Things No One Really Tells You After You Leave School, College or University

Leaving school, college or university is one of those moments that feels like it should come with a manual — but instead, you’re just sort of… released into the world and expected to figure it out.

One minute you’re following timetables and deadlines set by someone else, and the next you’re responsible for everything. Your money, your time, your health, your future. It’s exciting, overwhelming, and slightly terrifying all at once — and if you feel like everyone else knows what they’re doing except you, I promise you that isn’t true.

This post isn’t here to overwhelm you or tell you what you should have figured out by now. It’s here to gently talk about some of the things adult life brings with it — the things no one really sits you down and explains.

This will be a starting point, not a rulebook.

Money: The Thing You Suddenly Have to Think About All the Time

One of the biggest shocks after leaving education is how quickly money becomes a constant background thought.

Suddenly, you’re thinking about:

• Saving (even when you don’t earn much)

• Bills you didn’t know existed

• Credit scores

• Rent, deposits, and eventually mortgages

  
  

You’re not expected to understand all of this straight away. Most adults learn about money through trial and error — and mistakes are part of that process. Learning how to save, budget, and plan for the future takes time, and it’s something you’ll build gradually, not overnight.

This is something I’ll go into much more deeply in future posts.

Living Independently (Yes, Including Laundry)

Living on your own — or even just being more independent — comes with a lot of small responsibilities that add up quickly.

Things like:

• Doing laundry properly

• Cleaning your space

• Grocery shopping

• Cooking basic meals

• Keeping on top of everyday tasks

No one is naturally good at these things. They’re skills you learn through doing, and usually through getting them wrong a few times first. There’s no shame in googling how to clean something or calling home to ask how long chicken goes in the oven.

Adult life is mostly built on learning as you go.

Work, Jobs & Career Pressure

There’s often an unspoken expectation that once you leave education, you should know what you want to do for the rest of your life. In reality, very few people do.

Your first job probably won’t be your dream job. You might change careers. You might outgrow roles. You might feel confident one day and completely unsure the next.

Working life teaches you things that school never could — about confidence, boundaries, rejection, and what you actually want from your life. All of this is normal, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Driving, Transport & Independence

Driving is often treated like a milestone everyone hits at the same time — but that’s rarely how it works in real life.

Some people learn early, some later, and some never do. There are also costs people don’t talk about enough: lessons, insurance, fuel, maintenance. Independence doesn’t look the same for everyone, and learning to drive at your own pace is completely valid.

This is another area where there’s no deadline, just personal timing.

Relationships Will Change (And That’s Hard)

One of the quieter changes after leaving education is how relationships shift.

Friendships evolve. Some people drift away. You might outgrow certain connections, or realise you want different things from the people around you. Romantic relationships also become more complex as responsibilities grow.

Learning how to communicate, set boundaries, and protect your peace is a huge part of adulthood — and it’s something most people are still learning well into their 30s and beyond.

Health, Wellbeing & Looking After Yourself

When you’re no longer in education, your health becomes your responsibility in a new way.

Registering with doctors, taking mental health seriously, prioritising sleep, recognising burnout — these are all things many of us only learn once we’re already exhausted.

Looking after yourself isn’t selfish or lazy. It’s essential. And it’s something that deserves time, patience, and compassion.

Life Admin: The Invisible Load

No one warns you about how much of adult life is made up of admin.

Emails. Appointments. Renewals. Paperwork. Forms. Remembering things. Following things up. Keeping track of everything.

Feeling overwhelmed by this doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re human. Life admin is a skill, and like everything else, it gets easier with practice.

A Final Thought

If you’re reading this and feeling like you’re behind, I want you to know this: there is no single timeline for adult life.

No one leaves education knowing how to do everything. We all learn in stages, through mistakes, confusion, and small wins. You’re allowed to take your time. You’re allowed to ask questions. And you’re allowed to figure things out slowly.

This post is just the beginning. Over time, I’ll be breaking each of these topics down into individual posts — one step at a time.

You’re doing better than you think.

For the next 7 weeks on a Wednesday's there will be an extra post regarding each one of these topics. If you want a more in-depth post about these topics please look out for these posts.