Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Worst Mistakes Someone Can Make In Their 20s

Woman celebrating her birthday with silver balloons that say, "24"
Photo by Ana Tavares on Unsplash

Once people graduate from high school, a lot of them know what they want to do career-wise, but they may not totally know where they want to go or who they want to be.

And while the twenties are the time to figure that out, there are some ways that people can really mess up their future if they aren't careful about how they spend their time.


Redditor KadduUltimate asked:

"What is the worst mistake one can make in their 20s?"

Know Your Worth

"28-year-old here. Best advice. Learn to actually enjoy your surroundings."

"But the absolute best advice I can give. You're an adult now. You are allowed to make boundaries and stick to them. Unhappy with something? Leave or fix it. I gave up way too much time feeding into useless issues."

"Oh, and smile more. People seem to like people that smile."

- Frosted_underscore

Think Through Parenthood First

"Having a kid."

"As someone who didn't have kids, and watching my peers growing up and the lives they lead and how hard they have it... wait forever. It's bliss. Plenty of money left over for savings, retirement, and vacations."

- KimmyPops

Learn How to Invest

"Not the worst mistake, but if you haven’t yet, open a ROTH IRA and start contributing… compound interest is a thing."

- FloobieToobins

Value Family

"Spend time with your parents while they and you are young! Don’t get so caught up in doing absolutely everything all the time that you forget the people who got you to that point. They, too, are racing time."

- flowerchild_3

Watch Out for College Debt

"Do not incur a mortgage-size debt in college tuition."

"You might be forced to continue taking classes to keep from starting the payment clock., while you also incur more debt. Also, you can't use bankruptcy to remove it."

"Instead, learn a trade: bring trade schools back. learn more about who you are and what you are interested in before taking on another lifetime commitment thing the boomers screwed up for us because 'screw you, they got theirs.'"

- cyrixlord

Watch Out for ANY Debt

"Credit card debt. Took us forever to get everything square after many dumb decisions and opening of multiple cards in our twenties."

- Ube_Ape

Expensive Items Don't Bring Happiness

"Signing a commitment for a high-priced place to live or car."

"Too many young kids believe they deserved fancy and nice, especially to impress others, and they end up scraping for dollars because of it."

- clem82

Giving In to Societal Pressure

"Thinking they have to start their whole life and career and be a homeowning family by 30... or be viewed as lazy, or my personal favorite, as 'wasting their potential.'"

- Suitable-Ad6145

Love Doesn't Have to Be Rushed

"Marriage."

"You and your partner are going to change so much between age 20 and age 40, neither of you will be the same people, and divorce is almost guaranteed."

"Wait until you're done with school and/or established in your careers."

- ConansMonorail

Dental Care

"Brush your teeth guys! And floss! The money needed to fix teeth is staggering in most places. Not even just the US!"

"Brush and floss twice a day! You'll be so thankful you did!"

- appleparkfive

Doing Time

"Going to jail. Don't break the law, kids."

- Thecooleo

Life Continues After Your 20s

"Thinking you’re supposed to peak in your 20s creatively, emotionally, sexually, and professionally."

"My 30s were when I learned that my 20s didn’t define me. My 40s have been f**king incredible. Hang in there."

- VampireCircus

Poor Healthcare

"Actively neglected my health in my 20s to maintain employment. Now my knees and elbows crack very loudly and it hurts when they do."

"Also, not all wounds are visible. I thought I was perfectly fine when I was 22. I thought everything was temporary. Holy f**k was I wrong."

- bumboclawt

Don't Forget 'Back to the Future' and 'The Terminator'

"Time travel."

"If you're a kid, the time cops will let you off with a warning, but as soon as you're older, any fluctuation in the continuum gets you 8 cycles in the penumbra."

"In your 20s, you're just not going to have the intuition to avoid causing ripples. Just wait until you're 30 and your chrono-mentor approves you for your first jaunt."

- Khaosus

It's Not an All-Or-Nothing Situation

" I think it’s important to remember that even if you screw up and make some bad choices in your 20s, you can still recover."

- OhNoSweetJeebusNo

Just like how some people think that high school is the ultimate time of their lives, others feel this pressure for every important detail of their life to take place in their twenties.

But the twenties are just the years where people figure out who they are and set the stage for the rest of their lives. They should be lived responsibly and safely, but they don't have to be taken seriously all the time, either.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Rory McIlroy
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Golf Star Rory McIlroy Slams 'Abusive' American Fans After Ryder Cup Matches In New York

The Bethpage Black Golf Course in Old Bethpage, New York, hosted the Ryder Cup over the weekend. MAGA Republican President Donald Trump was in attendance with his granddaughter Kai.

Twelve top players from the States faced off against twelve top players from Europe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Penn; Charlie Kirk
Karwai Tang/WireImage; Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Sean Penn Sparks Heated Debate After Explaining Why He Thinks We 'Need' People Like Charlie Kirk In Politics

Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn stirred controversy after he told the New York Times that we "need" people like the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk in politics despite disagreeing with "almost everything" Kirk believed in.

Kirk was assassinated earlier this month while speaking at a university in Utah; the suspect was caught after a two-day manhunt and has since been charged.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande; Donald Trump
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Ariana Grande Slams Trump With Blistering Question For Everyone Who Voted For Him

Wicked star Ariana Grande criticized President Donald Trump by posing a blunt question on Instagram for his supporters now that Trump has been in office for 250 days and counting.

Grande has been a consistently vocal advocate for social justice for many years and she circulated a post from podcaster Matt Bernstein calling out Trump supporters now that, among other things, Trump's immigration crackdown is in full swing and the government is threatening free speech rights.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Ripped After Gloating About How Golden Oval Office Makes World Leaders 'Freak Out'

President Donald Trump is known for his gaudy taste in decor and now he has people rolling their eyes after he claimed that all of the gold decorations in the Oval Office actually makes visitors "freak out" due to its "quality and beauty."

The Oval Office has been significantly revamped since Trump took office in January—it features, among other things, fireplace adorned with gold cherubs and medallions, surrounded by portraits of American statesmen in ornate gold frames and shelves filled with gilded figurines, urns, and freshly installed Rococo mirrors.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man and a woman resting their heads on one another staring into the distance.
man and woman standing on brown field during daytime

People Reveal The Seemingly Insignificant Gestures That Showed Them How Much Their Partner Cares

It's always nice when our partner makes a grand gesture to show how much they love and care about us.

Be it a surprise romantic getaway, a nice dinner out, or a gift they knew we'd been eyeing, what touches us the most is knowing they did this to show how much we mean to them.

Keep ReadingShow less