Around your final year of high school, the question will be presented repeatedly, What do you want to do when you graduate high school? Many students in this age group feel pressure to know what career they wish to pursue, despite the fact that they need time to develop their identity and figure out their future career path. As we walk through the halls and see others with it all figured out, the pressure only heightens.
A student just made a commitment to their dream school, and there is a discussion about internships and preparation for a career. Additionally, social media is full of acceptance letters on Instagram.
Thus, the message being sent is that success only comes by way of college, as if everyone else knows exactly what to do, whereas those who are still searching or taking a different path are considered to be falling behind.
“I feel like if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, people think you’re not trying,” said Chloe Mercado, a high school senior. “I’m applying to colleges, but I honestly don’t know what I want to major in. That makes me feel stressed all the time, like I’m already messing up my future.”
Classmates are not the only sources of stress; parents, teachers, and counselors all have good intentions, asking what you do after graduation, but it can also add more pressure on you. Even though there are plenty of adults who change their jobs and/or major more than once, there is still a belief that selecting a major or career path while in college will have permanent consequences.
Another senior, Gabby Castaneda, shares the pressure she feels., “I don’t want to go to one college and later over time, that college being the wrong choices and that messing up my whole career, or if I don’t pick a four year college and pick a trade school, will I think that will be the wrong choices.”
Many teens view their peers as measuring sticks against which they guide their own success, there is no single timeline for determining when someone will be successful.
When a person sees a scholarship award or college acceptance announced on a social media platform, it is a reminder to them that not every individual will achieve those milestones at the same point in time. It is also possible for the person viewing these posts to disregard that while a particular person seems to be successful and moving forward in life, that person also has their own fear and insecurities that they do not share on social media.
The mental well-being of young people is impacted by the pressure to make important life choices quickly. Many students experience increased stress and worry about themselves, causing an increase in their levels of anxiety and uncertainty about their own worth.
In addition to this, many senior students feel a greater sense of fear about making a wrong choice in their future instead of having a positive anticipation of what lies ahead. The expectation that by 18 years of age, you will know what your life will be all about forever is unrealistic.
Burning the course of their lives, every person will go through changes, discover new things to be interested in, and travel multiple paths.
Including but not limited to community college, taking a gap year, entering a trade school, switching majors, etc. None of these options represents failure, but rather ways in which individuals can learn about themselves and the best path for them.
As graduation draws near, remember that life isn’t a competition.
While some people may be ahead of you, it doesn’t matter because every individual has their own timeline. So if you find yourself unsure about where you will go after graduation, know that not knowing where to go next is okay.
Just because you don’t have an answer doesn’t mean you are not going in the right direction, it means you are still growing.