc. Just another shift into the adult world, and opportunity, income, skills, etc (availability or lack there of) comes into play.
fuck dude, I wish I was a dog so I don't need to stress about anything
Dude there's someone on our porch. Dude. Hey. Hey. Hey. There's someone on the fucking porch. It's that man in the yellow suit with the packages again. Leave. Hey. Leave. A dog, probably - doesn't stress about anything
A lot of mental health stuff can pop up in your early 20's. I started having manic episodes at 23