Catherine, 22, is about to finish her undergraduate degree and is already dreading what waits on the other side of graduation. “I can’t help but think about how I won’t have the certainty of holiday breaks anymore or the support system that academia often brings. I’m officially on my own,” she tells Dazed. It’s a feeling shared by many people as university comes to an end. As dissertation season comes to an end – or, for Master’s students, is only just beginning – TikTok has been awash with videos of students mourning the lives they’ve built with their friends: the last house they’ll all inhabit together before moving to different parts of the country or the world, their last meal together, their last library sessions, and their last cheap pints at the student union bar.

Film and TV have long sold our university years as the best of our lives. While we’re in them, it’s easy to dismiss that idea. But as the end draws near, a hushed voice starts to creep into your mind, asking whether they were right all along – especially as young people come up against the threat of AI, a worsening job market, harsher immigration policies, the ongoing cost of living crisis, and more.

The adult world can be rough. There’s no sugar coating it. But post-grad life also has plenty of perks. Below, the Dazed team has come together to compile a survival guide for young people navigating this new and scary (but exciting) new phase of life. 

FIND A BULLSHIT JOB 

So, you’ve run out of student loan, and financial pressure is about to hit properly for the first time in your life. Maybe you’re even planning to move to London to follow your dreams. Either way, Universal Credit probably isn’t going to get you very far (sadly). You’ll need a job – and, in my opinion, the more bullshit, the better. Straight out of uni is the time to take things slowly: find a boring work-from-home admin job, the kind that feels utterly pointless yet somehow pays strangely well, and set expectations very low with your boss. Use the rest of your time to pursue your interests, develop a skillset, or just spend the morning hungover in bed. There’s an idealism that’s abundant at university and scarce in the ‘real world’, and you need to protect that as much as possible. Your early twenties are when you start to figure out who you really are, and how to work with yourself to find a job that doesn’t make you want to dread every Monday morning. It was during that period that I started writing freelance articles (mostly unpaid, of course) and began developing the skills that eventually led to an internship at Dazed. (SPM) 

DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS

Easier said than done, but – pardon the cliché – everyone is on their own path. I remember looking at my friends who had landed graduate jobs straight out of the gate, and at the time, it seemed they were leagues ahead of me. What I didn’t realise is that every industry is very different – and that mine, journalism, is particularly competitive: it really isn’t unusual to be rejected from every grad scheme going (all five of them!). With this in mind, one piece of actionable advice I’d share is to make friends within your industry – I certainly felt less bad about myself once I connected with some fellow aspiring writers who were going through the same thing. Plus, remember that things which seem fixed and immutable can change on a dime. As a graduate, it felt like my friends who had made quick work of securing permanent jobs were ‘set for life’ – but looking back now, many of them went on to face redundancy, were forced to quit because of crazy managers, or remained worried about job security. Life isn’t linear – so if you’re feeling down on your luck right now, rest assured that things will get better. (SS)

GET A HOBBY

If the job thing isn’t working out (and even if it is), try to have an extracurricular activity to do and look forward to. Make it something that has nothing to do with your career or dream profession, and as tempting as it may be, try your best not to monetise it. Everything in our lives comes back to the labour we produce, so try and have something in your life that is just for you (you can even do it with friends) that lets you clock out of the rat race for a little while each week. Maybe something that reminds you that you have a body! (HJ)

REMEMBER THAT YOU’RE 21, NOT 51

I spent my last few weeks as an undergraduate at Leeds traipsing around pub gardens, chain-eating ice creams in Hyde Park, and spending the last of my student loan on Beaver Works tickets. I had an unshakeable sense that these were the best days of my life – that I was going to be shut out from enjoying these kinds of small pleasures as soon as I received my degree. But, newsflash: you can still have fun after graduating. Sometimes I think you can even have more fun. Case in point: I was able to foot the cost of a Glastonbury ticket last summer, which was incredibly fun – and not something I could have ever, ever afforded as a student. I concede it can be harder to organise things post-university, when distance and adult life get in the way, and the state of the current job market means there may be a period of time when you find yourself without the means to pay for anything ‘fun’ at all (as a Covid-era graduate, this was certainly the case for me). But it’s worth stressing that the ‘fun tap’ doesn’t get turned off the second you finish higher education. You’ll still live with friends, you’ll still have one-night-stands, you’ll still go to parties, you’ll still get stupidly drunk. You’re 21 – your life isn’t over. It’s just beginning! (SS)

