If you had your time again, what would you have done after leaving school and up to your 30s or 40s?

[WiltingFlowerz]

Me, in my dream life, would have had great health and would have managed far better throughout education - so I'd have gone straight through university full time instead of part time successfully instead of constantly being sick. Then I'd have moved to London (I did do this) and been amazing in a brilliant job in advertising (didn't do this) and made good money during my twenties, would have had an exciting time and taken my mum away on lots of holidays. Mum died a couple of months ago so not being in a place to treat her means I can't ever do that which makes me sad. We did manage one brilliant trip to Paris.

Anyway, knowing now what you didn't know at 18, if you could go back in time what would you do? What decisions would you make that would streamline your process to get you where you are today? Or would you do something completely different? Careers, babies, travel, relationships?

Or would you change absolutely nothing?

I really need distraction from my grief so please tell me all about the amazing exciting times you have either had, or would have if you could have one more try.

Done a master's instead of a pgce after finishing my degree. Not gone into teaching. Applied for and hopefully got onto a grad scheme for a big corporate and earn lots of money.

Instead of going to uni, getting married, having kids and building a career, I would have pissed off travelling and picked up just enough work to pay for it

•Not gone to uni.
•Travelled.
•Dyed my hair and experimented with fashion.
•Had cbt for anxiety

If we are talking dreams I wouldn't be restricted by the mundanity of work! I had a pretty enjoyable time travelling in my 20s but I'd have definitely done more if finances allowed. I'd probably have never stopped if I knew what I now do about life.

Travelling is a popular one, so many of us wish we'd had more of it.

I would have taken a few years out and got a job before deciding whether or not to go to uni.

I'd probably have never stopped if I knew what I now do about life.

Please tell us what you know, I know fuck all about life in general so could always use more valuable tips!

Done a master's instead of a pgce after finishing my degree

Would you ever feel like doing the master's now? Expensive though I know.

Yeah but when you are 40 and cant put the heating on because your are skint, the memories of the times you went travelling dont keep you warm.

I’d have stayed closer to home for uni and I’d have travelled a bit more I think. Definitely done a vocational course at uni rather than the slightly interesting but slightly useless subject I did - though in fairness if I’d had a clue what I wanted to do I’d have done it!
Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

I would not have gone to university at 18, waited a year and earnt a bit of money in between.

oh man- 20/20 hindsight. And as always some good things came out of questionable decisions. So nothing major but

• Bought any flat in London I could afford in 1997, fresh out of Uni, no matter how much of a shit hole in the badlands.
• Contrary to general consensus, would not have taken a year out to travel when I was 25. I think I only did it because I felt I'd missed out or should do it. In reality I got kind of bored and restless (and skint). I only really liked the bit where I was working or had some sort of task, like completing a trek or something. But, then if I hadn't done that I wouldn't have scored a quite lucrative redundancy so maybe it sort of worked out.
• Not tried to then wedge travelling souvenir hippy bf into my London life like some sort of exotic pet. Painful for everyone concerned.

I would have listened to the careers advisor when I got my rubbish A-levels and gone to veterinary nursing college rather than uni. I don't regret my time at Uni or my current career path, but I can't help feeling that I would have felt far more fulfilled in the nursing role.

I got an art degree and it wasn't worth it. Every single person I've bumped into since graduating doesn't have an art based career. All you need nowadays is a strong online presence to sell your work, student debt not necessary.

For starters I'd have left school and not gone back for A levels

Another thing:
•start a family younger

I would have done a counselling course straight out of college instead of going to uni. I would have saved to buy a house instead of moving in with my bf and renting and spinning thousands and thousands on rent in the last 12 years with eff all to show for it. Would not have got pregnant at 21. Would have travelled the world before settling down in late 20s/early 30s, marry DP and have the DC.

Ah hindsight!

I wish I had known about Occupational Therapy, had studied that and gone on to work in that field

I literally pitched up at the job centre aged 18 and applied for pretty much the only job that was on the notice board that i was suitable for. Its been fine.

I would of saved money so I could retire money instead of spending it on crap

Not tried to then wedge travelling souvenir hippy bf into my London life like some sort of exotic pet. Painful for everyone concerned.

Ha! Oh dear 😁

My ‘2nd Mum’ passed away a few days before UCAS forms had to be submitted.

I had settled on a pathway that wasn’t 100% what I wanted to do.

Her passing gave me the clarity to go and knock on the careers office and say I want to change to train to be a primary school teacher and how do I do that. I was dismissed out of hand by the Careers Officer as the grief talking.

I wish at least once a month that I’d pushed harder or changed course - I never did and got stuck.

It’s been enjoyable and I’ve had many great experiences which have justified sticking to this path but I’m not a natural fit for the big corporate job I have and suffer ALOT from imposter syndrome!

I’m sorry about your DM OP 💐

Interesting responses! I didn’t go travelling although remember at the time feeing like it was something I “should” do. I definitely don’t wish I had, I’m glad I didn’t bother with it.

I’m not sure uni was right for me but I feel like there weren’t as many options without a degree ~20 years ago. So perhaps it was the right choice for me back then, but wouldn’t be if I were 18 today.

I started a family at 29 and that felt about right, perhaps I could even have done it earlier.

I do regret moving to such an expensive area to be honest. It’s lovely but all our money is tied up in our house and I feel pressure to keep working nearly full-time (as does DH). I wish I’d thought about that so that we could now have an easier pace of life. I wouldn’t want to move away now as kids are settled in schools etc.

i'd have chosen a career in a caring profession, rather than stumbling blindly into accounting/finance because it seemed like an easy option.

i've not done badly, but have never been motivated to excel, because the subject matter just isn't important to me.

people are.

not sure something like that would even have been on my radar as a 16 year old boy.

I wish I had moved abroad when I had the chance.

I utterly adore my children, they're the light of my life.

But I'm not 100% sure I wouldn't choose differently if I had the chance to redo things. Only because I was so young (18) when I had my eldest. I knew exactly what I was doing, of course, don't all 17 year olds?

I was a fucking idiot. I now have a lovely, financially stable and fortunate life. But that is very much through luck rather than judgement.

Instead, I would work hard at my A-Levels, not drop out. I would go to uni and study something I found interesting and work hard as well as having fun. I would do the stereotypical gap yah, travel, get a boring office job. Buy a house. Not get into an abusive relationship and trash my credit score because of him before I was even a proper adult. I'd stay far, far away from that man.

Yeah, that.

In theory anyway. In reality, I love my kids so much, I'd probably make as many of the same mistakes as possible to ensure I still got to have them... without fucking up entirely!