What advice would you give to your 20 year old self?
They say that with age, comes wisdom built through the numerous trials and tribulations. Monkeys, if you could go back in time and give an advice to your 20 year old self, what would you say?
I read this article earlier asking some of the high achieving business stars what advice they could give to their 20 year old selves. Here are some of the advices they shared:
Take a chill and think for the long term. Pick your battles wisely and it’s not cool to be stupid. It’s cool to do the hard things and stay ahead of the trend - Noah Wintroub, Vice Chairman, JP Morgan Chase
Unless we get replaced by robots, it’s all about relationships. Invest “all in” on building relationships and never stop investing in those relationships. - Yehuda Shmidman, CEO, Sequential Brands Group
How about you monkeys, what advice would you give?
Generalized inspirational advice from people in high up places who are not willing to directly help you is worthless.
Learn how to seek out mentors and follow their advice (second probably more difficult than the first). Stop taking your friends' advice.
Honestly I would've just took the plug and get on AAS (anabolic steroids) earlier. Nothing changed my life like getting aesthetic as fuck.
Nah bro. Still fertile. Even if I wasn't. Aesthetics > children cause you can always adopt.
And who said Investment bankers were insecure, alpha-and-self-obsessed, cheaters?
Obviously they need to spend more time on WSO to get to know the "real us"
BTW, do you know where I can get some tren?
Tren hard and eat clen.
Lemme get a hookup
Dig around Reddit. You'll find some.
Less video games. That shit's bad for you.
Shit's worse than drugs... leading contributor by far to lost opportunities while I was in HS/undergrad...
stop worrying about stuff that in the long run and in general are not really that important.....
Accutane.
I feel you man. I feel you.
Get A Job Please!
Closed a deal last night. Woke up this morning feeling good about the world. Here ya go.
This is probably the hardest of all the things you note. There will be plenty of days you want to be on "path" even when you're not.
Keep trudging away through those days. (and I fully realize this is MUCH easier said than done).
Everything else can boil down to work ethic and relationships. Find some of each.
+1SB
People underestimate #5 when they're young, and regret not having done it earlier when they're older.
Business is people. Kindness isn't weakness. Grind it out and pay it back. It most always comes back around.
Live it up now. Work sucks and everything will work out.
Stop spending so much money on barely attractive women.
Don't ever have children. And I mean ever. Marriage is of dubious social utility and if you're smart you'll give it a pass, but kids will absolutely destroy your life. No, you're not different and you won't make better kids than other people. There are enough people in the world already. Just don't.
Also, read Schopenhauer.
Diversify yo bonds
If you haven't already, be sure to give BlackHat 's, "What You Should've Done by 21: a Controversial Guide to a Realistic Outlook".
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/what-you-shouldve-done-by-21-a-co…
BlackHat's content back in the day was phenomenal and this piece in particular was in my opinion, "The realest shit he ever wrote".
Cheers!
Think I read this when it was originally posted, but never bookmarked. Thanks!
I would say become passionate and really knowledgeable / good at something early on. Who cares what it is, maybe it is building / taking apart engines or becoming a chess champion. This will make you unique in your conversations / interviews down the line.
From a life perspective: try to find an opportunity to live in a different country. Doing this was tremendously valuable for my personal growth and helped me build relationships all over the world.
From a career perspective: Stay away from toxic bosses / coworkers. There is nothing more damaging to your career or general well-being than being around (or associated with) negative, dishonest people.
Your parents do not know what is best for you and your career. They want what is best to keep you safe. Love them no differently.
Have the hard conversations now,, waiting makes it worse.
Find some mentors, it helps significantly when the going gets rough.
Pick up and call the person you need to reach. You would be surprised how much more effective it can be.
You will fuck up a lot, but try not to make the same mistake twice.
Stay close to the people that care about you and cherish the small things. Unfortunately, parents/grandparents/siblings won't be in your life forever, and you will hate yourself for always being to "busy."
Relax on the hard partying, read more
to be more naughty, less sleeping, read more books, and give importance to time
Buy that dip and exit a.s.a.p
What Would You Say to 20 y/o You (Originally Posted: 07/23/2016)
Hi everyone, I am currently 20 years old and studying Econ in NYC. Ideally, like everyone, I want to land a job after graduation. For those of you in the financial industry, what are some words of advice for someone who wants to make the most out of college in the city?
