You finished high school, now what?

This is the ongoing question for many of America's youth. The cultural expectation in the U.S. is that once you finish high school you should have a strong idea of what college you will be attending and what career you will pursue. Basically, you should have a strong sense of where you are going in the next ten years and what you will achieve. For most people, including myself, this is easier said then done. With the rising cost of tuition, there is more and more pressure to get it right and get it right the first time. Find what you like to do and what will make enough money to pay off loans, because chances are you are only going to college once.

The pressure to have an exact plan and timeline of your life are extreme, to say the least. How can someone be expected to know exactly what they want coming out of high school? I couldn't even plan out an outfit in high school, let alone my life. Almost a year and half later I can honestly say the planning is not going much better. Do I want to add a double major? What should that double major be? Do I love journalism or should I pursue a degree in education? Should I do both? What is actually going to get me a job? Should I just graduate early? These questions are rumbling through my head daily and no matter how many friends or advisors I talk to I just can't seem to find an answer. I am slowly leaning that maybe that is okay. Maybe the problem isn't me, maybe it is the pressures of society to have my life figured out in a timely manner.

Don't get me wrong -- I think it is good to have a strong direction in life, but does every detail of my life need to be planned out? Just because I don't know my exact four year plan doesn't mean I am a slacker or inadequate of making a decision. I think people need to have time to figure out who they are and what they want in life. People should not have to be stuck to specific deadlines to figure out what exactly they want from their life and education. There should be room for everyone to experiment with classes and hobbies and there should be more help and guidance for those who need it. There should be more opportunities in high schools for different classes that may help with picking a major or career. Perhaps if we support students in not knowing, they won't feel pressured to make quick decisions about their life that they may regret later down the road. American students should know that it it totally okay to have your life plan all figured out and it's also totally okay not to have a plan, because someday you will figure it out and there shouldn't be a deadline for that.