The other day, when I called my alma mater’s bookstore (Go SFSU Gators!) about the availability of some tchotchkes I was looking to purchase for a client, I was told that I could come pick them on Sunday, the school’s “Move-In Day.” I remembered what “Move-In Day” was like and politely declined, but I always reminisce about this time of year because I celebrate my “Move-In Day” to San Francisco on August 20.
This year, I am celebrating my 19th anniversary of moving to San Francisco to finish my college degree. I never imagined that I would have stayed in this magical city as I long as I have, but San Francisco has always been my idea of the “big city.” To have moved here and to have developed a life in this city has been a bittersweet dream.
I always tell people that San Francisco puts its people to work. If you want to have a life here, the city will make you work for it. I’ve never worked harder anywhere in my life, but I don’t regret any of it. San Francisco has been good to me. I’ve enjoyed the life I created here. Nevertheless, there are a few things I would have loved to advise my bright-eyed 21-year-old self, things that longevity has taught me now.
- Learn how to manage your money and manage it wisely.
- Spend time with your friends, because you won’t get that time back.
- Take classes that excite you, not just classes for your major.
- Travel during your downtime. Take the ferry to Sausalito or a plane to another city.
- Work enough, but don’t let work work you. You will have plenty of time to work after you graduate from college.
- Drink more water. Dehydration affects how you look and feel.
- Keep in touch with your parents and your siblings; they just want to know you’re okay.
- Read the “fine print” and ask questions. There are no stupid questions, just ones that go unasked.
- Know where to find help (physical, mental, financial, etc.) and seek it if you need to.
- Be kind to yourself. You are your biggest critic and worst critic.
My parents always worried that I worked too hard. I rarely saw my relatives and cousins, as I was always working on the weekends. I was always zipping somewhere, even when I had a cold. They were right (Papa and Mama, you were right!), yet I wasn’t going to let a cold or work dissuade me from making my dreams come true. Come a head cold or an earthquake, I was going to make life in San Francisco work! And now, as I reflect on those ten things I would have loved to tell myself, I realize it would have been nice to slow down a little bit and enjoy the college ride. Like most things, being 21 and in college was fleeting. Those were good times.
What advice would you give to your 21-year-old self?
