6 ms·

I recently turned 33. What's your best advice for a 33 yr old?

18 points by arey_abhishek 6y ago

I loved responses to a twitter thread where a 22 yr old asked for advice and thought I'm better off asking for advice on HN.

jgrahamc 6y ago
Get fit or if you are... stay fit. You're not 22 any more.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  Before physical activity, stretch out. After an injury, recover before you try to go full out. You're not 22 any more.
- twoquestions 6y ago
  Can personally confirm. I had to stop lifting when I got a mild COVID case, and a couple weeks in I kept getting the random aches and pains everyone always complains about. At least for me, lifting weights makes them go away (at the cost of some DOMS for a few days, but once you're over that hump you're home free).
- alltakendamned 6y ago
  Hold on. That’s the 40-year old advice ! :)
  - tubularhells 6y ago
    34 reporting in, it's a 30s advice if you are a computer jockey sitting all day every day.
  - AnimalMuppet 6y ago
    20 to 40 is about "how much can you get" (in terms of physical conditioning), 40 to 60 is about "how long can you keep it", and past 60 is about "how slowly can you lose it". Waiting until 40 to get in shape may be kind of late...
  - joshxyz 6y ago
    Im in mid 20s it also applies to us >.<
xupybd 6y ago
If you're parents are still around don't take them for granted. You are in a busy stage of life but your parents are nearing the age that health can fail.
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
You're 33. That means, unless you strike it rich, you've got 35 more years to work, plus or minus a few. Plan on migrating from what you do now up the food chain to harder things - things that pay better, and where you're harder to replace. In the end, people matter more than technology. Get better at relating to people, communicating with them, being human with them. You need human connections. As the world becomes more and more impersonal in interactions, find ways to connect with people. If you're not married, people your age often start feeling like they need to. Choose very carefully. The consequences of a bad choice are horrible; the consequences of a good one are spectacular. If you have kids, or are about to, they're going to take a lot of your time, energy, and mental bandwidth. Don't give it grudgingly. Love them, don't just tolerate them. Be the parent you wish your parents had been.
- arey_abhishek 6y ago
  This is great advice. My 30's have been a lot lonelier than my 20's were. Friends moved away or got too busy. It is difficult to make friends with 30+ folks, we are all so busy!
  - stephen82 6y ago
    > My 30's have been a lot lonelier than my 20's were. Friends moved away or got too busy. It is difficult to make friends with 30+ folks, we are all so busy! I know exactly the feeling. Of course, I don't feel lonely as I am a loner character, but I wish I was 18 again, only for the ease of meeting new people. Most friends from my past are either married with kids or in relationships. I'm not into such thing and hopefully never will, but there are times where you just need one person to have a conversation. It sucks to get older without realizing how fast time passes by.
  - giantg2 6y ago
    Yep. I think I only have 3 friends that see more than once a year.
- ano88888 6y ago
  this is great advice
cheese_van 6y ago
See a dentist regularly. Even if you're fit and wealthy, bad teeth will make you miserable.
logicslave 6y ago
Put all of your money into the stock market and never sell
brauhaus 6y ago
Brace yourself for 34
mig4ng 6y ago
Avoid getting crucified
- tubularhells 6y ago
  This one is getting harder and harder every year. You cannot let go of a fart without offending twelve self-declared minority groups.
  - babygoat 6y ago
    Or you could just keep your racist/sexist/homophobic thoughts to yourself and not worry about it. It’s not that hard.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  LOL. For those not in the know: People think that Jesus was 33 years old (or about that) when he was crucified.
p0d 6y ago
Get married. 30s is about bettering yourself. 40s being cynical. 50s, realising life is about more than money.
therm0 6y ago
save more money, work on your skill set, and mind your health a little better than you did in your 20s. other than that, just do the things you want to do. yeah maybe some doors have closed on your athletic abilities but besides that there's no sense in doing Y thing you're not interested in just because you're X years old and other X year olds are doing Y thing.
mattalbie 6y ago
33 is a great age to have a kid (if you want them, and if you're in a position to do so). I had to wait (long story) until 37 and there's part of me that regrets it a little bit. There's a real benefit that comes from upending your whole life (there are, of course, other ways to do this) and having your priorities radically realigned (obviously, though, not for everyone). If you have money to put away, get a financial planner and start saving money. The end of your career is coming up sooner than you think. Take care of your body. In my late 30s I started to notice little things with my joints, muscles, etc. that made me think "oh, I guess I'm getting old now". More generally, if you're not on the path you want to be on, change it. Over the last few years I'd had a strange feeling come over me: "Whatever person I want to become, if I don't become them in the next few years then I never will." Which, if the thought hadn't arrived uninvited into my mind I don't know I would have ever agreed with. The simpler version is "When are you going to become the person you want to be?" (or, "get right with yourself"). I hope the answer isn't "in my 50s or 60s". Read more books, spend less time on computers/internet/TV.

