[bad_user]

I'm 30 and I already have 10 years of experience. The job I got at 20 was a shitty job. The next job after that was also shitty. I went through soul-sucking activities at my day job and it almost made me switch careers. Unfortunately I needed the salary. And fortunately I evolved.

If I would be 20 again and I wouldn't need a salary, then I would probably find a bunch of acquaintances to start a project of our own. Something not necessarily with a prospect of a future. Something fun, with no clients, no deadlines and no managers.

Internships are also great, as interns are usually left to work on fun things. But it really depends on the company you're internshiping with. The big ones are kind of cool for interns and I would prefer them (e.g. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, Amazon), even though I wouldn't want to work there full time. I would also never work for free. Ask for a salary, even when doing an internship. If a company wants for-free interns, that's not the kind of company you want to work with.