Millions of teenagers enter outrageously expensive colleges to pursue something they have yet to discover. Is it too judgemental of me to criticize the fact that 17-year-olds are expected to make decisions that will impact every aspect of their future? Probably. As someone who comes from a family of overachievers, it was hard to grow up knowing that I will not be as influential as they have been/will be. My sister, Megan, was one of a kind, seeing as though she knew what she wanted to pursue at the age of six. On the other hand, my dad was just as clueless, if not more, than I. He first got a degree in journalism and proceeded to work at a newspaper and then for the House of Representatives. Following journalism, he became an EMT, International High school Principal, and 4 degrees later, he became Dr. Bill Hunter, working for Lehigh University and the United Nations. Though he went to college in Australia and had loads of fun, he constantly reminds me that he wished he had found his place sooner.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a camp director, the President, Luna Lovegood, etc. My dreams have not shrunk since then. If anything, they've grown into more realistic goals surrounding my true passions. As I finish the thrilling Cyber Junior Seminar course, I have gained virtually nothing except the visibility of my confusion. I have been a musician since I was four, so a large part of me wants to obtain a music therapy degree. Not only would this allow my empathetic self to thrive, but it would also enable me to do what I love every day. On the contrary, I want to contribute to the protection of the planet by studying Environmental Science/Policy, as the climate crisis is growing, and my passion for sustainability is immense. In that field, it is a dream of mine to work for the United Nations Environmental Programme. I have spent most of my life outside, so an environmental career aspiration is no surprise. Because STEM and music are nothing alike, it’s not possible to combine them into one “dream career”. You might be thinking “Why is she worried about her future now?” Well, to put it simply, I would like to attend the college best for my major (whatever that may be), and the top schools for each option are so different. My envy of those who do not have to think twice about their dream grows every day. Regardless, I plan on being in their position one day.
I cannot risk making the wrong decision, as I am sure you cannot either. Personally, I do not think teenagers have the ability to make such life-altering decisions in circumstances such as these. Despite that, I am jealous, but I applaud those of you who, like Megan, have a direct path to your dream. Because college tuition is about 30x more than it was in 1970, it is extremely unlikely that I will be able to unintentionally experience all of my career aspirations, as my dad did. I hope to have some sort of awakening in the near future because college applications are opening in a matter of months, and I am torn. Considering we are in the midst of our junior year, I am almost positive that I am not the only one facing these predicaments. In this life, I would like to reach my full potential within happiness, music, as well as living sustainably. Nevertheless, I know that my ability to reach goals, despite their branch, is up to me. To those of you who are as lost as I am, I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors that have not been uncovered yet. As for me, I long for a career that is a perfect fit but not rushed in the decision. I long for a career that fulfills the ambitions of six-year-old Caroline while making lasting change.
 |
| Pursuing Environmental Science: The 2020 International Day of Women and Girls in Science at the United Nations! The RASIT (Royal Academy of Science International Trust), consists of various platforms, and one that I am on called Girls in Science for SDGs (SDG's are the UN's Sustainable Development Goals)! By definition, our platform is "created and managed by 30 young change-makers and passionate girls-in-science advocates from around the world to present their vision on how they can utilize sciences to achieve Sustainable Development Goals"! |
 |
The beginning of my musical endeavors: 4-year-old Caroline playing piano :-) |
I can 100% relate to how you are feeling. I feel as if everyone in my family always new what they wanted to pursue and have been successful in doing what they love. It can be discouraging when I talk to friends about their future college plans and they all have an answer. For me, I have many passions, so when I am trying to decide how they can all fit together it is easy to feel defeated. I just wish there was a way to know exactly what to pursue in my future.
ReplyDeleteThis might be the blog I relate to the most. Seeing everyone around me seem like they have a clear decision on what they are going to do post high school is really unsettling since I am still trying to figure that out. I try to be excited for them, however I can not help to feel fear. I agree that some of the courses in high school that were built for us to better understand our aspirations, did almost nothing but confuse me more. Although our decisions remain unclear, we still have around a year, so hopefully we become more confident in our choices.
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken Junior Seminar yet and from reading your blog, I'm kind of dreading it now. I have however looked into many music colleges, because I do have a pretty solid career goal in mind. I completely agree though it's way too early to decide our futures. Don't scientists say are brains aren't even fully developed yet? Maybe by the time we get to college we'll be in the right mindset, but by then we've already spent our entire lives striving towards, what might be the wrong career. I hope you can eventually see yourself as an influential person like your dad and sister, if that is what you want (maybe read that wrong...I'm not sure). I don't know you that well, but you seem like a really great person. It almost sounds like you want to sacrifice music, your passion, to help save the planet. To that I say, queen.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who went through a whole four years of a degree... and then wandered pretty aimlessly through the service industry for 3 years because the field I had chosen was really not for me... it's ok to not know. And even if you do know now, it could change. At 17, I never dreamed I would end up an English teacher. It took a long road to get there. And I feel like I wasn't ready at 18 for it. Even if I had "known" then, I wasn't the same type of student I was at 27 when I actually went back to get my teaching degree. I would encourage anyone to live life for a while and grow up before committing to a ridiculously expensive education.
ReplyDelete