It is that time of year again. One full of deadlines, fake tans and the dreaded question of ‘what happens after school?’ For grade twelve students across the country, the next month represents the final days of their schooling. In the past thirteen years they have grown from the preschooler wearing the oversized bucket hat waving their parents goodbye on their first day of school to the capable young men and women who are about to walk out of the school gates for one final time. Among them there will more than likely be the bankers, footballers, farmers, retail assistants, pharmacists of the future and everything in between.
For some, knowing what they want to do after school is easy but for most it is question that is answered with uncertainty and immense pressure. At the age of 17 we expect these young adults, who have just spent their entire lives in the protection which the educational institution offers, to know what they want to do with their lives. Now that you know your ‘ABC’, how to solve quadratic equations and have an understanding of Newton’s Laws you are also expected to know what you want to do when you finish school, understand how to get there and solve the problem. Sure there are guidance officers, teachers, parents and friends to help you through the experience, but perhaps the biggest issue is the pressure which some students face at the idea of not knowing what they want to do when they finish school.
I was one of those students that seemingly had it all figured out. I wanted to be a lawyer and I had worked hard enough to get into the course of my choice. What I was not prepared for was the reality that became my first semester of uni. I absolutely hated law and I realised that I certainly did not want to spend the rest of my life with a business card that read ‘Solicitor’ in the fine print. I know that I am definitely not the first student to leave school and find myself six months down the track with a totally different life direction and I know that I certainly will not be the last.
Here is my advice to those finishing year twelve, regardless of whether you have no idea, a bit of an idea or are absolutely certain what you want do when you leave. The future can be scary, trust me, I know. Right now I am facing my own uncertain future, coming to the end of my degree I am waiting to hear about whether or not I have been accepted into the course I have applied for next year. The thought of finishing for good at the end of next year is as thrilling as it is scary. While I cannot wait to finish Uni and almost ironically get into the classroom, my head whirls with questions over whether I will find a job, if I will have to move away and even just what the future holds in general. As scary as the future may look, it is also extremely exciting. One chapter of your life so to speak may be ending but the real adventure is just starting. It does not matter if you are not one hundred percent sure what your dream job is or even if your dream job is possible, what is important is that you remember to have fun. Do not do something because it seems like the right thing to do, the easy thing to do or even just something to do…do something that you enjoy. Discover your strengths and your weaknesses and really look to discover yourself. They say if you are having fun you will never have to work a day in your life and I believe you need to create your dream, instead of letting your dream create you. The most important thing though when you step out of those school gates for the final time is to remember not to be afraid. Do not be afraid of the future, the unknown or what to do when plan a through to z all fall through and do not at any point be scared of hard work, because nobody ever learned to value themselves and what they were capable of without some good old fashioned hard work.
Too often we are scared of failure but it is only through failure that we realise the value of hard work. I have always been a huge Rugby League fan and have always admired the commitment that it takes to become a professional footballer. The journey starts long before the words ‘OP’, year 12 or life after school are even a mere thought in most people’s minds. I came across the journey of one footballer, Tom Kingston who I believe has a lesson that we should all take note of, whether you are finishing school, feeling a bit lost in life or looking for a new adventure. At the age of 26 he found himself ready to plan for life after football, while playing in the second tier Queensland Cup competition and he was yet to make his NRL debut. While 26 probably seems young to be giving up on a dream when we compare it to other careers, for someone who wants to play professional football at 26 he was probably starting to feel like last unpicked apple on the tree, but never did he give up hope and that is the lesson we need to learn from him. Commitment and passion are important but you need hope too and you need to believe in yourself. It would have been easy for Kingston to say it was ‘too hard’ or that it was not going to happen and he very well could have but he didn’t. Instead Kingston found himself making his NRL debut for the Gold Coast Titans earlier this year and has recently signed a contract for 2015. You might not achieve your dream the day you step outside those school gates, but if you promise yourself that you will work hard and not give up, you have a much better chance of achieving it. Nobody ever won a gold medal, got a promotion or achieved a goal by saying it was too hard and giving up, after all don’t they say ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’?
Discover what you are truly passionate about and do it! Do not let fear stop you and do not give up until you are there. Enjoy the final days of school and remember that no matter what you do, smile while you are doing it.
Thoughts of a Twenties Girl 