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The Struggle Is Real

This 4-panel simple stick figure comic illustrates the common experience of finishing each stage of education, only to realize a much larger, harder challenge (the next stage of life) awaits. In the first panel, a stick figure climbs the 'School' mountain, almost reaching the top with text reading 'Almost Done!'. In the second panel, after finishing school, the climber sees 'High school' is an even bigger mountain ahead, with the text 'Almost!'. Third panel: after finishing high school, the climber reaches the top of the 'College' mountain, relieved, with text saying 'Oh yes!'. In the final panel, the climber looks ahead to an enormous 'Life' mountain, leading to the shocked reaction 'Oh shit!'. The meme jokes about how every educational stage builds up to the much harder, unending struggle of adult life.
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4-panel comic showing climbing successive mountains representing different stages of life and education

Overview

This 4-panel simple stick figure comic illustrates the common experience of finishing each stage of education, only to realize a much larger, harder challenge (the next stage of life) awaits. In the first panel, a stick figure climbs the 'School' mountain, almost reaching the top with text reading 'Almost Done!'. In the second panel, after finishing school, the climber sees 'High school' is an even bigger mountain ahead, with the text 'Almost!'. Third panel: after finishing high school, the climber reaches the top of the 'College' mountain, relieved, with text saying 'Oh yes!'. In the final panel, the climber looks ahead to an enormous 'Life' mountain, leading to the shocked reaction 'Oh shit!'. The meme jokes about how every educational stage builds up to the much harder, unending struggle of adult life.

Origin notes

This meme originates from Reddit as a user-created relatable meme about the constant struggle of life after completing each stage of education. It has been widely shared across multiple social media platforms as a relatable venting meme about adulting and the difficulty of life after school.

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