“Take your breaks, work your eight hours and not a minute more.”

When Brave_Budget_4801 asked r/AskMen what advice they’d give Gen Z, commenters didn’t hold back – sharing the lessons they learned the hard way and the reminders they wish they’d heard earlier... 

"Take your breaks, work your eight hours and not a minute more. Take your PTO."

"There are many ways to have some cautious optimism about yourself (don’t get bogged down too much thinking about the world; you can’t control it much)."

"It’s very obvious when it’s faked too hard, but if you’re calm and unafraid to ask for what you want or speak your mind with conviction, people tend to follow your lead. Half of that is having conviction that your thoughts and actions are good and just, which involves honest self-reflection." 

"Don't let social media convince you that every decision is permanent. Most careers and life plans take a few wrong turns before they work out."

"It might be that you need some skills with it for your education or whatnot, but do not blindly trust what it tells you."

"(Boomers should also be told this more)."

"Just start the journey now and accept that it's going to play a huge part in your life. It's easy enough to build, and I started way late in life, in my 30s."

"The world at large is typically, eventually unkind to people who think the world revolves around them and those who can't get over mental humps and actually be independent adults. And get the fuck off (most) social media."

"It will solve so many of your problems, you have no idea."

"Most will waste four years partying and doing dogshit. Meanwhile, you will have had a couple of years of work experience on your resume. Even better, you might graduate with a job already secured. I followed this path and have never regretted it. I have younger cousins who have just graduated and cannot find jobs. It is very easy to blame the current economic situation, but for years I told them to get internships or jobs during and/or between semesters."

"You don’t want to burn out your interests. Yes, you can make good money, but you need something to decompress."

"Yes, you have a support group, but politicians, influencers, businesses, etc don’t give two shits about you and either just want your vote or your money."

"Don't measure your life on what you haven't accomplished. It's never too late to make a change for the better."

H/T to Brave_Budget_4801 and the r/AskMen community for starting the conversation!

Additional photo credit: FilippoBacci/iStock