What They Didn’t Tell You About Your 20s

What I wish I knew

Eve Arnold
Practice in Public

--

Photo by Eddy Billard on Unsplash

I thought my twenties would be the best time of my life.

Sold by this idea that I’d be free to do whatever I wanted with my time, free from the shackles of education, let loose to do as I pleased. I thought my twenties would be my decade.

Landing a graduate job, things seemed to be all sun and rainbows. I was set. But the years that proceeded leaving university and figuring out this big wide world were amongst the hardest I’ve experienced.

There’s a whole bunch of stuff that nobody tells you in your twenties and this is my gift to you, as somebody on the cusp of their 30s, what you need to know about your twenties.

With freedom comes decisions

Here I was, desperate to leave university.

So desperate in fact, I didn’t even go to my graduation. I left. Washed my hands. Moved on with my life. I was ready to leave education behind and get on with moving forwards.

Three months into my graduate job, the novelty had well and truly worn off and it just left me thinking, is this it? Is this freedom?

I had no idea. I hadn’t thought past getting a paycheque and doing what I wanted with my weekends now that I have money. But turns out…

--

--