It's a sign I'm getting older, I guess. I find myself giving totally unsolicited advice to younger people. I hear things coming out of my mouth that I swore I would never say. Words like "kiddo" and phrases like "when I was your age" just come barreling out, unchecked.
In keeping with that theme...Freshblogger has inspired me to write my own list of Top Ten things I'd tell my younger self:
1. Ride your parents' coattails for as long as you can. It may seem extremely necessary and important to start making your own decisions as soon as possible, but the reality is that doing so costs a lot of money. Proving you're right by working a retail job and going into debt is not a great way to show how smart you are.
2. Go directly to college after high school. If you can, take classes at a local community college online while you are still in high school. Costs are skyrocketing and time is money. It goes without saying that you should finish college. It's an essential requirement in the creative economy.
3. Get an internship while you're still in college. If you can, get five of them. I am involved with hiring entry level employees at Integer, and we simply don't hire people who have no internship experience. In case you were wondering, the person who gets hired most likely has the most internship experience.
4. Put off marriage and babies until you're in your late 20's or early 30's. I married at 21 and had kids at 23 and 24. It seemed fine at the time but now I know that I lost personal time that I should have been using to discover myself and the world. I love my kids and they are gifts to me, but I wish I would have rethought getting married so quickly.
5. Live within your means. Make sure you're never spending as much or more than you make. It's easy to convince yourself you need everything right now. Prioritize and pay cash for most of your purchases.
6. Don't go into debt. Except for a house and a car, don't get into debt. It only takes a few months to get into credit card debt but years to get out. Once you see your vacation money going out in interest payments, you'll cringe and realize how negatively it can affect your lifestyle.
7. Save at least 10% of your income. Yes, that's ten percent. If you are following rule number 5, you should be able to do this comfortably.
8. Embrace technology. I stayed home with my kids for seven years, and those seven years happened to be 1991-1998, crucial years in the evolution of personal computing. An old friend dragged me into the future and gave me his ancient Macintosh, where I learned the basics of word processing and email. I would have been lost at my next job without this gentle shove. My 77-year old dad learned how to email. WOW! I admire that.
9. Don't let the bastards get you down. There will always be people who don't like you, despite your best efforts. Don't waste one minute of your precious life worrying about them, that will give them power and suck energy away from you. And that leads me to my last one...
10. Be yourself. If you try to hide your true nature, it will come tumbling out anyway and may cause you some pain. Keep looking, and you will find like-minded friends.
