Advice to my younger self

The question of what advice would you give to your younger self or the next generation.

Live like a college kid for as long as possible which means don’t give into lifestyle creep or not as fast as one would do right after graduating. So get roommates and save! At some point that lifestyle will increase and that is okay.

While applying for jobs, figure out what’s a good fit for you. It isn’t entirely about money. But like certain industries are going to dictate where you’ll live. I was in manufacturing for very large components, so it isn’t going to be in a major city. If you’ve had previous working experience, did you like the culture of the company? Did you feel like it was a fit? What might you want to change? While at an internship, do some informational interviews with people in positions you might be interested in.

While it’s obvious that you learn a lot from a job you like, I think you learn even more about yourself when in a position you don’t like. Not saying go towards those jobs, but both situations will provide guidance for your future. I did a rotational program after college and that was a great fit for me because I got to experience several different positions, locations and managers and figure out more about my personal preferences and when I looked for a job afterwards, my top 3 items were location physically (based on weather), location based on proximity to airport (since I wasn’t close to family and love to travel), and having a good boss.

What I love about humans is that we’ll all different. We all have different priorities in life so what’s a good fit for one person isn’t necessarily a good fit for another, so it takes self-reflection to determine what it is right for you.