As my four years of college come to an end, I’ve begun planning for what comes next. While I will still be in Los Angeles working full-time, life will look different from what it has been as a broke college student living in South Central, relying on L.A.’s public transit system and surviving on instant ramen. 

But the joy of being able to further explore what L.A. has to offer and still basking in Southern California’s endless sunshine was recently replaced by a sad realization: The one constant throughout my college years — writing for the Daily Trojan — will no longer be part of my life. 

I write because it brings me happiness, but I certainly don’t have the skills or desire to pursue it professionally and become the next Christiane Amanpour or Emily Henry. And yes, I, too, question if those two names belong in the same sentence. 

At the same time, I can’t give up writing. My job as a cybersecurity consultant is not cool enough to become my entire personality, and I know I am so much more than what I do for a living. 

The importance of hobbies is also reflected by research, where, according to the June 2025 study “Exploring the Impact of Hobbies on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Scoping Review,” engaging in hobbies can reduce the odds of developing depression by 32% and improve overall quality of life and social well-being. 

So, determined not to become a sad and boring adult, I went down a rabbit hole researching how grown adults engage in hobbies. 

One option is to join classes and communities to develop your interests. Online forums post information about regular meetings or weekly classes, which can help in meeting like-minded people and consistently engaging with hobbies. 

For example, I found meetup.com, which listed a range of social clubs in Los Angeles, such as weekly meditation meetups, to something nicher, such as the South Asian Book Club. However, sometimes, there is a cost to these, and while I would love to live my best life as a Pilates girl, I am not ready yet to financially ruin myself for abs. 

Another route is to pursue personal projects, whether that means working on a goal with friends, family or by yourself. This could include learning to cook, because apparently knowing three different pastas isn’t enough variety for some people. Even picking up a new instrument could be fun. 

Engaging in a hobby with others makes it easier — they can guilt-trip you into showing up. Working solo, on the other hand, may lead to a YouTube video called “Intro to Ukulele Chords” being played in the background while you scroll through TikTok for an extra hour. I am definitely not speaking from experience.

This isn’t just a me problem. An August 2025 survey conducted by CivicScience shows that Generation Z as a whole spends less time on their hobbies than they would like, largely due to a lack of motivation. In college, it’s easier because everyone around you is participating in clubs and hobbies. 

But this social comparison and positive peer pressure aren’t part of adult life. My friends who graduated and have faced this problem recommend scheduling time for your hobby in your daily routine, similar to how you would schedule an appointment — go Google Calendar! 

Recent studies suggest that leisure crafting, which is “intentionally shaping your free time through goal setting, learning and connection,” significantly increases well-being and can also improve performance at work. 

However, these goals shouldn’t be overly ambitious, but rather more realistic ones that will push you to pursue your passions. 

Instead of just saying “I want to cook more,” you can cook one new dish every weekend or set a goal to master one song a month on the ukulele. Through this, you set a purpose for why you do your hobby and also derive greater dopamine when you meet a goal.

People often portray college as the last time you can have fun and pursue everything you want to before you are burdened with responsibilities. While I understand that it may be easier to pursue different passions in college, I refuse to believe that I am going to be yet another boring corporate personality whose core trait is LinkedIn. If anything, that belief is why I’m determined to keep writing and make a more active effort to experience more of what life beyond college has to offer. 

Edhita Singhal is a senior writing about life lessons she has learned in college in her column, “Thinking Out Loud,” which runs every other Monday.