I went to Stanford, did not have the time of my life, and spent much of my 20s feeling adrift and envious of my (seemingly) more professionally and socially successful peers.
Now that I’m in my 30s one of my main regrets is that I wasted so much time feeing sorry for myself and comparing myself to other people instead of just, like, _doing stuff_. You can start experiencing life right now. Go to some new places (even just in your local area), try out some random hobbies, read a book on a random subject you’ve assumed you have no interest in. Try to meet some people who don’t work in the tech industry. Have some compassion for yourself and recognize that almost everyone is struggling with something, and that it takes time to figure out what you value and enjoy and derive meaning from in life.
Now that I’m in my 30s one of my main regrets is that I wasted so much time feeing sorry for myself and comparing myself to other people instead of just, like, _doing stuff_. You can start experiencing life right now. Go to some new places (even just in your local area), try out some random hobbies, read a book on a random subject you’ve assumed you have no interest in. Try to meet some people who don’t work in the tech industry. Have some compassion for yourself and recognize that almost everyone is struggling with something, and that it takes time to figure out what you value and enjoy and derive meaning from in life.