When I was really young, I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like after high school. I grew up watching Disney Channel cartoons where all their lives took place in high school, and there was nothing else after that. I believed that my life would somehow stop before I finished high school because my younger self couldn’t imagine doing anything after it. The shows I watched never alluded to the life that came after, and there’s a reason.
The reason that none of the cartoons had ever alluded to what came after is because there are a million doors one can choose to open. Some of us seniors will go to a huge college and pursue degrees in medicine or law, others will start someplace less costly, like Maple Woods so as not to amass large amounts of debt later in life. Some may not go to college; they may start their careers early, become a volunteer fire fighter, join the Peace Corps, back pack through Europe, tour with their rock band, or start their business as a wedding photographer. Someone could do all of those; more power to them for following their passions.
The thing with life is that if there isn’t a door, there’s usually a window or hidden passage way somewhere. Rarely is there no way out; it’s just a matter of looking for them in unusual places. If the path that you’re on isn’t one that pleases you completely, you shouldn’t be on it. I know in life there are times that you have to do things that you don’t want to; study for an ACT, go to work at a minimum wage job, finish calculus homework at one in the morning. That’s inevitable, but if you don’t like where your overall life is headed, go back to your basics and remember where your spark for life stems from.
Whether it’s college in your future, traveling or a full-time job: you were only given one life, so make it worth it in the end. Steve Jobs dropped out of college to tinker with tech stuff in his parent’s garage. J.K. Rowling was once a single mother working full time and still found time to pursue writing Harry Potter’s series in her spare time. Steven Spielberg applied to attend the film school at University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television and was rejected twice. If it doesn’t work out for you the first time, keep trying. Things often hit the bottom before the climb to the top begins. If you stick to your beliefs and fight for what you want in life, then this isn’t the end for you, it’s just opening the next door.
