If I Had to Start Over at 21 (From a VC Who Started With Nothing)

Описание: If I had to start over at 21, knowing what I know now about AI, money, and career — here's exactly what I'd do differently.

I went from a small farm town in Canada to lobbying for Silicon Valley tech companies, working with Google, Meta, and Airbnb, and eventually raising a $23M venture fund. I made a lot of good calls and a lot of bad ones. In this video, I break down the 7 things I'd prioritize if I were starting from scratch in 2026.

This isn't generic advice. This is what actually worked — and what I wish I'd done sooner.

🔑 IN THIS VIDEO:
00:00 - If I Were Starting Over at 21
00:58 - The AI Job Market (What's Really Happening)
01:30 - Build in Public from Day One
02:40 - Become AI-Fluent, Not AI-Dependent
03:29 - Invest Aggressively in Your 20s
04:27 - Invest in Yourself
05:26 - Pick 5–10 People to Learn From
06:37 - Be a Specialist, Not a Generalist
07:38 - Bet on Markets, Not Just Ideas
08:16 - The Quick Hit List

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📚 ARTICLES & SOURCES REFERENCED:

Matt Shumer — "Something Big Is Happening":
https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-h...

IBM Tripling Entry-Level Hiring in 2026 (Fortune):
https://fortune.com/2026/02/13/tech-g...

IBM Tripling Entry-Level Hiring (Axios):
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/13/ai-i...

Goldman Sachs — AI Could Affect 300 Million Jobs:
https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights...

JPMorgan Chase Institute — Gen Z Investing Data (Wall Street Journal):
https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing...

Gen Z Investing Over Homebuying (Fortune):
https://fortune.com/2025/08/28/gen-z-...

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🔗 CONNECT WITH ME:

LinkedIn (my main platform — 200K+ followers):
  / jenniferstojkovic  

Instagram:   / jennystojkovic  
TikTok:   / jennystojkovic  
X / Twitter: https://x.com/jennystojkovic

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💼 ABOUT ME:
I'm Jenny Stojkovic — venture capitalist, keynote speaker, and founder of Joyful VC, a $23M fund. I spent years leading global policy and partnerships for Google, Meta, and Airbnb under Ron Conway, and I'm a Rolling Stone contributor and LinkedIn Top Voice. I now create content to help ambitious professionals build wealth, grow their careers, and think like investors.

📩 For brand partnerships: [email protected]

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