What I learned from my 20s so far

I started my twenties with so much confusion!

When I was graduating, I was confused, whether to start my career with my dream of starting up my own company or to go work with a company & earn a living!

Basically, I come from an ordinary South Indian middle-class family, but my parents are very supportive, they never forced me to get a job. They always wanted me to pursue what I want.

But I was full of self-doubts (I still am :-D)

I wasn’t confident enough about my skills to run a company (Even though I had a great support system & co-founders with me). I just had a vague idea of doing something that helps people and makes some impact on society, but I was not sure how we would do that, especially without any experience or money.

So we decided to first get a job, learn how the tech industry runs and then come back & join together to do our venture.

When I was job hunting, I already decided that I would only work with a small company (which I believe was one of the best decision I made), which eventually helped me a lot during starting up. I happened to be mentored by one of the best CEOs I know (Sandeep sir, you have a significant role in shaping me up). When I look back, working for a couple of years really helped!

Then we joined together to start our company Stunntech Innovations — to build world-class products for solving pressing problems in society using technology & to make an impact.

Enough with the story? Here is what I learned, the hard way!

About College & Graduation

You will graduate from college, start working and suddenly realize you didn’t learn anything from the college. It’s not true. I believe it’s the basics you learn, situations & challenges you face, relationships you build and friends you hang out with that makes you the person you are today, and your college has a huge role in that.

I decided to take a calligraphy class, if I had never dropped in on that single course in college, personal computers might not have the wonderful typography they do today. Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later — Steve Jobs.

Career

Some people are lucky to have their journey figured out already at the very beginning of their career. They know what they want to do for how many years and what they will achieve. It’s easy for them (even though it may not work out the same way). They are less likely to find troubles making decisions about career.

For others (like me), it's okay not to have everything figured out, jump with what your mind says and you will have everything in place on time. Prioritize learning and growth over show-off. Whatever you are doing, go 100% when you work on it.

If you think you have more than one interests, take a job in one of them, and do the other as a side hustle. It sucks, but you will soon figure out which one is your cup of tea.

Take online courses, read a lot, and make learning a priority. That’s important in every domain.

Start networking and making connections with a lot of people around. It will really help you out in the long run.

Relationships & Family

Relationships are, little complicated. If you don’t fall into a good relationship, it really stinks. Make sure you both know each other well and are happy & comfortable together, before taking it to the next level.

And you will slowly realize that it's okay to share important things in your life with parents & siblings. That will de-stress you in many situations.

At your early twenties, you will have a large group of friends, but your giant group of friends will eventually become a small circle of really good friends (And that’s perfectly okay!). You will soon find good people out there who want nothing but to see you happy and successful. Don’t be afraid of them— there are a lot of nice people that will be willing to help you grow up without expecting anything.

Hardships

Some huge losses/problems turn our life upside down, but soon we adjust to a new normal. Don't worry, you will get over it!

Make sure you have a support system whom you can share your thoughts with and are there to make sure, you are okay. And be there for them as well.

Money

Unless you already have any financial goal, invest all your money on your growth & the things you love (at least for the first couple of years). That will give you great satisfaction and build your confidence.

I think, buying some good books, buying a MacBook, some online subscriptions, spending on travel & food were some of my best investments in the past few years.

But after 25, you get more pressure to take care of yourself & start pursuing bigger goals. So start saving money from 25.

Entrepreneurship & Business

We live in a digital era where Entrepreneurship is so much glamoured & the government supports everyone to just startup. But you have to run everything by yourself, and there will be moments when you have to deal with a lot of stress and uncertainty. Do it only if you are that passionate and interested. But if you are really interested, there will be people to really help you as well.

And running a business has high of highs and low of lows (I know it’s a cliche). It gives huge satisfaction as well as it is insanely stressful at times. There will be days when you get to the bed in the midnight and worry whether your customers are happy, your team is happy, whether you are happy with what you do, whether you are contributing to the society, whether you are achieving your goals and a million other things. You gotta deal with it.

Life

In the twenties, our energy levels are so high that we rush things to reach a better position faster. Stop rushing life!

On my first review as a software developer, my manager said I am doing fine. I didn’t want to be fine, I wanted to be great at what I do. But slowly I realized you can’t be great at something in 2 weeks, it takes effort, knowledge and experience to be great at what you are doing.

And sometimes, you feel like, even though how hard you are trying, no one is recognizing it, and you are not getting enough results. You think like you are failing often and life is not fair enough. That’s true, my dear. That happens.

Always have goals. It might be small and it may change after a couple of months, but have some goals and note it down. It will really drive you in the long run.

And don’t forget to enjoy life often while trying to figure it out. After all, its life! It’s okay to go unplanned trip with your besties, start a new hobby during weekends, go for a solo drive, sleep one whole weekend, go for that party & be totally drunk and walk through the roadside (and going to the office, the next day with a hangover :-D). It's totally fine!

That's it. Thanks for reading my thoughts. Best wishes, buddy!

PS. The thoughts I mentioned are purely from my own experiences & knowledge. It may not be true for everyone :)