18 points by arey_abhishek 6y ago

I loved responses to a twitter thread where a 22 yr old asked for advice and thought I'm better off asking for advice on HN.

jgrahamc 6y ago

Get fit or if you are... stay fit. You're not 22 any more.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago
Before physical activity, stretch out. After an injury, recover before you try to go full out. You're not 22 any more.
twoquestions 6y ago
Can personally confirm. I had to stop lifting when I got a mild COVID case, and a couple weeks in I kept getting the random aches and pains everyone always complains about. At least for me, lifting weights makes them go away (at the cost of some DOMS for a few days, but once you're over that hump you're home free).
alltakendamned 6y ago
Hold on. That’s the 40-year old advice ! :)
- tubularhells 6y ago
  34 reporting in, it's a 30s advice if you are a computer jockey sitting all day every day.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  20 to 40 is about "how much can you get" (in terms of physical conditioning), 40 to 60 is about "how long can you keep it", and past 60 is about "how slowly can you lose it". Waiting until 40 to get in shape may be kind of late...
- joshxyz 6y ago
  Im in mid 20s it also applies to us >.<

xupybd 6y ago

If you're parents are still around don't take them for granted. You are in a busy stage of life but your parents are nearing the age that health can fail.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago

You're 33. That means, unless you strike it rich, you've got 35 more years to work, plus or minus a few. Plan on migrating from what you do now up the food chain to harder things - things that pay better, and where you're harder to replace. In the end, people matter more than technology. Get better at relating to people, communicating with them, being human with them. You need human connections. As the world becomes more and more impersonal in interactions, find ways to connect with people. If you're not married, people your age often start feeling like they need to. Choose very carefully. The consequences of a bad choice are horrible; the consequences of a good one are spectacular. If you have kids, or are about to, they're going to take a lot of your time, energy, and mental bandwidth. Don't give it grudgingly. Love them, don't just tolerate them. Be the parent you wish your parents had been.

arey_abhishek 6y ago
This is great advice. My 30's have been a lot lonelier than my 20's were. Friends moved away or got too busy. It is difficult to make friends with 30+ folks, we are all so busy!
- stephen82 6y ago
  > My 30's have been a lot lonelier than my 20's were. Friends moved away or got too busy. It is difficult to make friends with 30+ folks, we are all so busy! I know exactly the feeling. Of course, I don't feel lonely as I am a loner character, but I wish I was 18 again, only for the ease of meeting new people. Most friends from my past are either married with kids or in relationships. I'm not into such thing and hopefully never will, but there are times where you just need one person to have a conversation. It sucks to get older without realizing how fast time passes by.
- giantg2 6y ago
  Yep. I think I only have 3 friends that see more than once a year.
ano88888 6y ago
this is great advice

cheese_van 6y ago

See a dentist regularly. Even if you're fit and wealthy, bad teeth will make you miserable.

logicslave 6y ago

Put all of your money into the stock market and never sell

brauhaus 6y ago

Brace yourself for 34

mig4ng 6y ago

Avoid getting crucified

tubularhells 6y ago
This one is getting harder and harder every year. You cannot let go of a fart without offending twelve self-declared minority groups.
- babygoat 6y ago
  Or you could just keep your racist/sexist/homophobic thoughts to yourself and not worry about it. It’s not that hard.
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
LOL. For those not in the know: People think that Jesus was 33 years old (or about that) when he was crucified.

p0d 6y ago

Get married. 30s is about bettering yourself. 40s being cynical. 50s, realising life is about more than money.

therm0 6y ago

save more money, work on your skill set, and mind your health a little better than you did in your 20s. other than that, just do the things you want to do. yeah maybe some doors have closed on your athletic abilities but besides that there's no sense in doing Y thing you're not interested in just because you're X years old and other X year olds are doing Y thing.

mattalbie 6y ago

33 is a great age to have a kid (if you want them, and if you're in a position to do so). I had to wait (long story) until 37 and there's part of me that regrets it a little bit. There's a real benefit that comes from upending your whole life (there are, of course, other ways to do this) and having your priorities radically realigned (obviously, though, not for everyone). If you have money to put away, get a financial planner and start saving money. The end of your career is coming up sooner than you think. Take care of your body. In my late 30s I started to notice little things with my joints, muscles, etc. that made me think "oh, I guess I'm getting old now". More generally, if you're not on the path you want to be on, change it. Over the last few years I'd had a strange feeling come over me: "Whatever person I want to become, if I don't become them in the next few years then I never will." Which, if the thought hadn't arrived uninvited into my mind I don't know I would have ever agreed with. The simpler version is "When are you going to become the person you want to be?" (or, "get right with yourself"). I hope the answer isn't "in my 50s or 60s". Read more books, spend less time on computers/internet/TV.