What might you have done differently if given the chance to go back to your sophomore year of college
Also, what are some admirable qualities in someone looking for a job?... Any and all comments are appreciated!
Thanks
Make real friendships
I'd have Red Forman step in for me now and call 20-year-old me a dumbass.
"Study harder. You'll still get to the same place, but it'll be a hell of a lot easier."
For the love of god these two
Yes, yes, yes!
Oh, and fuck bitches, get money
Expand on 3 please. I thought Finance/accounting/econ were fairly "safe'" choices.
pretty much exactly this, but it's easy to brush these off as cliche suggestions. Each of these carries a lot of weight.
The 4 things I've found to have any lasting significance or use after college? Good grades, relationships, quality internships/skills training, and unique experiences (travel, volunteer, organize, compete).
Parties, drinking, laying about, pseudo-intellectual discussions, sporting events, school politics, relationship dramas, skirt-chasing, etc. all fun in small doses but diminishing returns set in really quickly.
2 chicks at the same time
Network now be more active in clubs don't turn away from opportunities because some friends can't / won't be able to participate don't waste time with people who bring you down don't burn any bridges....ever at least minor in a STEM discipline Work smarter....go to library all day Sunday / Monday / Tuesday so you can go out Tuesday-Saturday big girls need lovin too ask gf for a 3-way have a condom on 4/26/05
LMFAO! Lesson learned
fucking dead. you win.
So what happened on 4/26/05...
Dial back the drinking slightly and hit the books a bit more. There's the sweet spot.
Otherwise you will end up like Ricky trying to get your Grade 10 at 30 years old?
stand up for your self and your own self dignity when you get passed up for that bonus, promotion or raise. No employer 'wants' to pay you more. Negotiate everything but work your ass off too. If you need to change companies, do it.
IlliniProgrammer I'd appreciate your answer to this thread, for those of us who are quants/techs.
Instead of living your life in an attempt to persuade people that you're living a good life, just live a good life. It's an incredible thing
Listen to the people on WSO
do more drugs
Stop spending so much money on barely-attractive women.
-- Schools in NYC give students access to Broadway plays, museums, and other things (maybe even the subway?) for a very cheap price, or sometimes even for free (e.g., a dorm giving out tickets to a concert or going as a group, student discounts to museums, etc). TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS and go to the events that sound interesting, even if by yourself. You sure do miss these perks as an adult!
-- Take advantage of going into the city to get a breather from school/exams/friends. Sometimes, living in the university bubble gets to be too much, especially around exam time. Use this energy to go and explore diverse corners of the city. Read E. B. White's Here is New York to get started, look up a trail that interests you (e.g., best beers in NYC and hit up the bars) or just randomly walk around and go to a new place and check out the scene. There's so much pleasure to be had simply from walking around and soaking in the city on your own time.
-- Intern during the school year, if you can swing it with schoolwork and still do well. Even if it's unpaid, take advantage of the decreased competition and try to get an off-cycle internship at a great place.
-- As an added bonus, go see speakers that come to your university. I went to a liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere and getting people to come to campus was like puling teeth; this isn't the case in NYC. If no one is interesting, look up societies in the broader city that align with your interests, e.g. Asia Society, or even check out the speaker list at the NY Public Library.
-- I would have joined more clubs freshman year, instead of dedicating myself intensely to the 2-3 I chose right off the bat, simply to have met more people and had a more diverse friend group. This doesn't mean that you have to stick with the clubs you don't like, but freshman and sophomore year, everyone is wanting to make friends, so this is a good avenue to do so.
-- I also would have worked in the career center or the research and fellowship office (the people who help you prepare for Rhodes and Fulbright interviews), to better balance my schedule against all the free time I had. Plus, you'd sometimes get paid to do homework and study!
-- I'd have been better about balancing difficult classes in a single semester and would have taken more humanities courses to balance out my quant and science coursework (I was a STEM major), as I tended to overload on overly analytical classes more than I should have.
-- I always respect people for having a high GPA. That said, not all majors are created equal -- at my school, the poli sci major was a joke, so I'd be less impressed with someone who had a 3.65 GPA in that major relative to someone who had a 3.50 in math. Something to consider, especially when you're sending alumni your resume.
