Why you should push yourself in your twenties instead of doing minimum work or quiet quitting

Product management Product management careers and networking
1

I saw a discussion recently where lots of people were supporting the idea of doing minimal effort at work and it really surprised me. Let me share what happened in my career over the past 5 years.

I started as a fresh graduate developer with 11 LPA salary. During my first 1.5 years at a big company, I only did what was absolutely required. This is pretty common in large corporations unless you work somewhere really demanding.

Now I make 50 LPA in cash plus over 1 crore in stock options. My company is doing well and offers buyback programs regularly, so I’m keeping my stocks until they go public.

My salary grew 5 times in 5 years even without counting stocks. I only switched jobs once for a 30% increase. Everything else came from being reliable and delivering results. I got 20%+ raises even when the company was cutting jobs during tough times. They gave me extra stock options every year without me asking.

The reputation you build matters more than money though. Former colleagues try to recruit me when they move to new companies. Recruiters message me constantly on LinkedIn. People want me to start companies with them. The CEO gives me the most important projects. Everyone comes to me when they need help.

Here’s what I learned:

Good managers spot lazy workers easily. Only bad managers let people slack off and take 4x longer on tasks. You learn nothing from bad managers. Good managers were strong individual contributors before and they run high impact projects where you actually develop skills.

Real money comes from senior executive roles or joining successful startups early. I know people who made 10+ crores from stock options. Both paths need hard work.

Best networking happens through your reputation. A guy I know got a CXO job at 34 with 2+ crore salary, luxury house, car, and profit sharing. He got it because he was a star performer and someone’s relative worked with him.

Your career length depends on business impact. Fancy college degrees only help until you become too expensive and younger people can do your job cheaper. I’ve seen 40 year old engineers worry about layoffs because they missed promotions and can’t survive many downturns.

Job security comes from being dependable. Managers need good people to hit their targets and get bonuses. They’ll fight to keep top performers. The combination of good education, work ethic, technical skills, and people skills is rare and valuable.

Top performers make more workplace friends if they’re not arrogant. People seek your help and want good relationships with you. Just watch out for people who steal credit.

I’m not saying work 14-15 hours daily and ruin your health. Smart time management and honest 8-10 hours is enough. Most people waste time in pointless meetings, long breaks, and procrastination. Very few give genuine 8 hours of focused work.

2

This hits different when you’ve seen both sides. My roommate coasted through his first job while I was grinding late nights learning new frameworks. Three years later? He’s still doing basic tasks while I’m leading a team. Really opened my eyes during company layoffs - they kept the people they could count on. Yeah, there’s burnout risk, but there’s also the risk of being 35 and still entry-level because you never pushed yourself when it mattered.

3

Honestly depends on your situation. If student loans and rent are eating half your paycheck, sometimes you gotta prioritize stability over ambition. Not everyone can afford to take risks or work unpaid overtime hoping it pays off later. Some of us just need that steady income to survive.

4

Your twenties set up your entire career! I’ve seen friends pick easy jobs over growth opportunities and regret it later. The skills and network you build now pay off for decades. Work smart while you’re young - coasting catches up with you.

5

Everyone’s acting like this is groundbreaking advice. Reality check - most people who “push themselves” burn out with fancy titles and zero life outside work. Sure, you made money, but what relationships did you sacrifice? Your post screams “I got lucky with stock options and now I’m justifying workaholism after the fact.” For every success story like yours, there’s 50 people who grinded just as hard and got nothing but ulcers and missed dinners with their kids.