Guys, is it over? Are we doomed after college? Because graduating in 2025 is starting to feel like stepping off a cliff and hoping the ground will kindly materialize beneath us.

Let’s take stock of our situation, shall we? The economy is on shaky legs and the job market is basically doing the cha-cha between “promising” and “deeply concerning.” In December 2024, the economy added 256,000 jobs (yay?), but now experts predict January will bring a measly 150,000 (oh). Hiring is slowing, layoffs are looming and we’re all about to be thrown into this mess with a diploma in one hand and a LinkedIn profile that somehow still feels underwhelming.

Adding to these concerns, let’s not forget our universally beloved leader, President Donald Trump, has decided — right as we’re entering the workforce — that this is the perfect time to slap tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada. These tariffs include a 25% levy on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on Chinese imports. In response, Mexico and Canada have pledged retaliatory tariffs, increasing fears of a global trade war. Economic analysts predict these measures could lead to higher prices for consumer goods — like groceries — increased inflation and a slight reduction in U.S. Gross Domestic Product, all of which likely have pretty horrifying effects on employment opportunities for new graduates.

Honestly, it’s hard not to feel a little cheated. We already lost a chunk of our high school and college experience to COVID-19 — remember logging onto Zoom university, unmuting yourself to answer a question and realizing you were actually talking to a frozen screen? Good times. Now, after clawing our way to graduation, we get to enter a job market where companies are either not hiring or pretending their “entry-level” positions require several years of experience. Cool, cool, cool.

But before we start collectively crying into our graduation gowns, let’s talk about the silver linings. For one, we’ve made it here together. Some of us have friendships that have spanned all four years, while others have met people in the last semester who feel like lifelong friends already. The chaos bonded us, and despite everything, I feel like I’m walking away with a pretty decent college experience.

And look, maybe the economy is tanking, but at least we’re up! We’ve survived a pandemic, years of questionable dining hall food, brutal weekly schedules and a University president we ran off campus. We’ve made memories, danced at... just-okay parties, suffered through all-nighters and still (mostly) kept it together.

Most importantly, we are not the type to roll over and give up. Our generation is full of people who won’t just accept a broken system — we’ll challenge it. We may be stepping into uncertainty, but we’ve already proven we can adapt and push forward.

So here’s to us, the class of 2025. May we find jobs that pay more than experience and pocket lint, may our country not disintegrate and may we somehow figure out how to keep having fun. And if all else fails … there’s always grad school, right?