two quora answers

Question: How should a 22 year old invest time?
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Robert Wagner
Network. Middle- and lower-class people do not understand most jobs are filled through contacts, not recruiters. If you are in tech, move to SV or SF, find ways to rub elbows with decision makers. Join boards of non-profits. Get invited to private clubs. Make yourself known by conducting information interviews of decision makers.

Become an expert by writing magazine articles and speaking at conventions. Don't worry about getting paid. You are doing it for image, not money. You will be amazed at the unsolicited job offers you will get.

Volunteer to help companies where you would like to work. Your goal is networking and recognition of your name. Make sure your work is excellent else this can backfire.

Work for well-known companies. It does not matter what you do. Name recognition reassures hiring managers. If you were hired by X, you must be a good risk.

Treat your personal brand as a product you are developing. Have a written plan with deadlines. Read books on how to develop it. Do something proactive every day, no matter how small.

You are competing with a million other 22-year-olds. If you do the same things they do, your results will be the same. Do not wait for life to happen to you; make things happen for you.
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Neal Wu
Make friends as opposed to networking. Your friends will go a lot further than the professional contacts you make, especially since only one of the two groups is invested in your personal happiness.

Become an expert by learning as much as you can and deeply seeking out the things you are curious about. Find the things you enjoy and practice the skills you want to develop. If you can achieve expertise then it will be easy to obtain an audience.

Volunteer to help out those less fortunate than you. In the process you will gain a ton of new perspective and will better understand other people's real problems. In a society that always looks upward, those can be easy to forget.

Become as independent as possible. Even if you work at a big company, constantly make small steps to reduce your dependence on your job. Write a book, build an app, or start a small business on the side. Release your inner entrepreneur.

Don't spend too much time worrying about your personal brand.Accomplish things, and the recognition will follow.

Stop treating life as a competition and do things for their own sake.Genuine interest should be what drives you to improve yourself, rather than simply a desire to beat others. Find a community of people who are interested in the things you are, and drive each other to be the best you can be.