Why Your 20s Are Extremely Difficult

Earners,

Your 20s are hard. They just are.

Up until age 22, life was a factory. Same inputs. Same milestones. Same speed. Graduate high school. Maybe college. Internships. Everyone around you is moving at the same pace on the same track. Then… the conveyor belt stops. And all hell breaks loose.

Your friend becomes an associate at a consulting firm. Another starts a DTC skincare brand and raises $1.2M. One buys a house and gets engaged. Another is traveling Vietnam for six months. And you’re feeling like you’re just not keeping up.

Here’s the emotion that follows: shame, panic, insecurity. You start benchmarking your self-worth against your group chat. But here’s the thing no one tells you: most people are faking it. The one making $200K? Burned out and taking beta blockers. The one in Bali? Couldn’t hold a job and turned it into “sabbatical content.” The engaged couple? Fighting over a $3,000 couch they can’t afford.

You have to separate pace from direction. Someone making $180K at 25 in tech isn’t “ahead” of the friend making $60K in government. They’re on different tracks. One is optimizing for upside. One is optimizing for stability. And neither is right—unless it aligns with your values.

So, what do you do? Let’s break this into five specific plays:

1. Pick a Direction and Pivot Fast If It Doesn’t Feel Right

Don’t chase pace. Chase conviction. You need to answer one question: “What problem am I obsessed with?” This takes sampling. Try roles. Join teams that intimidate you. Freelance for cheap. Cold email ten people in industries that interest you. Ask for 15-minute calls. Two will say yes. Once you find a path that gives you energy—even if it pays less—go all in. You will lap the fake high-performers by 30.

2. Learn Skills That Print Money

Forget passion for now. Focus on skills that compound. Learn Excel like a pro. Write clean, persuasive emails. Get fluent in Google Ads, SQL, Python, or whatever your industry’s “black magic” is. Get dangerously good at public speaking—even if you’re in ops.

Skills that 10x your value: writing/presenting, selling, translating technical to simple, and getting things done early. You don’t need an MBA to win. You need leverage. And leverage comes from skill.

3. Quit Bad Jobs Fast—and Loud

Staying in a draining job “to prove something” is loser math. The job doesn’t love you back. Ask yourself quarterly: “Am I learning, earning, or growing?” If it’s none of those, leave. Fast. Quiet quitting isn’t noble—it’s self-inflicted stagnation. The best careers are built by people who quit wrong fits fast, not those who tolerate mediocrity the longest.

4. Build an Internal Benchmark

External benchmarks are a drug. They give a quick high, then leave you empty. Build internal KPIs instead: Did I learn a new skill this quarter? Did I ask for feedback before waiting for it? Did I ship something I’m proud of this month? Did I help someone without expecting credit?

Your friend just bought a condo? Cool. You just got your manager to trust you with a $200K budget? Cooler.

5. Invest Whatever the Hell You Can Into The Markets

Compound interest is the most boring superpower you’ll ever access. If you put $500/month into something like an S&P 500 ETF starting at 25, you’ll likely have millions to retire with in your 60s—even if your salary stalls. And once your financial floor is built, you can make braver career bets. Most people stay stuck in mediocre jobs because their money’s a mess.

Closing Thought

Your 20s are a decade of experiments—meant to be messy, loud, and full of hard pivots. You will feel behind. That’s the point. The worst thing you can do is look around and try to sprint in a direction that isn’t yours. Take your time. Build leverage. Develop rare skills. And when you find your thing—go violent. Once you find a direction you can jive with, you’ll find your pace becomes ridiculously fast.

Earn More,

Nate