Jude Magnotti ’26
EE Co-Managing Editor
If there is one thing all of us can relate to in life, it is that time flies. More than just flies, time zooms and eventually we reach a point where we swear that our friend’s birthday party in second grade felt just like yesterday. In high school especially, the years pass by so fast that you go from a humble Freshman one moment to being a full fledged adult the next.
As long and dreadful as your classes may feel, high school goes by fast and teenagers are required to make miraculous transitions into adults in just 4 years. The abruptness that results from teens’ graduation from school (and furthermore graduation into adulthood) catches many off guard, especially those who had no idea so much time has passed in the first place.
While being thrusted into the adult world is a common fear for many students, some are able to land on their feet while others land on their face and never get back up. This begs the question: How important really is it to start planning for the future in your senior, junior, sophomore, or even freshman year?
Afterall, high school is an experience that deserves to be experienced without the pressure of a looming future overhead. Kids don’t want to be thinking about what they are going to do with their life at prom, or their final football game, or six flags.
However, reality is not often obliging to these concerns and you are forced to think about the future in advance if you have any hopes of going out and getting what you want in life. Fortunately, there is still a way to think about the future while also appreciating the beauty of the present moment. It starts with acknowledging the need to plan for the future in the first place.
This belief does not compel you to having to enter the Army, or the trades, or even college. It does however, require that when you leave high school you have already made your first move towards a successful future. Think of it like a board game; you may have already moved a few spaces, but you have to keep rolling in order to get all around the board.
Everyone has a unique potential within themselves, if only they have the courage to unlock it. This does not have to be some amazing talent or skill, but simply something that pushes you in the right direction to achieve what you know you can. The first thing you need to do is get your priorities straight. This does not mean knowing what career you want to pursue, but rather having a solid perception of what is most important to you. Figure out what you value, what you love, and most importantly what you are willing to for in order to pursue.
As long as you have your priorities down, life will guide down the right path on its own. A common problem among teens is that they don’t know what their priorities are, they don’t know what matters most to them. However, the biggest obstacle that individuals face is not the challenges in front of them, but rather the one looking them right back in the mirror: Themselves.
Most teens are so consumed by feelings of self-doubt and low self esteem that they give up doing anything in life in the first place. Some might also be so concerned with their problems and difficulties in the present moment that they simply do not have the strength to look anywhere past their current circumstances. These feelings of doubt or anxiety are in all of us.
Every person who has ever made something of themselves has dealt with the same feelings of self-doubt and loneliness that you have. Despite this, all of those people have not let those feelings hold them back and have rather moved past them and used those feelings to make themselves stronger.
With that being said, preparing yourself for what may come is not methodically planning out each step of your life. As we all are aware, you never know what life may throw at you and as such even the most concrete plans are bound to fall apart. Being prepared is simply being aware of the talents you have as well as the options available to you. Doing things like researching colleges, looking at programs, or even visiting the college and career center are all little things you can do to start planning for life after school.
Then, there are big things you can do such as applying to colleges, joining clubs, and caring enough about your grades so that you can actually learn something from the plethora of information that school feeds you every day.
Another important thing you can do is to lean on the adults in your life. Whether that is your parents, your teachers, or your role models, each person has already had their own valuable experiences in life that they can use to educate as well as giving you a push in the right direction.
Wherever you go in life, forming relationships with other adults is key and it is better to get in practice by doing it now.
Additionally, this relationship forming applies to all the people in your life, not just adults. As time passes, so do relationships and sooner or later the friends and lovers you at one point cherished can become nothing more than a faded memory on a dusty mirror. Appreciate the friends and family you have now, but never be afraid to reach out and make relationships with new people.
Connections can help you with your career, your activities, and most importantly your well-being. Friends come and go but your ability to show the value in yourself never will.
The point of this column is not to make you stress about the future, but to encourage you to realize that high school does not last forever. Sooner or later, you will have to make your own choices of where you want your life to go like everyone else. At the end of the day, the future is not about what you think it is. It is not about getting a college degree, it is not about being rich or famous, and it most certainly is not about comparing yourself to other people.
If you try, you can not fail in life; the only way you can fail is if you are oblivious to the vast opportunities and experiences life has to offer. Too many people let their lives flash past them. DON’T let it happen to you.