What people in their 40s wish they'd known at 25

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 14:50:22 +0000

I was reading through some Reddit threads the other day — you know the ones, where people ask “what do you wish you’d known at 25?” — and I found myself nodding along to a lot of it. There’s something oddly comforting about reading advice from people who actually lived through the decade you’re currently in. Not theorists, not podcasters, just regular folks who figured some stuff out the hard way.

Starting a new contract — what I wish I'd asked sooner

Thu, 22 May 2025 12:07:12 +0200

I’ve been on enough contracts now that I’ve started noticing patterns. Some good, some not so good. This is a collection of the things I check before signing, and the things I wish someone had told me about earlier.

Before you sign

There are three administrative questions that can catch you out if you don’t sort them early. The first two are about checks — whether the client needs a BPSS or DBS check done, and whether they’re going to organise it. The third is about timing. Some start dates are real, others depend on the client actually getting you a laptop and sorting your access. If their setup process is slow, your start date slides whether they realise it or not.

Advice on Shafiq Alibhai

What people in their 40s wish they'd known at 25

Starting a new contract — what I wish I'd asked sooner

Before you sign