I had two jobs, one a factory line worker, and the other in a grocery store. I got along fine with the older guys, who were in their twenties. We even hung out a few times. I definitely saw what they were doing, and I had the very clear realization that there had to be more to life than hanging out in fast food parking lots / cruising the strip at 25. I knew I had to make different choices. Life is about choices more than anything else, and not being a slave to your environment.