Skip to content

Advice to a 22-year-old

2026-06-17 · Short · Ali · recording, 2:04 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Work and career · mode: Answering questions

Asked what advice he would give a parent's 22-year-old son, Ali says to spend 22 to 25 trying loads of things, create more than you consume, then narrow down to what you enjoy and get really good at it, finding what feels like play to you but looks like work to others.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Advice to a 22-year-old: try loads of things, create more than you consume, then get good at what you enjoy

  • ★ Ali says he does not give advice to people who are not asking for it or not interested in it. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ Since at 22 you have tried a fairly narrow range of things, Ali advises spending 22 to 25 trying loads of things: internships, working for a small business, random hobbies, side hustles and side projects, and learning to make money independently on the internet. — 00:00:13
  • ★★ Ali tells a 22-year-old to make sure he creates more than he consumes; creating need not mean making content, it can be any form of making stuff and putting it out into the world. — 00:00:37
  • ★★ Paul Graham (quoted): One of the guiding principles in Paul Graham's essay on finding work you love is to always be producing. — 00:00:44
  • ★★ Ali says people who stumble into interesting careers and work they love tend to produce a lot, while most 22-year-olds he knows consume, perhaps 10 hours a day on screens, so they should shift from consumer to creator. — 00:00:51
  • ★★★ On following your passion, Ali's sequence is: first find what you are interested in, then what you are good at, then work to get really good at it, since even work you are passionate about starts to feel like work and improving at the skill keeps you going. — 00:01:24
  • ★★ Ali encourages a 22-year-old to experiment with lots of things and find what, as Naval Ravikant says, feels like play to you but looks like work to others; with the right skills you can land a good career in that field. — 00:01:47 · Naval Ravikant

Threads in this video

  • refine · How do you find your purpose or what to do with your life? — Since at 22 you have tried a fairly narrow range of things, Ali advises spending 22 to 25 trying loads of things: internships, working for a small business, random hobbies, side hustles and side projects, and learning to make money independently on the internet. (00:00:13)
  • restate · Should you spend more time creating than consuming? — One of the guiding principles in Paul Graham's essay on finding work you love is to always be producing. (00:00:44)
  • refine · Should you follow your passion when choosing work? — On following your passion, Ali's sequence is: first find what you are interested in, then what you are good at, then work to get really good at it, since even work you are passionate about starts to feel like work and improving at the skill keeps you going. (00:01:24)
  • restate · Should you spend more time creating than consuming? — Ali tells a 22-year-old to make sure he creates more than he consumes; creating need not mean making content, it can be any form of making stuff and putting it out into the world. (00:00:37)
  • refine · How do you choose a career? — Ali encourages a 22-year-old to experiment with lots of things and find what, as Naval Ravikant says, feels like play to you but looks like work to others; with the right skills you can land a good career in that field. (00:01:47)

Mentioned

Always Produce · creation-to-consumption ratio · Naval Ravikant · Paul Graham

← Previous: Public Speaking Practice: The Birthday Wish · Next → 3 Skills I'd Learn In the Age of AI