I feel like a good chunk of users here are adults in the sense that they do "adult things", like living on their own or paying taxes and having their own responsibilities.

Is there anything you wish someone told you before doing this? I want to move out badly, as soon as I can, but I feel like I wouldn't know even the first thing about doing "adult things" and getting a job. For adults who do all of this out there, is there anything you wish you knew beforehand? Or tips in general?

I wish someone had told me there doesn't need to be just "one thing" you have to do for the rest of your life. That people change jobs and even whole career paths way late in life sometimes. That it's never too late to start over with something entirely new.

I wish we were taught to be a lot more flexible - more than anything, learning flexibility and how to adapt would've helped me a lot more in life.

I second this... and the knowledge that there are all sorts of different jobs out there. It feels like we're only told and given direction about a dozen or so jobs (you know, the firefighter, nurse, doctor, dentist, etc.), yet there's so much variety!

Exactly!

That makes sense! From what I remember hearing from elementary to middle, they don't really give you many suggestions other than very basic jobs, and I'd never heard an adult talk about multiple paths or having multiple jobs over time.

right? They make it seem like you're supposed to find that one career path you're supposed to stick with your whole life, and that there's no other way, and it's just...not realistic.

Agreeing with the above in that you don't really have to have a set career that you do for the rest of your life. As long as you're decently happy doing your job and make enough to support yourself, it doesn't really matter if it isn't something you see yourself doing for 20+ years.

Cars are expensive, like holy hell. They're great as far as a freedom aspect goes but the maintenance, gas, insurance and registration every year can add up to a lot.

Try and put at least a little of your paycheck away in savings. You'd be surprised how quickly $50-100 here and there adds up.

Good credit will get you a lot of places, so keeping track of your credit card due dates and making sure you pay them off will be very helpful in the long run.

Hey yeah this is very helpful! I never thought about the cost of a car, and luckily I haven't had to yet. I'll keep this in mind when I get there, I'm definitely getting close to having to look. Thanks for the response!

1 That you're not an idiot if you don't know how to do something. 2 It's ok to ask for things/help (whether or not people help you on the other hand is a whole 'nother can of worms lol) 3 It's ok to say "I don't like (x)" or " I am uncomfortable" Like if your neighbor invites you over to drink really gross tea with your grandma and you're afraid of offending her because it's bad manners to say you don't like something. 4 Friends are important. Having 1 or 2 good friends beats having 100 bad friends

All I'm saying it, these might not seem like much but I would've been a better different person if i had someone tell me this shit instead of the opposite of all of them. I'm... old and I'm just now trying to re-teach myself this shit.

I definitely agree with you! It's pretty concerning how much we're taught to deal with things on our own or suck it up when we really don't want to do something, but that's just how people think you raise kids I guess. I know this is hard, I have trouble with this stuff myself but it helps to know that I try to guide myself in the way I'd want others to guide themselves, especially knowing that not wanting to do something and having trouble is no ones fault and isn't a moral wrong!

It's never too late to be happy and secure, I believe in you!! Thanks for responding to this!

ALL of this. Absolutely!!! ♥ I think we too often compare ourselves to previous generations and how much they were able to do by our age, but we forget all of the things we know how to do that they never learned. The comparisons are just...not necessary or helpful.

I wish someone would have told me not to worry so much about the future. It's okay to have some level of uncertainty. Children and teens are led to believe that adults just have it all figured out, when in reality, we get scared and worried, too.

I also wished someone would have told me that dating sucks and not to worry about it until I was older. I know that's something that I might not have learned without experience, but even still, I can't help but think this would have been good advice for me as a younger, lonelier, and more insecure person.

As someone who really struggles with their future and feeling uncertain about everything, this really resonates with me. After high school, I just floundered about and did various retail jobs. Only about seven years ago did I land a stable retail job but I still struggle with other career options and such. My area feels so limited and there's not a lot to pick from, not to mention college is very expensive.

No one hits adulthood and just magically knows how to deal with things. You have to try and stumble. Luckily we're now in a world where so much information is easily found; there are guides and advice columns for everything from how to buy a washing machine, to dealing with an attorney.

School will tell you that you need to have an idea for your entire life by 18, and the world will make it seem that if you've not reached it all by 25 then it's over. That's lunatic. Start new hobbies or goals in your 30s, 40s, 50s.

Don't compare yourself to social media, especially curated and controlled places like instagram and pinterest. None of that is actually young hot people genuinely living the life you can't ever have; it's sales. Enjoy the pretty pictures and move on.

Learn the importance of actual real small talk. The talk that lets you effectively introduce yourself and begin a rapport. The internet will have you believe only braindead people do 'small talk' versus clever people having constant intellectually stimulating conversation. Bullshit. When you get a new job, meet friends-of-friends, all of it; small talk is the ice-breaker. It should last five minutes and leads you into a real conversation.

To be fair, people have tried explaining to me. But I'm not sure all the terms in health insurance and stock investing will ever really make sense to me, :/

They don't make sense to most people, that's the secret.

Just because you have the freedom to do something, doesn't mean you should. My late teens self ate what I wanted, slept when I wanted, and felt like crap after.

Also it's cool to have "childish" hobbies. Once you let go of a lot of social norms, life becomes a whole lot less complicated.

If you're running low on funds, rice is great and inexpensive. Fast food costs way more in the long term than you think it does if you eat it too regularly. There are some natural multi-purpose cleaners (Mrs. Meyers brand for instance) that work just as well or even better than chemical filled ones. Collect your change - it's a good way to save up "rainy day" funds. You need to maintain your vehicle a lot more than you think you will if you want it to last. There is a thing as having too many animals or housemates in a limited area as well as too much space to clean. Try to maintain a happy balance between what you personally feel you can handle because it can very easily get too much.

When you're moving out into your own place for the first time, everything costs MONEY. This might sound stupid, but it all adds up. Paper towels, a broom, a dustpan, glass cleaner, oven cleaner, a shower curtain, shower curtain liner, pots, pans, spatula, plates, bowls, cups, silverware, a trash can. And you don't even have furniture yet! Couches are ridiculously expensive unless you roll the dice on a used one. That being said, save more money than you think you'll need! Make a list of all the starter things you'll have to buy, but there will probably be a few items that you didn't see coming! If you over save the worst that will happen is that you'll have extra money! When I moved out of my parents house I did the best I could to plan ahead but I still had to run out in the middle of the night to the dollar store and buy a swiffer haha

For job hunting, you might have to apply to dozens of jobs before you land one. I applied to about 70 and had about 5 interviews from those before I got my current job. I would suggest doing research on how to write a resume and cover letter. You can also have your application materials reviewed at your local library.

For general advice, living on your own can be lonely (even with a roommate sometimes), and it can be easy to want to use your newfound freedom for throwing all your responsibilities to yourself out the window. When I first moved out, I stayed up all night, slept all day, experimented a bit too much with substances, ate junk food or ate nothing, isolated myself a lot, binge watched so many shows, etc. etc.

I knew I should be taking good care of myself so I could live my best life, but it took several years to gradually commit more and more to that. The best advice someone gave me was that the cure for depression is to force yourself to do things until you're used to being more active and can start to enjoy your life more. It's not easy or fun to do at first! And even when you get to a better place, you have to still take care daily. But it's up to you to create and discover beauty in your own life.