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?

I was married (at 21) and gave birth to oldest Ds at 24. He is now 20.

If I had my time again I would have waited longer to have children. We have a nice life so far and been on some good travels and had some great experiences with our kids but I never had time to establish any kind of career as I was a SAHM. I feel it's too late now to think about myself as youngest Ds who is now a teenager is autistic still needs me around lots.

As someone who had children pretty young I feel like I have been parenting forever!

Had my one and only baby

Still living at home. Okish job - enjoyable but not great pay. Was with my now husband.

Less than 3 years later I was married, own house, with a much better job.

And quite a lot later, still have my much better job with a lot more money, much better house and husband and 2 kids.

Travelling aimlessly around the world and the UK. Had finished a degree I've never used. Sleeping on floors and in squats anywhere I could.
2 years later.met DH, settled down a coupke of years after that had a baby at 31. Went back to uni at 34 (with 3 kids by the end!) Now in 40s own a house, great job U love and happy. At 24 didn't have a clue what I wanted. Just tried to enjoy the freedom.

I was in my first year as a qualified teacher. I had just met now DH but we were pretty casual. A lot has happened since then!

Age 24:
Working.
Renting with friends.
Volunteering with a charity ambulance service and girlguiding.
Gaining experience in schools for my pgce, really wanted to change careers (I was set on one set career at 14 and all my work experience and jobs from age 16 till then were related to this career).
Started pgce.
Lived by the seaside so would wake up early everyday to see the sunrise and go for a walk. Often went to the seaside to see the sunset.
Explored the local area I lived in with friends.
Had fun with boyfriend.
Wasn't the healthiest but I was trying. Lots of Pop Pilates YouTube videos. Weight around 65kg.
Hair was dyed and had a half crown of highlights.
Used to wear nail polish often and make up daily.
Used to do my own eyebrows.
Trimmed my own hair.
No car but could drive and was insured on a parent's car.

Since 24 to now (age 26):
Moved back home.
Completed pgce.
Started my first year of teaching
Continued volunteering with the ambulance service but not girlguiding and definitely don't do as much volunteering as I'd like.
Meet friends less often in person, more often via video calling.
Have savings, ISA account and bigger deposit than at 24.
Buy fewer clothes (did no spend 2020 this year and going well).
Do not wear nail polish or dye my hair or have highlights because I don't have time to maintain this.
Wear make up to work and when meeting friends/ family.
Healthier than before. Keen runner (started couch to 5k at age 25 and wish I started sooner). Still do lots of Pop Pilates and moved onto using workout apps and other videos. Have a skipping rope and skip 10 minutes daily. Weight now: 55kg.
Hobbies: relearning french, knitting, exercise, watercolouring, reading.
Practice stoicism (philosophy) as best as I can.
Have my own car and before the lockdown made the most of it by visiting local national trust places.
Still trim my own hair but get my eyebrows threaded monthly (except of course since the lockdown).
Have the same boyfriend but now in a long distance relationship.

Overall I'm way happier now than I was at 24.

Changes I made at 24 or have always maintained:
Budgeting for the future
Saving as much as I can
Only eating out when meeting friends
Waking up early everyday apart from weekends and holidays where it's a bit more relaxed
Daily exercise, even if just stretching
Daily reading- fiction, non fiction
Listen to podcasts and listen/read the news
Focusing on quality time with friends and family
Good communication and being direct with others
Knowing roughly what I want and planning (create an outline for your 1 year, 3 year, 5 year plan; create monthly plans for the first year; create daily goals where you have 3 goals you need to do and 3 more additional extras if you finish the first 3)
Reflecting and reviewing your day before bed and writing it down, create next day's goals too
Touch things once- if you can do something instantly or on the same day, do it
Networking- created a professional twitter account and maintained it from the outset of my pgce, attended cpd sessions at school and cpd conferences- talk to others on twitter and in person at events
Try to talk to to everyone at work no matter who they are
Always be positive and friendly but take no harm from others either

Was in NYC in the middle of a 2 year secondment with the global company I worked for then, whose grad scheme I started on 3 years before. Was with my long term BF who I broke up with after we returned.

Though I didn’t think I was back then, was so carefree.

I was a mum to one and pregnant with number two.

Working full time and attending college two evenings per week.

I’m not 32, my kids are 10 & 8, I still work full time (although Furloughed at the moment) and I’ve been a single parent for 5 years.

RAF officer living in Germany and swanning about Europe (sometimes for work, sometimes pleasure) drinking beer and exploring.
That was 25 years ago though. I got married, had 3 kids and emigrated. Now work in arts administration and live half way up a mountain. People find it really weird that I used to be a Sqn Ldr with 300 people working for me. It doesn’t come up often (it is literally half a lifetime ago and isn’t terribly relevant) but they are always a bit bewildered if it does come up.

