From "I'm Done" to "I Got This": How I Found My Vibe in My 20s
When I failed to get into MBBS, I felt like my whole life was canceled. My identity was based on what my parents expected. If you’re an early career professional feeling lost, that confusion is your sign-off to start the real quest of finding yourself in your 20s.
These years are the time to shift and change direction if you are not feeling it. It’s when you make crucial early career decisions, level up your personal growth, and finally start learning how to build your network and shape your personal brand based on you. This is how I moved past the fear and started finding myself at the right time.
Pillar 1: Your Vibe Check & Building Independence
My first mistake was linking my self-worth to external pride. Losing the MBBS path forced me into deep personal growth and helped me realize my true Core Values culminated in creativity and communication. Your 20s are about building independence, you must define your own success. To break the pressure, I started small, explored different things, did free online courses and talked to my mentors. I used these as a safe zone learning to test skills, and that low-risk exploration was key to getting my confidence back.
Pillar 2: The Truth About the Shift
My biggest struggle was fear of regret. I always took so much time in making a decision, wishing someone would tell me what to do. Decision making and regretting is too much, but you have more courage than you think. The secret I learned? Most early career decisions are temporary research. When you hit a wall and need a career change, remember that you always can make decisions, and if that does not work for you, don’t lose courage. Every job is just data collection for your next, so observe it, document it and learn from it.
Pillar 3: Confidence Is Your Main Character Energy
When I switched careers, I felt like I committed a fraud. I had no personal brand and defaulted to positioning myself as a newbie. This was a huge mistake. I remember in one of my courses, the teacher asked for volunteers for a project lead, and I hesitated, thinking I wasn’t capable enough for a bigger role as I changed my field. I took a smaller part, but I outdid myself, I worked harder and contributed more than I realized I could. In the very next project, the teacher saw my capability and gave me the lead role directly and that’s when I realized Never position yourself as someone who doesn’t know anything; always ask questions, always participate, always be confident. This means owning your potential and transferable skills. I learned that building a personal brand is a process where you use platforms like LinkedIn to show that you are actively finding yourself in your 20s by sharing your learnings and reflections.
Pillar 4: Connection Over Collection
I used to think networking meant finding one person with the golden ticket. Everyone said connections get you the job, and I thought the same because most of my friends were getting referred. I barely had any connections, so I talked to the few I had, but I was not dependent on them. I got my internship based on merit.
Explore different things to know what you want. Don’t rely on connections only; they can’t give you everything. They are important for perspective, but not for dependence. But relying on people for answers is avoidance. Explore different things to know what you want; don’t rely on people. Effective networking is about gaining perspective and offering value first. When you build your network with curiosity, you unlock opportunities. Focus on your three circles: your peers (Inner Circle) for accountability, your mentors (Professional Circle) for strategy, and industry people (Community Circle) for broad perspective. Consciously focusing on building a network in this way means you always have people in your corner during a career change.
Summing Up: You Are the Main Character
The anxiety you feel is a sign you’re asking the right questions. Your 20s are about building independence through action. The people who succeed are the ones who make the difficult early career decisions and refuse to let the fear of regret slow them down. By defining your own path, embracing career change as a superpower, and working to grow your network with intention, you are taking control of your story. Don’t lose courage.
Author: Tuba Yousuf
Tuba is studying Digital Media Marketing at Ziauddin University. She is currently gaining hands-on experience at an agency, managing social media for different clients and brands. She enjoys finding new ways to help brands succeed online. Looking ahead, she plans to use these skills to launch her own business venture.