In the present day, many teenagers begin to prepare for the rest of their lives between the ages of 15 and 16. A high school student's sophomore and junior years of high school can be the hardest because of AP classes, SAT and ACT exams and preparing for college applications. On top of handling academic and personal responsibilities, a high school student begins to decide what they want to study in college and the career they would like for themselves in the future. Asking a teenager what they want to do with their lives will produce a variety of answers, but underneath those answers lies uncertainty about the future. While it seems to be important to get started on our lives right after high school, it’s okay to not have all of life figured out at the age of 18.
There is no doubt that students in both high school and college feel the stress of trying to balance growing up and preparing for their future. When looking at our situations objectively, it is logical that not everyone can plan for their entire life when they haven’t even lived a quarter of it, but it is easy to be trapped in that mentality. It is important to remind ourselves and others that life is a learning process and we all go through it differently. Sometimes, the pressure of having a complete plan of action can come from our families, but they only want to see us succeed. In the end, our parents understand that we do not have all the answers, in fact that is why we have them! Most people who are older can tell you that their plan when they were a teenager did not work out the way they thought it would, and look at them; they are still alive and well. Our families are there to guide us when we need help and remind us that everything will work out. Seeing our peers' success while we aren’t sure of our plan can also lead to some distress because we begin to feel that, if our friends seem to have things worked out, we must as well. However, our friends will tell us that there were and still are obstacles they have to overcome. Even if a higher education isn’t something we feel is best for us right after high school, we still have the rest of our lives to go back.
One piece of advice that I have carried with me from two of my high school teachers is that we will all end up where we need to be. I think it is important that everyone carry that advice with them as well. If we don’t end up at the school of our dreams, or if the school of our dreams doesn’t end up being the right fit for us, it’s okay because we will end up somewhere that is the right fit. If we change our majors after a year or two, it’s okay because we are growing and finding what our passions are. If a few years after we graduate, we end up at a job that doesn’t match up with our degree, it’s okay. As long as we stay positive about where life is leading us, not having everything figured out is completely okay!
