To think social media gives young people totally unrealistic ideas about life

[Iclosemyeyes1]

My DD has just turned 18 and is still somewhat undecided about what she wants to do. She’s got offers from Uni’s (grades depending) but isn’t entirely sure whether an apprenticeship might not be better due to fear of debt. I’ve made clear that whatever happens I’ll support her and it’s got to be her decision as it’s her life. However, she was showing me some things of her for you page (apparently like the main page of TikTok) and it’s just utter garbage. For apprenticeships there are lots of montages making out that doing an apprenticeship will automatically lead to a super successful high powered high pay career. It’s hard to explain but it gave the impression that most eighteen year old apprentices end up as Harvey Spector or some other high powered career boss. It doesn’t seem to at all convey the reality that it’ll be bloody hard work, having little free time, limited chance to see friends (many who may be off at uni) and it won’t be any sort of glamour being stuck in a cubicle in our small northern city with the most excitement of the day being the suspicion that it’s in-fact 45 year old Lucy from accounts who’s the lunch thief. Similarly with Uni, lots of TikToks seem to suggest it’s going to be an epic three year long rave without being clear on loneliness, financial burden, debt, the work that goes into getting a degree etc etc. Its not just careers, social media just seems to give off an over glamourised parody of life. I would hope that most adults would have enough life experience to dismiss this all as BS however, AIBU to worry that social media sets young people up for total disappointment with life?

I actually find the opposite. The youngsters I know understand full well about social media bigging things up and it's the older generation who seem to be a bit more naive. Perhaps that's just where I live though.

When I went to uni 25 years ago, most of the course thought it was just going to be one three year long piss up! This was well before Tiktok and social media. 18YOs know everything and nothing.

18yo’s in general are far more savvy about social media than people your age.

I went to university back in the day when no-one had heard the abbreviation “uni” and the college library had hard copy paper prospectuses. Full of photos of smiling students in happy social groups…

I don't think it gives an unrealistic view as such, but it does suggest that mundane events have some sort of great significance.

My uni days were pretty much a three year piss up to be fair. When I had enough money to drink anyway!

I don't think it's new tbh.

I went to university in the 90s and was sold an ideal of having lots of fun for 3 years, making life long friends, and a degree automatically leading to a well paid job for life.

None of which happened.

For what it's worth...I think it's pretty much always been this way - young people starting out have always been convinced they're either going to change the world or make piles of money they can use to change the world. It was like that when I started (way back in the late 90s), and it was like that when our daughter was looking to start her career too.

Funny you should mention Harvey Specter - that was exactly the example I used with her (this is a decade ago now). Put simply...yes, he has a stunning apartment and lots of very nice clothes, but...how often did you see him doing anything in his private life? Every minute of every day was spent doing work, thinking about work or socialising with people...from work. The same goes for everybody else in the show, with just about the only exception being Mike before he got the job.

Sure, it's totally possible to boss your way through life if you want to chase it, but it's not a life anybody would realistically want unless they wanted absolutely nothing else in their life.

And the army makes joining it look like a travel adventure in combats. It's forever thus. But my own daughter is worried about employment after uni, even though she's going gif a vocational degree. Much more than I worried when I went. I think kids are more aware and the thinking they are going to just have it handed to them is not on their thoughts. Much more fear they'll never be able to buy a property etc. no matter how hard they work.