College may have earned a reputation as ‘the best four years of your life’, but that’s only because you hadn’t hit your twenties yet. Your twenties will bring you so many new and amazing and challenging and wonderful experiences—and we can say that with authority because we’re now 30. Here are 20 things you’ll learn in your twenties:
1. Where you went to college doesn’t matter—your hustle in the ‘real world’ does.
2. Just because you are married/have a pet/have a real job/own a house doesn’t mean you feel like an “adult” yet.
3. Chasing relationships that make you feel bad isn’t worth your time—be they friendships or romantic relationships.
4. You always feel better when you make it to that 7am (or 6am) workout class.
5. Weddings are great excuses to plan a trip to someplace you might not otherwise travel.
6. No matter how cool your job is and how much you love it, there are still going to be days that suck.
7. Mastering the high-low wardrobe can go a long way, both budget-wise and style-wise.
8. 401Ks and IRAs and mortgages are WAY less complicated than they sound—you just have to do a bit of research (if your company offers 401K matching, say yes!).
9. Having a pet can be a TON of work, but also life-changing in the best ways.
10. Your parents are regular people just like you—they aren’t perfect and they make mistakes too.
11. Going out at 11pm is overrated—tucking yourself into bed nice and early with tea and a book can be the best feeling in the world.
12. Hosting a dinner party for people you enjoy complete with food you cook yourself and real plates and cloth napkins is extremely gratifying.
13. Networking really is the end-all, be-all, and that person you connected with three years ago at that event you almost skipped might just end up landing you your next job.
14. Vacations are worth taking, even when you feel like you can’t afford one/don’t have time.
15. You’ll make the transition from shopping for clothes to shopping for home decor, and you won’t be one bit unhappy about it.
16. Your friends will all be at very different phases in life, and you’ll have to work to stay close and understand what each other is going through.
17. Sleeping on a couch, or sharing a twin bed, is no longer physically acceptable for you.
18. Inexpensive wine is the best medicine.
19. People really love to post pictures of their babies on Facebook—like really love to.
20. Wherever you are, is exactly where you need to be, and you’ve got the whole world wide open to you for whatever’s next.