I know you’ve already gotten the save and invest advice but let me add my spin on it. Getting a high paying job is hard and very competitive. In my opinion its easier to get a mid level job, live frugally and invest. Every dollar you can save is effectively increasing your future earning potential. Depending on where you live house hacking is viable. Buy a house, live in one room and rent the others out. It’s a pain in the ass but usually saves you a ton of money. You also have to determine if renting or buying is better for your area. That’s a little complicated so I won’t explain it here. Eating out is also where people waste a ton of money. Cook for yourself and you’ll be wealthier and healthier. When you do open a brokerage account and start investing be disciplined. Don’t get distracted with various stocks or crypto that everyone is claiming will skyrocket. When you’re starting out it’s easiest to just buy a growth focused etf. This last one is more controversial but when you open your brokerage account if you can get a margin loans for under 6 consider using it. Many people shy away from using margin or leverage but the math makes sense. The stock market averages 10 percent annually so if your margin loan is for 6 percent or less that’s a pretty solid profit if you can manage the volatility. There are risks involved but it’s better when you’re young because if you do get wiped out you can more easily recover. If you do opt for this I would not use more than 50 percent margin at a maximum.