Is working a lot in your 20s worth it?

33 comments

1. Nope find romance

2. When you get married, your needs become family needs. You aren’t even in your career yet.

3. There’s more to life than money. No one can tell you how to find work-life balance. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.

   Traveling costs money but you can gain a wealth of perspective and lived experience.

   Hobbies and interests outside of work are worth prioritizing for sure.

4. No. Just do your job. No more no less. I was a workaholic in my 20s assuming that’s what you did until you died. I got burned out and left the industry I had studied in college. I got a dull office job and just do the minimum they ask me. Nobody knows what I was like in my 20s, and I am far more successful financially.

5. Depends. Investing is worth it. But there’s a balance we all need with work and living

6. Nope. Wasted a lot of hours for nothing. Working 50-60hrs isnt what gets you promoted; soft skills and quality of deliverables is what gets it done.

7. Just turned 40. I’ve just now started setting boundaries and learning to say no when I need to to keep my work/life balance ok. I burned myself out at 35 just working 55-65 hour weeks for about 10 years. Burnout is not a fun time.

   My main thing was I didn’t put that money away really. Work as much as you can and want without it consuming your every waking moment, but save all that money for when you’re ready to slow down a bit.

8. I dedicated a lot of my 20s and early 30s to working. I lost out on a lot of experiences with friends because of it. I busted my ass and was recognized for it at work and it got me more work and more work until I cracked and couldn’t handle it.

   My social life definitely suffered due to it. The only friends I had for a while were co workers that were doing the same thing. Over working yourself doesn’t make you more successful, it doesn’t earn you more money. What is does do is gets you taken advantage of by your employer because they know they can get more out of you for less than hiring a new employee. At one point I was doing the job of 4 it 5 people and not getting any extra money for it.

9. Make time for your interests and passions. Don’t just do it to do it though…like if you don’t give a shit about travel, don’t do it, but it will give you perspective and experience so it’s not completely worthless either, so don’t avoid checking back in on decisions you’ve made like that. The main mistake I think I made in my 20’s was deciding what I liked and what I was about and never readdressing any of those decisions as I aged and changed. I regret writing things off as “not for me” so early in life, because now, a lot of those things are interests of mine

10. I’m 32M, and I say FUCK YES.

    I constantly wish I worked more in my 20s instead of goofing off so often, if I did I wouldn’t be in the position I am now.

    I’m not saying ignore life and become a workaholic, but definitely keep grinding. That way you can actually relax a bit in your 30s.

11. If you have no money, yes. If you have lots of money, no.

12. Depends on the person… your 20s , 30s, and 40s will dramatically shift based on what’s going on in your life. In my 20s and 30s I was gunho career wise busting my ass to get ahead. Pushing off time with family and friends, now in my 40s. Im over killing myself for a company to meet their bottom line. I still put for a lot of effort but if I work a lot Im taking comp time for it.

    Use your vacation. All of it, every year, no exceptions, you earned and don’t feel bad about it for a second. Time is something you appreciate later and it becomes more precious and find what matters to you and invest that time where it needs to be.

    Short answer: no, ultimately, it’s not worth it. You work to live, not the other way around. Most people forget that.

13. Working more hours is not the way to promotion. Unless you are in an industry that everyone works insane hours.

14. Working is fine, just make time for rest and play so you’re not giving too much up for work. Getting married to a great partner is great for work-life balance for example

15. Absolutely.

16. You are wasting away your prime years for a made up lie that somebody brainwashed you into believing is your dream.

17. No! Find honey and make babe first! Plenty of time to work

18. No regrets. In my case working a lot in my 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, means I don’t need to work much now.

19. Do you enjoy going to work?

    I worked restaurant in my 20’s. Long hours and decent pay. I loved being there. It was worth it.

    Then we got new management and it wasn’t.

20. Perfect person for this question here.

    I moved to Thailand at 20 to play online poker. I had tons of fun. I eventually had kids but stayed there. I played much less than other players, I enjoyed life and stayed somewhat poor.

    I didn’t move back home until my kids were around 5th grade. I got a shit job for a year then went into a meh job at a investment firm and I’ve been slowly going up.

    I keep thinking, Holyshit I’d be making 150k watching power points with a massive retirement portfolio and a 900k house if I started earlier.

    But then I speak with coworkers.. None of them have lived.

    Me and my kids have travelled around Asia so much. We went everywhere in Thailand also. Spent so much time eating out almost every day, beach day every week, etc. We lived my retirement.

    Having a 15 year gap on my resume with no qualifications has not been an issue. I’m 3 years in starting on the phone and now Ima end up at 110k this year. Most likely getting an other promotion tomorow, waiting for a call.

