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
Make us preferred on Google

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

Donald Trump
Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Video Of Trump Getting Handsy With Handsome Male Golfer Has The Internet Weirded All The Way Out

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump served as the honorary chairman of the Presidents Cup international golf tournament at Medinah Country Club in Chicago.

It was Trump's first time in the Illinois city since his second term began in 2025. Chicago, its leadership, its people, and Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker have been frequent targets for ridicule and puerile insults from the POTUS.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump before and after he fell asleep
MeidasTouch Network

Trump Mocked 'Sleepy Joe Biden' During Oval Office Press Event And Then Promptly Fell Asleep—And It's Beyond Parody

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he attempted to call out "Sleepy Joe Biden" during an event in the Oval Office only to fall asleep just moments later with the cameras still rolling.

Trump was speaking during an event that served as a launching pad for a $15 billion steel plant construction project in eastern Iowa. At one point, he took the opportunity to once again attack his predecessor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Eric Schmitt and Jack Smith
@atrupar/X

MAGA Senator Ripped After Confusing Basketball Teams In Embarrassing Attempt To Link Jack Smith And Fani Willis During Senate Hearing

Missouri Republican Senator Eric Schmitt was widely mocked after confusing his basketball teams when he attempted to link former special counsel Jack Smith with Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis by claiming Smith went to an Atlanta Hawks game to collude with Willis about bringing charges against President Donald Trump.

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Schmitt accused Smith of perjury after repeatedly questioning him about whether he had attended an NBA game in Atlanta on Feb. 3, 2024. The Atlanta Hawks hosted the Golden State Warriors that evening.

Keep ReadingShow less

Ben Affleck Opens Up About The Hilariously Savage Way His Kids Roast Him—And Fans Are Cracking Up

Twenty-four years ago, Ben Affleck was People’s Sexiest Man Alive. These days, his toughest critics live under the same roof.

The Oscar winner may have spent decades charming moviegoers, but apparently none of that star power works on his three kids—especially when Dad starts handing out relationship advice. Affleck shared that lesson during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he revealed how his kids keep him humble while promoting his new film, Animals.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene; screenshot of migrant caravan

MTG Rips GOP With Blunt Theory After Suspicious Migrant Caravan Spotted Heading Toward The U.S.

Responding to a report about a migrant caravan of more than 600 people from Honduras traveling through Mexico toward the U.S. border, former Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Republicans of orchestrating a crisis for political convenience.

The episode echoes a similar political controversy from 2018, when a much larger migrant caravan became a major issue in U.S. politics and was seized upon by the far-right. President Donald Trump, then in his first term, seized on the caravan ahead of that year’s midterm elections, describing the migrants’ arrival as an “invasion.”

Keep ReadingShow less