There is way too much pressure on young people to know what they are doing. One of the most asked questions to high school seniors is “What do you want to do when you graduate?”
I don’t believe anyone is asking this out of malice, but I do believe it shouldn’t be such a popular question to ask young people. It reinforces the belief that many of them already have that they should know what they want to do for the rest of their lives.
That is way too much pressure to put on an 18-year-old just graduating high school. When young people are preparing to graduate, they already have so much on their minds, even without the added pressure from others.
There is no reason they should feel so much pressure to make an immediate decision about their futures. Most people don’t even stick to one career for their whole lives, and that is okay. I am a firm believer that people are led to the right opportunities as long as they put in the effort.
It deeply bothers me that so many people discourage graduates from taking a gap year. In fact, I would actually encourage people to take a gap year if they are even considering it. I believe that if someone is considering a gap year, they are not ready to make such a weighty decision.
We shouldn’t expect or encourage 18-year-olds to potentially go thousands of dollars into debt for something they are not even sure they want to do. Every year, so many high school graduates make this exact plan.
According to the Education Data Initiative, 39% of first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree students do not complete their program within 8 years. That is a startling statistic, yet so many people apply to and begin college each year after graduating.
I’m not saying college is a waste or that nobody should pursue higher education. I believe education is very valuable, even outside of college. What I’m saying is that we need to remove the pressure on young people to know what they want to do fresh out of high school.
Additionally, we should be having way more conversations with young people planning to take out loans for college. While some loan entrance counseling is required, I don’t believe that is enough. Taking on debt, especially the amount that college often requires, is very serious.
It is one thing to take on such debt if someone knows what they want to study in college and is confident in their decision. It is another for a young person to pick something they think sounds kind of interesting and go thousands of dollars into debt for it.
Even worse, parents are often the culprits. So many parents pressure their children to go to college, even if they don’t want to. I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard people say they need to go to college or choose a certain major so their parents won’t be disappointed.
I always jokingly say that I have a “loser degree.” I truly believe English is a very valuable and versatile degree, and I am proud of my choice. However, that’s not how the vast majority of people feel when I tell them I’m majoring in English.
It’s usually disappointing to people because it’s not in healthcare or something else that’s “actually” important. Sometimes, people try to give me the benefit of the doubt and ask me, “Oh, so you want to teach English?” To which I respond, “No, I am a writer.” Cue the discomfort and awkwardness.
I’ve learned not to care because I am very proud of my choice. I have known for a long time that it is what I want to do, and I don’t really care who that disappoints.
Most of the time, the same people pressure young adults to go to college for something they don’t really care about. Should I mention again that it’s ridiculous to place that kind of pressure on someone so young?
My point is, higher education is very valuable… IF it is something you’re genuinely interested in pursuing and have a good understanding of how serious it is to take on debt for it, if necessary. There is too much pressure surrounding it all, though, and that is the part we need to change.