Career Advice I wish I had in my 20s, not my 30s

“If you’re in your 20s, I need you to hear this before you waste another five years.” 1. Stop choosing jobs only because they pay you today. 2. Build skills that increase your earning power. 3. Your degree is not your career strategy. 4. Learn how to communicate professionally. 5. Learn how to negotiate your salary. 6. Keep your CV updated, even when you’re employed. 7. Build your LinkedIn before you desperately need a job. 8. Document your achievements. 9. Stop being afraid to ask for opportunities. 10. Your manager is not responsible for your entire career. 11. Don’t stay somewhere for years just because you’re comfortable. 12. Learn tools that companies actually use. 13. Don’t confuse being busy with being valuable. 14. Network before you need people. 15. Find mentors, not just motivational speakers. 16. Learn to sell yourself without apologising. 17. Apply for opportunities before you feel 100% ready. 18. Rejection is information, not a death sentence. 19. Don’t let one bad boss convince you that you’re bad at your career. 20. Leave environments that consistently destroy your growth. 21. Start saving before you start earning “serious money.” 22. Don’t inflate your lifestyle every time your salary increases. 23. Don’t borrow money to look successful. 24. Build an emergency fund. 25. Learn how taxes, pensions and investments work. 26. Don’t depend on one income forever. 27. Learn a skill you can monetize outside your job. 28. Don’t wait until you’re unemployed to learn how to find work. 29. Build a professional reputation. 30. People remember how you work. 31. Stop taking workplace rejection personally. 32. Don’t overshare at work. 33. Your colleagues are not automatically your friends. 34. Learn office politics without becoming political. 35. Keep receipts of your work and achievements. 36. Don’t burn bridges unnecessarily. 37. Learn when to speak, and when to shut up. 38. Stop expecting loyalty from companies that would replace you tomorrow. 39. Your employer pays for your role, not your entire potential. 40. Never stop becoming employable. 41. Take your health seriously. 42. Don’t sacrifice your entire life for a job title. 43. Don’t compare your timeline to LinkedIn success stories. 44. Some people are ahead. Some are behind. Keep moving. 45. Don’t spend your 20s trying to prove you’re successful. 46. Use your 20s to become useful, not impressive. 47. Take calculated risks while your responsibilities are still manageable. 48. Build relationships with people who are going somewhere. 49. Don’t wait until your 30s to realise you should have started. 50. Your career is too important to leave on autopilot. “Your 20s are not supposed to look perfect. They’re supposed to make you dangerous in your 30s. Learn. Experiment. Fail. Network. Build skills. Save money. Take opportunities. Just don’t spend ten years doing nothing and call it ‘figuring things out.’” “If you’re already in your 30s, what’s ONE career lesson you wish someone had told you at 20?”