The 2025+ Survival Game, the future?

1) have Tik-tok followers in excess of 50K
You are nothing in today's world without a heavy social media presence. 50K is just the start. (PPLH is still in the 10K range, sigh)

2) done meditation, yoga or Tai Chi to better yourself
People are stressed out, isolated and scared about the future. These practices have become helpers in managing this pain.

3) txting is 2nd nature and can be done w/o looking.
I am still impressed how quickly someone can txt on a small device. My fingers do not even fit! Amazing!

4) always had a smart phone (or flip phone before then)
Not a total addict yet (have not broken any bones, which I have seen happen, while glued to "My Precious!". Worse than being drunk if driving. Hmm...

5) mount for phone in car for navigation
Navigation, great! Anything else is likely to distract you enough to cause an accident! WAKE UP!

6) been employed by at least five different firms so far
I was essentially at the same employer for 41+ years. That is VERY unlikely to EVER happen again. Change is too rapid now. KEEP LEARNING if you want to survive. Be a perpetual student, even if at the junior college level. One of the reasons I was able to stay in my job was because I was ALWAYS learning new skills they found useful, well till the end of course. Luck ran out.

7) at least a bachelors degree, better if MS or PhD
When you need a college degree for an entry level position at minimum wage, something is TERRIBLY wrong!

8) been to several climate of political rallies
I was of the zero population growth, save the planet from pollution, gen. We failed! Okay, LA air is breathable again (used to burn your eyes something terrible) and our streams are way less polluted. BUT we are way over carrying capacity (8 billion) and the distribution is horribly unfair and weighted heavily in favor of richer nations and individuals. ANY one who has studied history knows where this leads. ANYONE!

9) regularly use an electric car, scooter or bike
Better than leaded gas, but we are not exercising enough either. Figure it out.

10) like bubble tea
Interesting the first couple of times. Used to see Millenials lined up around the block to get one. Now it is everywhere. Not so special.

11) never taken woodworking, metal working or drafting in school
Took all of these classes in high school and have helped me immensely, even if just to do my own repairs (or watch someone else) or make special things I need that don't exist yet. BUT, we should be valuing people who have these skills, the same way we value degrees that everyone has and have become nearly meaningless. My brother could fix anything with an engine in it. Most college grads cannot even begin to do this. He never graduated from high school.

12) able to debug and/or rebuild a desktop/laptop computer
Can you really afford to take your device in constantly, or replace it all the time? I am still using20+ year old machines because I know how to maintain and repurpose them. And our landfills are full of good equipment people have given up on.

13) part of an on-line gaming team and meet regularly
THIS IS TEAM BUILDING EVERYONE. A group that is awake all night solving problems. You want this kind of person working for you, AS A TEAM. Human Teams are still greater that the sum of the individual egos we hire now.

14) have a side hustle, in addition to your normal job
For those times you are between jobs, or just because this is something you love doing rather that have to do.

15) still paying off a college debt in excess of 100K
Only in the USA. If everyone needs to have a degree as a starting point, they should have not have to spend the rest of their life paying for it. You can only push people so far before they figure out the lie and rebel. hint-hint.

16) use Google tags to keep track of important items
Cheaper and less dangerous than leaving a cell phone in the car, but thieves will figure this one out and look for them, or come up with a device that blocks out their signal. Called evolution of tech.

17) use AI and video surveillance for security
So far, AI is not taking over the world. It is not even full proof. You can be deceived obviously, but do you want this to happen in a life/death situation? You usually can walk away from an on-line game. Not true if flying a jet, operating heavy machinery, etc.

18) made a deep fake for fun
I get it. I am a curious person too. Just be careful and try not to hurt anyone.

19) took longer than four years to finish college
Getting through in four is becoming a rarity. And it costs you more the longer you are strung out. Needs to be fixed. Colleges should not let in more students than they can accommodate. This is called deception, lying even.

