Congratulations to the Class of 2025. You did it. You’re the first true post-COVID graduates—meaning you’ve survived remote learning, mask mandates, Zoom fatigue, and enough hand sanitizer to pickle a horse. Also, you’ve lived through not one, but two Trump presidential terms. That’s history, baby. Your AP Government teachers didn’t prepare you for that twist ending.
You may find yourself wondering, “What’s next?” Maybe college. Maybe a gap year. Maybe a brief stint in your parents’ basement where you reflect deeply while “working on your podcast.” Either way, here’s some advice from someone who still remembers when gas was under $3 and student debt forgiveness was a mood, not a movement.
First: don’t panic.
You don’t need to figure out your entire life by June. You’re going to want to feel the world out a little bit. Take a breath. Read a book. Stare out the window and contemplate the existence of crypto. All totally valid.
But in the meantime, here are some do’s and don’ts for navigating the brave new world of post-grad adulthood:
DO try new things. Travel, if you can. Meet people outside your social bubble. Learn how to make a budget (even if you ignore it later). Try tofu once. Just once. It builds character.
DON’T assume that ChatGPT will do all your work for you. AI might write your cover letters, but it can’t stop you from accidentally wearing pajama pants to your internship.
DO take time to figure out what makes you excited to wake up in the morning—besides bottomless mimosas and doom-scrolling through the downfall of civilization.
DON’T go looking for a job with the federal government right now. Those are dropping faster than Tesla’s stock price after an Elon tweetstorm. Unless your dream job is “reassigned indefinitely,” you may want to wait that one out.
DO be skeptical of any job posting that mentions “startup culture,” “unlimited PTO,” or “must bring your own laptop and mop.”
DON’T worry if your first few jobs aren’t your dream job. Or your third. Or your fifth. Most people don’t figure out what they want to be until their 30s—or after their third career pivot and one identity crisis in a Costco parking lot.
Also, a note on college or post-graduate work: it’s fine if you go. It’s fine if you don’t. What’s not fine is pretending that you’ve got it all figured out when none of us do. There are adults out there who still don’t understand how Roth IRAs work. Or how to exit out of 37 Chrome tabs without crashing their entire laptop. Those people may or may not be me.
So as you toss your cap and embark on this mildly terrifying, sometimes sad, sometimes happy and occasionally hilarious journey into adulthood, remember: it’s okay to be confused. It’s okay to be lost. Just try not to join a pyramid scheme or start a YouTube prank channel. Both are very difficult to explain at Thanksgiving.
Congrats, Class of 2025. Go forth, be bold, and maybe wait until after lunch to change the world.
(Get more life coaching from Chris Kamler on X as @chriskamler)
