DEFINITELY!

says TV presenter Konnie Huq, 33, from London. 'Your twenties are the best time to make your career mark,' she says.

"Career women get criticised all too often these days. I really believe it is possible to have it all; you've just got to grab it with both hands, and your twenties are the perfect time to do that.

I spent my twenties carving out my career. I was lucky to fall into a career I love, because there's nothing worse than Monday-morning dread. But if you don't find your dream job straight away, your twenties are the perfect time to try a few careers on for size. Don't get me wrong, all work and no play makes life dull, but who says you can't do a bit of both? I might not have been papped falling out of clubs drunk and flashing my bits, but it doesn't mean I haven't been enjoying myself. Some of the best times have been when I've been out with my Blue Peter colleagues. The hours were long, but I loved it and still found time for fun.

And let's not forget the other benefit that comes with working hard in your twenties - money! There's no getting round it, being skint isn't fun. Who wants to stress about where they go on holiday and whether they can afford to split the bill? Now that we've hit the 'dreaded' thirties, my friends and I can do so many things that we wouldn't be able to do if we hadn't worked hard in our twenties.

Concentrating on my career has also meant I've been able to get on the property ladder (I bought my first pad in 2004). I love having the security of my own place. I've got friends who spent their twenties travelling and enjoying the good life (and yes, having an amazing time) but now that they want to buy a flat they're find it difficult.

And for those people who think career women lose out on the man front, I couldn't disagree more. There's no reason concentrating on your career should stop you having a love life. In fact, I think it can help in that department. Most women meet their partners through work. Plus, if you're focused and enjoying your job, you won't give of any desperation vibes to men. I believe that if you find your own way workwise first, chances are everything else will fall into place."

Konnie presents Guinness World Records Smashed, Sundays at 7pm on Sky1 and Sky1 HD.

NO!

says author Polly Courtney, 29, from London, who quit her high-flying City job to become a writer. 'Your twenties are about fun, friends and freedom,' she says.

"As a junior investment banker, I walked into the office one cold, January morning to hear one of my thirty-something colleagues groan into his cappuccino: ‘Another year… and what have we achieved?’ I remember looking around at the haggard, once-attractive faces and thinking, I don’t want to be like you.

People still ask me why I walked away from the stability and prestige of the City life to follow a dream and become a novelist. It’s a fair question; the decision to quit my first job was one of the hardest ones I have ever made. It wasn’t just the monthly pay packet I was leaving behind; it was my aspirations – my hopes of becoming a ‘high flyer’. When I told friends that I was thinking of throwing it all in, they thought I was crazy. ‘After only one year?’ they asked. ‘Couldn’t you handle it?’

I could have handled it; I just didn’t want to turn into an automaton in the process. When I left the square mile, my salary dropped four-fold and I had to get used to explaining to people that I didn’t actually have a proper ‘career’ – I was a struggling author with a part-time job. At first, I used to lie and pretend that I was still at the bank – it was easier. But now I enjoy telling the truth. What I lost in material terms I gained in new friendships, experiences and the freedom to pursue my own goals.

I’m proud of the fact that I’m enjoying my twenties. I could have been ‘sensible’ and stayed in the city, but I was making myself miserable. In my new life, I get to do what I love doing – writing – every day, I go on lots of cheap holidays and I see my friends whenever I like. Occasionally, when I meet up with City friends, I wonder how different my life would be if I had opted to stay, like them. I imagine the large house and expensive car… and then I remember my drained personality, my eroded self-confidence and my unfulfilled dreams, and I know for sure that I made the right decision.

Many women (and men) are so busy climbing their corporate career ladders that they forget about the things that really matter until, often, it’s too late. It’s a cliché, but some of my hard-working friends are only just wondering why – with their six-figure salaries and hundred-hour weeks – they are still single, just as they want to start a family.

I’m not advocating that we fritter away our twenties or put our social lives ahead of our careers; I believe that it’s possible to balance the two. The key is to think about what really makes you happy at the start of your career – and don’t be afraid of setting off on a less-trodden path. If you follow the herd and become a slave to your salary, it’s much harder to change direction.

Be bold. Follow your dreams and enjoy your twenties."

Polly's new book, The Day I Died (£6.99, HarperCollins) is out now.