-- I'm impressed by applicants who are articulate and speak well. I've seen kids interview who use "um" as an actual word in their sentence as opposed to a placeholder and who shake their legs so hard that I can feel the floor vibrate in an interview (N.B., this makes your interviewer nauseous, which doesn't bode well for you). Don't be this person; watch social skills videos on YouTube if you have to. Same goes for phone interviews; controlling the quality of your voice can go a long way.
-- Finally, punctuality and efficiency go a long way. If the call is going to start at 1, give me a call at 1. Not 1:02, not 1:15, but 1:00. If you say that you'll get something my way by EOB and get it in within that time frame, that goes a long way. This isn't limited to students; clients and co-workers can be careless, too, but people notice these things. If you're on the ball about little things as a student, that's brownie points in your favor. :)
This is a good one. No sbs but would like to up this one
Start working out and eat healthier. It does wonders beyond the gym like improving life balance. Drink less.
I would tell myself, "lose your virginity already, you chode".
Gotta do it for the reference experience, you know?
Aware. Tyler would approve.
Surprised no one else said to have more sex.
Have more sex.
-Find some more hobbies outside of school and greek life / partying. Take up an instrument, become an artist, start boxing, read more books, learn how to code, meditate or whatever else opens your mind. -Study what interests you. I was in the business school because it was easy. I wish I studied math because I love reading about math but I rather be at the bar. -Being at the bar instead of the library is fine. You have plenty of time for both. Just dont fuck around when doing either. -Study abroad. Travel during your time off when your not interning.
Hope this was helpful!
great thread
no girlfriends
Get a personal trainer instead of just doing random routines off the internet and wondering why you're not jacked Lose the ego Stop caring what people think Turn off your computer, go outside and talk to people If I could say it to my 18 self, do ROTC. To my 20 self, do OCS (I'm 29 and applying for it now. Would rather have done it back then but better late than never) Read more 20 year old self, yes you are smart. Yes you got into a good school. Guess what, so did the rest of your competition. Potential is nothing. Execute. Delete negative people from your life off of Facebook, block their number, and never talk to them again. They're not your friends anyway; you'll be fine.
OCS, huh? Did you do iBanking?
I am debating between fall recruiting for iBanking or doing OCS.
This is actually terrible advice. Most personal trainers aren't worth shit and just hold a clipboard while putting you through generic and ineffective routines.
Honestly I would go tell my 20 year old self to sleep with as many attractive chicks as I could
...
I've been thinking about this recently. There's a lot I wish I could tell myself, but these are a few.
Get the grades and try to find a real passion. When you start doing real studying and grinding daily and paying bills you realize that if you aren't passionate about what you're doing your life pretty much blows. Best thing that happened to me was leveraging great professors with industry experience for life stories, career advice, information, networking, etc. Those connections REALLY helped me compensate for the fact that my GPA sucked (3.05) due to trying to get it wet so much those first years. Also will be key in getting good recommendation letters for grad school apps and job apps, but mostly the former. One of my professor asked me what grad school I wanted to go to and said he would get me in... You would be surprised at the connections some of these people have!
Don't fuck crazy...
1) There are many things in life more important than prestige. Focus on what you find rewarding, not the gratification you get from others.
2) Don't even drink. Other people can handle it, but you can't.
3) Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it, academic or otherwise. There is no shame in trying to make things better.
4) Work harder earlier on in college. It ultimately made no tangible difference to career outcomes, but you graduated dissatisfied in your performance.
5) You matter more to those you care about than you think. You are not alone.
6) Worry less about what other people think, and accept that few people's opinions actually matter.
Not much of this is career oriented, but I think that the other stuff is more important. You can always get fired from a job, you can always get hired. Jobs are transient, but treasure your relationships and guard your wellbeing fiercely.
"You are not the next Al Capone. Take a nice internship at an IB and stop banging trashy EDM sluts."
do what you love and do it often
pay more attention to your deepest feelings
your feelings are always valid, take time to heal, but DON'T ever feel sorry for and pity yourself
some things will never be the same again, and that ok
timing has a lot to do with everything, good or bad
and of course the quote I have held the dearest to me: "The most beautiful things in life are not things. They're people and places; memories and pictures; feelings and moments."
There are only a couple of feelings you should have as a guy: Happiness, lust, desire, and anger. Everything else should be deeply repressed until it turns into one of those other feels listed above.
If you're sitting around crying and wondering what happened, you're doing it wrong.
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