I'm approaching my 30s, and I thought I could draw on the wisdom and experience of the HN community, particularly those of you who are 40+ years old.
Thanks.
Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
1–10 of 287 posts
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#2take care of your health, it is the #1 resource you own.
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#3I'm in my early 40s, I can't really think of anything, maybe because it's too close to realize what mistakes I might have made, and I don't really believe in that kind of retrospection generally.
FWIW, if you are in a position where you could potentially start a family (and want to some day), consider doing it in your early 30s (or earlier), there are a lot of things that get tougher as you get older. I don't regret putting it off until my 40s because it let me find a person I want to have a family with, but if you have such a person, my advice is do it now.
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#4I took working and working hard (overtime, for that bonus, promotion, etc.) overboard and never looked back. I wish I would of taken more time to be social and enjoy life a bit more. Work to live, not live to work.
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#5take care of your health, it is the #1 resource you own.
In my twenties I hated spending money on health-related stuff like dentist appointments new glasses and gym memberships. I wanted to blow it all on fun stuff. Now? I don't hesitate to plop down my amex if I think what I'm spending money on will make me physically better
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#6I passed up an opportunity to live abroad before we had kids. It was complicated but I wish I pushed for it.
Absent that, I wish I traveled more before I had young children (and before there was a pandemic).
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#7take care of your health, it is the #1 resource you own.
Having screwed this up in my 30s and spent the first half of my 40s doing a desperate low budget TV montage, I agree with this entirely. Some things you can't undo and I regret that. Learn from my mistake :)
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#8Wear sunscreen:
http://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/poetry/mary-schmich.html
Apologies for being flippant.
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#9take care of your health, it is the #1 resource you own.
Exercising generally only gets harder.
Maintenance is easier than building things up; start early.
Re: Ask HN: What do you wish you had done/known in your 30s?
#10I'm in my early 40s, I can't really think of anything, maybe because it's too close to realize what mistakes I might have made, and I don't really believe in that kind of retrospection generally. FWIW, if you are in a position where you could potentially start a family (and want to some day), consider doing it in your early 30s (or earlier), there are a lot of things that get tougher as you get older. I don't regret…
+1 to not postponing having kids.
Obviously, people should not do it if they're not ready. But people think they need to have everything figured out (degree, career, house) first. You don't. And the younger you have kids, the longer you'll be around to spend time with them (or grandkids), and the less chance you'll have fertility issues.