to ask you what you were doing at 24?

[jewelledpineapples1]

I've just turned 24 and my future seems so uncertain. I thought by this age I would have more of a career plan.

If you don't mind sharing, what were you at 24 and how different is that to where you are now?

When I was 24 I worked for a building society, been turned down for a promotion and I was rubbish at selling PPI (those were the days.) Stuck in a rut with a fine art degree. Anyway, now I'm 36 and have 2 kids (7 and 5) and just got a job as a Data Analyst earning twice what I did at the building society. In between I've had a career break, done quite a few different jobs and got quite a few different qualifications (but all free through work or different schemes). Don't worry that you don't have a plan, what has helped me is being adaptable, go where you're interested or where you're wanted. I'd really recommend doing something 'future proof' there are loads of initiatives to get more women into tech from different backgrounds, and information security, it's well paid and exciting work so worth a look.

I had been married for 2 years, and I was looking after my first child who was born 4 months before I turned 24

I was also very sick and at the lowest point of my health

I owned a house (still do) and a business

Finished my teacher training and NQT year and decided to apply for job teaching at an international school in Hong Kong. At 24 I got on a one way flight to Hong Kong. I’d never been on a plane on my own and never been to Asia before this . Best decision I ever made - I had the most amazing couple of years and am now back in London and planning my wedding for the summer.

At 24 I was freelancing in the creative industries and trying to build a career doing a thing I loved.

I’m now in my early 50s working in a related business. I didn’t get my first ‘proper’ full-time job until my 40s and am now pretty well paid doing a fun job.

(At least, I was until this shit happened.)

Your working life lasts a long time. Don’t be worried at 24 that you don’t know what to do yet.

1.5 years into my first post uni job, earning v little money for London but just about getting by, living in a shared house with 3 of my best friends from uni. Socialising all the time. Loved my life, hated my job. A year later I packed it in and started an internship aged 25 in a completely different field, which ultimately led to a much better paid and happier job.

Very few people I know stayed in their first job for long. It doesn't have to be your forever career (in fact I think those are getting rarer now) and you're allowed to be unsure. My experience is it takes a few jobs to realise what you actually want from your job, if that makes sense.

Working in the City in London. Staying up all night in the weekends at the Box, Fabric, Turnmills etc Sleeping all day the next day. Loving it really.

It was a long time ago. I had been working since the age of 17. At 24 I had a well paid job and had bought a 1 bed flat and a car. I drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney, had loads of sex and was constantly broke.

Just given birth to my first son. I was working as a waitress (shot girl) having quit an accountancy graduate programme (regretted this when I found out I was pregnant).

Had a graduate job, just bought my first flat and was getting married

At 24, I had been married 2 years, had a 1 year old daughter & had just gone back to my job (after mat leave) in Corporate Accounts for a multinational technology company. Fast forward 14 years and I am now working as a Teaching Assistant in a village infant school... the money is much less than I was on but I adore my job & it fits perfectly around my children (or did until we had a surprise baby 10 years after second daughter was born) - even so it is much easier to juggle the children & work than it would have been in my previous career.

Just graduated and moved to London and got my first proper job!