Does Anyone Ever Really Know…

Personally, I think I should have started earlier in planning for after high school. I know that school has been trying to prepare us for college or after high school plans for a while now but it’s very easy to slip by and not do anything to prepare. The people that put the effort into trying to plan get the help and support they need when they ask but unless you’re asking for it nobody really will ask you. Which makes sense because it is the students responsibility in the end with the support of the parent and school if needed or wanted.

Having a parent or guardian involved in this journey is really important. My parents didn’t talk to me about it so what happened to me was that I flew through school and didn’t think about it. I didn’t take the time to put serious consideration into my future and now I am nervous about what to do next. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually but the time between not knowing is scary.

The idea of failure doesn’t motivate everyone, especially not me. Which is why my advice to students and parents is to take the time and talk about what the options are because there are so many options out there to consider. You don’t necessarily have to set the plan in stone and never change your mind but having an idea about what you might want to do in the future is a good idea in starting the process.

I don’t believe that starting in grade school is a good idea. There is too much pressure being put on some young kids to figure out what they want to do when they are older when they don’t even know their options. Additionally they most likely will change their mind in a few months anyway when they find something new and cool they like better. Which is why waiting until they have been in school for longer and have had a variety of different classes is better because it gives students more realistic ideas and options. Which is why starting freshman year of high school is plenty of time for most kids and if it’s not there’s still the rest of their life to decide. Some people need to know what they are doing with their life now and that’s okay. If it helps you feel better, awesome but not everyone needs to know where they are going before they graduate. Pressuring students to put something down on a piece of paper takes away the fun out of learning about yourself and your likes and dislikes.

Having fun with figuring out the path you want to take feels amazing and investigating all the silly crazy careers is really interesting. There are many people that think becoming a doctor, lawyer or something big and fancy is the best way to go but that isn’t true and parents should not be trying to force their kid into a profession they don’t want to go into. Parents should listen and try to support their child’s thoughts and ideas and help them be successful and happy. Yes those careers can be very rewarding but it’s not for everyone and it’s best to do something you are happy doing.

Overall being happy with where you end up in life is a good thing to achieve. Not many people can say they’re happy with where they ended up. Many people end up working till they can’t anymore because they did what they thought they were supposed to do or other unfortunate circumstances. Which is why taking the time to explore your options with a trusted adult can be very beneficial in a teenagers life. It’s okay to not know right now and you are not alone in that feeling. It might be time to explore your options if you haven’t yet. 

“Think” by Sam Howzit is licensed under CC BY 2.0.