    The only thing I’d do better is grind a bit more, but not too much. Enjoying my 20s and having memories can’t be beaten by anything material.

    I have a house near the beach too, buts it not expensive. I’ll never own a big home in my country and I’m ok with that. Enjoying life is better.

21. Work smarter not harder. Don’t join the rat race, find smth you have an edge in and you’ll get to your finish line faster.

    Hard work isn’t a guarantee of success, but making smart choices and applying yourself in a consistent and vigilant manner is, more so anyway

22. I worked very hard in my 20s and ultimately got stabbed in my back by every company I ever worked for. So in that sense, no, I do not recommend putting all your eggs in the company basket.

    But on the other hand, I made some good investments and worked incredibly hard on building equity in my first house, and it has set me up for a life in my 30s and beyond that will be far more comfortable than I ever could’ve dreamed of. I would encourage you to think about it the same way. Companies have no conscious or loyalty to you beyond what you give to them. But investing the time now to set yourself up later is worth every minute.

23. It’s not about working more, it’s about working in a way that makes you valuable in your 30s. 

    For some that means taking classes and getting certificates on top of your regular job. For some it means getting work experience in a niche position or industry. For some it means networking during your normal working hours and outside of those hours. 

    It doesn’t mean just working 45 to 50 hours a week at some random job. That will not get you stability in the future. That will get you stuck at that position.

24. I’m in my early 50’s and I can tell you it’s easier to work hard in your 20’s than it will be in your 50’s or 60’s.

25. I don’t think you should blow off work, but if you put in a little effort, it’ll pay off. That said, you should definitely be enjoying your 20s. It’s a fun time with a little less responsibility. But it’s not like it’s the only time you’ll have fun. Just gotta remember that work isn’t really that important, but you shouldn’t just always phone it in.

26. I was a complete shit head in my 20s and have very few regrets. 32 now with a good career. Could I be making more of I got my shit together at 22 instead of 28? Maybe? But $75k in MCOL is pretty comfortable. 

27. Work hard at your job, but also work hard at building a life outside of work. The more of yourself your poor into a job/career, the more you tie yourself to the outcome of your career, when (not if) it goes poorly then your entire life is going poorly. The harder your work the more likely you are to burn out, if all you have is your career then your burn out will be really bad. Take it from someone who knows…

28. Everyone’s answers are going to be mostly projectection. Only you can answer this for yourself.

    There are pros and cons to either path, and it’s not an all-or-nothing proposition.

    On the one hand, we lay the foundation for our careers by working hard in our twenties. If you play your cards right, shit can *really* come online in your thirties and beyond. 

    On the other hand, we’re only young once, and there’s some things you just can’t really get away with doing later in life. Life’s not all about work, and some balance is required. But many people fuck up their lives by screwing around too much and not being focused in their twenties.

    From the sounds of it, you don’t seem like someone who would totally phone it in for the sake of some short term fun. It’s okay to relax a bit; nothing will melt down without you.

    But you’ve got to check in with your own personal values. People telling you to chill could be a warning sign that you’re overworking. Or it could be them projecting, feeling jealous of your success, or something else entirely. The warnings are good as a pompt to check in with yourself, but don’t take them at face value either.

    Prioritize based on what matters to *you*.

29. I would say its not worth it if you feel like you need to come on here and ask. And you probably already know it isn’t.

    Now, don’t just quit and and say “fuck it” to the whole job. but be more mindful about prioritizing your personal life (your future spouse, friends, family, etc). You do not want to get older and feel like you missed out on stuff because you were working.

    Remember what it will likely say on your headstone one day “Father, Husband, Friend” not “Hardworking employee”

30. No, absolutely not. Get out and have fun. Work as few hours as you can get away with while still paying your bills and having a little fun money.

31. I wish I would have worked more in my 20’s. I’d likely be in an even better position financially to do all the things I want to do now.

32. Yes it’s worth it. Especially if you are actually in a graduate program. If you were working 60 hours at an Amazon warehouse I’d say no but it sounds like you’re putting in your dues and you should benefit nicely from it.

33. It depends. Whenever anyone under 30 asks for advice from above 30 people. I always give the following advice at least when it comes to money.

    -avoid consumer debt like the plague. This means credit cards, buy now pay later, unsecured loans, new car loans etc

    -If you have debt. It is 1000% worth paying off while you are young and your expenses are low rather than trying to pay it off later when your expenses are high and you have a family.

    -figure out how much you currently spend a week on food, entertainment, items etc on average don’t go above that budget until you make dramatically more money. Save the rest. Avoid lifestyle creep at all costs. It is super easy to slip into as you make more money in your 20s.