Let me think... I was in a bad relationship (I didn’t see that then) that ended after I found out he had cheated, I thought my world had ended, I was convinced I was going to marry him...
My life really started then. I changed jobs and country, I changed career, I was single for a good few years and traveled.
Ahhh yes :-)

I had recently started my first career-type job earning reasonable money. I was starting to feel some stress and anxiety around my job. It was the following year when I realised that it wasn't the right job for me: although I could do it really well for brief spells, I found it hard to keep that up and "performing" took a toll on me. Then I started to train for a career change.

When I was 26 I changed career straight into the job of my dreams. (Well, the pay was rubbish but I absolutely loved the job and the people and everything else about it.) The day I got that job offer was the happiest of my life, and my new career lived up to my expectations.

Working as a local newspaper journalist. It was the first time I was working with a group of people with whom I had a great deal in common, I had always been such an outsider before. Was renting a tiny house with a boyfriend who was lovely, but we really were not right for each other. I was desperate to start travelling and seeing the world. (I never did this and I would urge my 24-year-old self to save up and plan it properly.) I was terrible with money and would strongly advise my 24-yr-old self to be less fucking irresponsible and stupid with it.

I was working in a junior version of the job I've got now, living in tied accommodation (bedsit). I had no debt and no money to spare. I was a virgin. I was happy and focused and quite antisocial.

Had a good job
Got engaged
Still married now lol all these years later

Having the time of my life. Single, holidays, nights out and weekends away.
Ok.job. nothing amazing but my focus was my social life.
I would.love to go back to then. I knew it was good but didn't really appreciate all.i had.
47 now and life just gets more complicated and stressful with wvwey year that passes.
Enjoy your 20s and don't stress about the future would be my asvi w to my 24yo self now.

24:

Had a 2 year old, was being stalked by my ex (DD's dad) was being dragged through a court process for contact, had 2 injunctions on said ex, a panic alarm installed on our house. Was seeking help for depression and anxiety, Had threats to fire bomb my house, my mum was having major live saving surgery and I'd been involved in a major car accident resulting in damage to my back. Couldn't get into uni as I didn't have enough UCAS points.

6 years later; Have just been accepted into uni for September. Re-did my GCSE's that I needed, held down a job for the past 3 years that I loved and raised an amazing daughter!

24 is so young still ... there's plenty of time to change things :-) I'm 30 and attempting university! Nothing is ever too late

I was divorced and moved to a new town and got a new job.

When I Was 24 I was on a career break travelling round Australia and SE Asia

Had sold my first flat the year before to fund it and prebooked / authorised 6 months off work to do it

Great once in a lifetime opportunity

Was single and carefree

Came home at the end of my travels and slotted back into work and bought a new property ( back in the days of 100% mortgages so no need to save a deposit )

Great year

I had a big corporate job that had me acting as an expert (which I guess technically I was) even though I still felt like a kid. I felt ridiculous wearing suits.

I worked crazy hours, but got great experience and was eventually able to parlay that into a job with a better work-life balance.

When I was 24 I was in my first year of university studying my teaching degree with a 5 year old son.

In a relationship with someone I thought was "the one" which it turns out to be wrong about!

I'm only (almost 27) now, been with my current partner 2 years and almost finished my degree and have a great life which the future looking positive.

I was a police officer and was buying my first house. Since then I left the police move continent, started an entirely different career, bought another house left that, moved continent again, had kids, bought another house, did a degree, moved continent again, bought another house and am now retraining for another career. I'm 50. Life has had many twists and turns, great challenges, lots of frustrations and lots of fun.

Looking in litter bins and underneath cars for bombs. Then starting to thing about the future.

Working in a bookseller in London, had not long come out and the bookshop job was ‘temporary’. I’d already spent 3 years as a temp working here and there. The pay was crap but I loved it and the people, lead to a new home, new friends, a new girlfriend and was the beginning of a career in publishing
If you’d have told me that when I walked through the door for the first time I wouldn’t have believed you!
25 years later and I’m changing paths again, wondering if I’ e done the right thing and feeling a little lost - but I know it’ll all come good!

Moved in with my boyfriend - who I'm still with now - and started a new job - which I'm still at now (14 years later). It was a good year! But before that I'd been living with my parents after uni and temping.

If I could go back in time I'd tell myself to save more money as well as having fun and travelling a lot, learn to drive in an automatic rather than struggling with a manual, and try to buy a house earlier.

I was living in Notting Hill , going to great restaurants and clubs. It was the best time in my life. However, I was in debt I couldn't afford the lifestyle. I'm now working overseas.