20) chose major for future earnings not desire
At eighteen you are full of hope and imagination. Fantastic, we need that spirit. BUT, there are eight billion people out there that want the same thing. And the carrying capacity of earth is at most two billion (when i was born). Best option appears to do both. Junior colleges offer excellent training and way cheaper, have night and weekend classes, etc. Think about becoming a carpenter, electrician, etc. as a backup too. A PhD in physics is MUCH more employable and desirable IF they are a licensed electrician as well. Don't forget to learn that second language as well.

21) multiple romantic relationships as career/town changed
Distance is the great destroyer of relationships of all kinds, but especially of the romantic kind. In our constantly changing job situation, distance is real. At least long distance video, talk, txt, is essentially free now.

22) able to work effectively in teams, no nerds
There is a heavy social barrier to anyone 'different'. Nerds and other social divergents are put down their entire lives. Yes, they have the ability to concentrate far better than the typical neurotypical that has all those social interactions crowding their thoughts.

23) live on caffeine and junk food
That won't last. A short fuse to burn out or worse. Adapt, find another way amigo.

24) speak at least one other language (Spanish in CA)
50% if the people in CA speak Spanish. Chinese, Japanese, Arabic are also useful depending on the vocation you want to pursue. Learning ANY new language adds to your adaptability and intelligence. Each language has a different way of viewing/experiencing reality. The more skills you have in your pockets, the more adaptable and useful you become.

25) code in at least one programming language, better if two
AI MAY change this, some. At least learn how to get around a LINUX variant. Coding teaches you more than how to code. It teaches you logic, problem solving. You learn that if you code does not work, it is because YOU missed something, not that the computer/code did. YOU DID. That is an eye opening understanding to success in ANY field. Junior colleges offer classes, as well as online. Heck, look at the source code to one of these games and play with that, but DO SOMETHING!

26) survived COVID, but never had mumps, measles, chickenpox
Had all of these. NOT FUN. Better if you never experience this yourself.

27) no typed passwords, haptic, facial, finger print okay
When those quantum password crackers finally come on-line and cheap to use, old style encryption is dead. Watch for phishing scams (if you give them your credentials, they don't need to steal them.) Like castle walls, someone will always find a way in and then you need a better defense. In the meantime, BACKUP TILL YOUR EYES HURT. Store encrypted backups in multiple locations, etc.

28) brain implant to improve com abilities/speed
Not quite there yet. It fill first be used to overcome a disability, but will soon be seen as an asset. Seeing in IR, UV, etc. would be a great help and asset to a mechanical engineer, etc.

29) works out to an AI instructor
This might actually be helpful. They are infinitely more patient and supportive than a HUMAN. If you don't get bored with the whole thing. Better? Go for a walk in nature.

30) never had a cavity, but yes for gum disease
Yeah, those fluoride treatments do help. In stat class we used to count the number of cavities the students had. Boomers have TONS. Gen X often none. But not brushing (why, I don't get cavities) has a downside. Bad breath, tartar, etc. are only a few. BRUSH ANYWAY!

31) use VPN and encryption on a regular basis
Works for now, won't forever. Don't believe the hackers on TV drama either. Not that fast if the other side has taken any care. TV needs things to go FAST or you change the channel.

32) part of a new startup company based on your work
That second career backup. You never know. Things change way too fast to anticipate unless you are incredibly lucky (which most rich people will tell you is the real reason for success). But you have to play to win.

33) flown a drone with neural interface
Coming. Only a matter of time, VR comes close, but speed is still a problem.

34) emoji use is natural and fluid
"Well, back in my day . . ." we used to use text emoji :) this gen is spoiled, though some are very cute.

35) vegan by political, spiritual choice
There is no separation between you and whatever is in front of you. Till you reach this understanding, vegan will not make much sense. Could just be a fad till the cultured vat meat products come on-line in a big way.

36) used a VR headset
Better than a flat screen, but still at the beginning stages.