When you start high school, one of the first things they ask you is "What you want to do after you graduate?" They expect you to be able to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, but you can't be trusted to go to the restroom without asking for permission. Everyone assumes that the next step for everyone is college. You have to have a plan and a set of goals for the next five, ten, and even twenty years, when in reality you barely even know what to wear tomorrow.
When I was in high school I was focused on academics. Yes, I was involved in other things, but when it came down to it I would put my classes first. Naturally, I became known as the nerd, and it was always assumed that I would continue doing what I had always done. I would sit through at least four more years of classes and tests because that's what was expected of me. The more I think back on it, though, I don't remember anyone genuinely asking me what I wanted to do.
Because if they had asked I would have told them that I didn't want to go to college. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had interests, but I didn't really have anything I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I had no idea what major to pick and I didn't want to choose something and hate it. I didn't really want to be thousands of dollars in debt for something that I may end up hating or that I can't find a job in. I dreaded the idea of having to go to a new city and start over with no friends and no family nearby that I could go home to every day. When it came down to it, that's what I thought I was supposed to do, so I did it.
However, now that I'm here, I'm glad that I chose college. I've made new friends and found things here that I enjoy. It's a much different experience than high school, but everything in life is going to be different than what I've always done. I realize now that the thing that made me so hesitant to come to college was my fear of the future, and the thought that I might fail. I know now that no matter what I would've have chosen to do, I still would have had to face new things and risk not getting it right the first time. It doesn't matter what you choose to do after college, whether you pick college, work, military or anything else. You just have to be willing to take a chance and do what makes you happy, especially if it scares you, because that's what will help you grow the most.
