Reading 20 Things I Wish I Had Known When Starting Out in Life by Leo Babauta inspired me to write this post. However, rather than referring to all the aspects of my life, I narrowed it down to my career.

I made my share of mistakes and I learned some lessons the hard way. There are some things that I wish I had known since my first year in University. Why then? Because I would have had time to get better prepared for the “real world”, prepared to become a “grownup”.

In my opinion the contact with the real world comes for many of us only after graduating University. This is the moment when we are expected to be on our own, when we learn that the years of study grant you neither a good salary nor a job.

There are many things I wish I had known back then, but I listed below the things which may also apply to others who found themselves passing trough that stage. Would I have listened or followed this advice then, I don’t know.

Find here the main things I would tell myself if I could send a note to the 18 year old me.