What advice would you give to your younger self?

there are two ways to go about it: 1. Resent and fight for it, because YOLO 2. No point in resenting and fighting, because YOLO it's about which fight is worth fighting, it's important to choose your battles. just ensure you are not doing it without a cause. Also, not all battles are fought for victory, sometimes it's about telling the world someone was there on the battlefield. Now moving from that philosophical gyaan: 1. Know the difference between a friend and a colleague. 2. Talk to your friends before making any big corporate decisions. 3. Never hesitate to resign if you are not enjoying your job, be prepared to leave though. 4. Never stay back for a salary hike, growth only comes with change. 5. Don't hesitate in saying "F*ck You" if required, your self-respect is most important. 6. Network with seniors, but avoid ass licking, it will be useful during appraisal. 7. Chill and enjoy your work, if you aren't, leave the job. 8. In a bigger scheme of things, a few months of employment doesn't harm, but a stagnant growth would hurt a lot. this is how I work, choose whatever works for you.

Thanks @samosa valuable points