5 Hard Life Lessons I Learned In My 20s (Save A Decade)
Could you save a decade of frustration by listening to life lessons from others? (pause) Here are five hard life lessons I learned in my twenties, which could save you a decade if you heed them.
College
First, college is a waste of time and money. There is no reason to go to college with all of the information available online today. College is marketed as supposed to be the first step to help you move towards a career. College teaches you knowledge by not applied knowledge which is most important. The knowledge college teaches you is only so that you can memorize repetitive information to please your professor, but nothing of value when it comes to applied knowledge which is the most important type of knowledge. College does not teach you hard skills.
Career
Second, is a career. The career is a myth. It is even more so today. Society says that you are supposed to go to college so that you can then start a career. Why is the career now a myth? Because the 9-5 job is now being replaced by remote work, online jobs, freelancing, and for the more entrepreneurial online business. The old way of doing work is going away. Employers know that with contract workers, they can pay them less without giving them benefits like time off or bonuses. It is also easier today to become self-employed with the remote work and online jobs available. You have many options available today, depending on your strengths and skills. You can develop skills and become a freelancer. You can hone a highly-needed skill in the marketplace and make yourself valuable to an employer. Using the Internet today, you can discover ways to make passive income streams. You could also decide to start your own business. A business is the ultimate real asset. It was what the one to ten percent have that set them apart from most people. An online business is the best option today. But don’t count on being able to work your way up like past generations took for granted or get a 401k or have a pension, or receive benefits from an employer today. The best option has always been to go out on your own and to start a business that is the ultimate real financial asset. A business has infrastructure so you can build and generate income over time. They don’t teach you that in school. I wonder why that would be?
Don’t Over Socialize
Third, don’t over-socialize. I spent too much time socializing with friends or going out to watch the game instead of learning and focusing on myself. By doing those things instead, I was more worried about pleasing other people than working on myself. I wasted lots of time going to the bar to watch a football or baseball game to socialize. I also wasted time going out to eat or getting drinks with friends with whom I am no longer friends. It took me too long to fully recognize and acknowledge my strengths because I was too busy going out with friends to happy hour or the newest cool bar or going to cybersecurity networking events to network with people in a field I thought I was going to work in. The bottom line is don't waste time over socializing in your twenties.
Focus On The Right Type Of Knowledge
Fourth, applied knowledge is the type of knowledge that you want to focus on. College focuses only on book knowledge. Book knowledge or knowledge about something that is not a practical skill will not help you. Applied knowledge is practical and hard skills. Applied knowledge includes computer programming, video editing, data analytics, search engine optimization, plumbing, construction, managing people, knowing how to write and publish a book, and finding revenue streams to build a profitable business. Applied skills are the most important life skills. The higher education system will never teach you those skills.
Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power.
Trust Your Gut
Fifth, learn to trust your gut or intuition. If it tells you to do something that goes against what society or most people are doing, take it as a sign and learn from it. Instead of ignoring it, begin to consider what it tells you. Listen to your gut. It may turn out to be right. If I had listened to my gut, it would have saved me three years of time by not going to graduate school I could have instead spent learning more about websites and how to run and operate a successful website. Listen to your gut. Trust your gut.
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