PRIORITISE FRIENDSHIPS

Once working life begins, friendships become harder to prioritise because capitalism simply doesn’t value them. Most of us are exhausted after work, and the little time we have left at the weekend gets swallowed up by chores and life admin. Adulthood can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. You have power! Some of my closest friends have recently left the country, and I’ve been dealing with a lot of loneliness this year – but then I downloaded Bumble BFF, and I’ve actually made some wonderful connections there. I recently met a friend who really wants to build community in her area. Everyone she connects with successfully, she adds to a Bumble BFF group chat so they can do things together. Friendships in adulthood take more effort; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I promise you, in our capitalist hellscape, it is worth it. (HJ)

DON’T MOVE IN WITH YOUR PARTNER 

For those who can afford it and have left university with a partner, please, I beg you – don’t move in with them immediately. I know a few years ago, everybody wanted to be like Molly Mae, cosied up on a Friday night, watching Disney movies with their partners, rather than at the club with their friends. BORING! The world is literally your oyster – so treat it as such! Sometimes people get into relationships and forget there is a whole world out there for them to explore. Make the most of it. Live with friends again who remind you that you have the whole world in the palm of your hands. (HJ)

REFRAME REJECTION

Rejection is hard, and it’s even harder when you’ve faced 100 rejections in a row (I’ve been there). But don’t let fear of rejection hold you back. Send cold emails, send speculative applications, send pitches, send DMs to people you admire and ask them about their career paths. You may get ghosted – in fact, you probably will get ghosted in 99 per cent of cases – but don’t take it personally. Ultimately, all it takes is one person to respond and take a chance on you, and that’s all that matters. Leave your shame at the door and put yourself out there. (Plus, you never know – even if you’re rejected from a specific job or internship, that employer might have an even better opportunity for you and get back in touch later down the line.) (SS)

USE YOUR CONNECTIONS (YOU PROBABLY HAVE MORE THAN YOU THINK!)

Make a list of everyone you know who works in a job or industry even remotely related to something you’d like to do. Did an editor at your student magazine go on to work in media? Are any of your older siblings’ friends in roles that sound interesting? Could a professor put you in touch with someone in their network?

Then start reaching out. Ask if they’d be up for a coffee. Find out what their job actually involves, and what other roles exist in their company that you might never have considered. Don’t be embarrassed to be direct and ask whether they know of any internships or work experience opportunities. One of my first experiences in the beauty industry came through my hairdresser at Bleach London, who arranged a one-day work placement at the head office. And if you don’t know anyone, start making connections. Initiatives like Dazed Club are designed to help young people build networks, learn more about the creative industries, and find opportunities. Or try the cold DM. It’s nerve-racking, but I’ve always found that the best thing you can do is ask for what you want. (AP)

BE PATIENT BUT ALSO… BE BRAVE!

This may seem like strange advice, but someone messaged me saying they are scared their individuality will be squashed as they return to their hometown and live with their parents again. I felt similarly. When I finished university, I was different from the person my parents left crying in her university accommodation in her first year. I was more confident and self-assured. I had opinions and thoughts that they didn’t agree with. I had become my own person, and that can be hard for our parents to reckon with. I lived at home for a year after graduating, and it was hard! Obviously, things are getting more expensive, so living at home for many is the only option, but you will eventually move out and be independent again. If you find yourself having to be with your parents for a while and they are significantly cramping your style, you might have to be brave and break your parents’ hearts. Live your life the way you want to! This is easier said than done, but you have to remember that this is your only life to live. Sometimes our parents forget that our needs are more important than their wants. (HJ)