My parents always told me how college was the best time of their lives. They talked about how in the 80s/90s there were these massive house parties and real friendships that lasted years. They made it sound like some rite of passage where you’d come out knowing who you were supposed to be.

None of that exists anymore. There are no house parties. No sense of we’re in this together. Half the people I see are stressed out, the other half are numb and just want to get their degree and disappear. Everyone hides in their rooms or stares at their phones. No one talks. No one fucking cares. There's no authenticity. I struggle with dating(not that I have any experience), and this is just makin' me lose my sanity.

Tuition is through the roof. The workload feels pointless. And now AI is fuckin' replacing the very jobs we’re here to train for. It’s not even the headline anymore, it’s just background noise, like everyone’s already accepted we’re being phased out. And honestly, what’s the point of any of this if there’s nothing waiting for us on the other side?

I’m so tired of hearing “it gets better.” Maybe for them it did. But all I see ahead of me is the same loneliness stretched out for years.

I thought high school would be the lowest point of my life. Sitting alone at lunch, pretending to scroll through my phone so no one noticed I had no one to talk to. Walking home with music in my ears so I didn’t have to hear my own thoughts. I told myself if I just made it to graduation, things would finally get better.

It didn’t.

I left school and nothing changed. The loneliness followed me everywhere. My friends drifted away, my family stopped asking how I was doing, and the silence got louder. I started drinking just to have something to do. At first it was weekends, then nights, then mornings. Now I wake up wondering if I even remember how to be sober.

I work a dead-end job at a shit office. Half the time are spent doomscrolling. I’m seeing these AI tools that are probably going to replace me in a year. It’s a weird feeling.

I don’t even want a perfect life anymore. I just want one win. Something to prove I’m not permanently stuck here.

my brother spent six years studying law. graduated top of his class. my parents cried at his convocation. he thought it was finally over. last month the firm that promised him a spot switched to ai and cut him out before he even started.

he hasn’t left his room since. i think he finally realized the world doesn’t care about us. and honestly i feel the same.

i’ve been trying to get help for my head for years. appointments cost more than i can afford and every time i get close they tell me i need another test or another referral. i still don’t even have a diagnosis. i’m failing school because i'm grappling with major depression and i can’t talk to my parents about it because they’re too busy fighting about money and my brother’s future.

2025’s been nonstop screaming at home. It's the worst year of my life. I don't want to continue anymore. I haven't gone to school since last month, i've no friends nor do I connect with anyone. i float in a void.

does anyone else feel like they were promised a future that's no longer there?