The Future Awaits
When I was little, I heard about people going to college after they graduate from high school. At the time I didn't really know what it was until I got older because my dad had gone. Not everyone goes to college and you don't even have to in order to get a good paying job. Some people just graduate from college and get a job, having that for the next forty or so years until they retire. That plan isn't good enough for me though. I intend on going to college after I graduate from high school.
It's funny how I always complain about going to school every morning and having to do work, but I'm always told by my parents, "You still have four more years after this, so what are you going to do about that?" They are very true. My education doesn't stop after high school. No, there's still the matter of college. Really though when you think about it, you don't stop learning after you're through with school. New things are learned every day.
One of the topics I hear from my classmates is that they don't know which college they're going to or what they plan on majoring in. Everything is confusing to them and instead of looking at the future; they only look at what's going on today. Pretty soon they need to open their eyes and see that they need to make that decision now. Lucky for me I already chose what college I'm going to and what I'm majoring in. At first I didn't have a single clue as to what I'd do with the rest of my life. I always changed occupations throughout my school years ranging from a doctor to a high school English teacher. In between those were the typical, "I want to be a cosmetologist because I love doing hair!" and the veterinarian jobs. Then there was the problem with where to go. I didn't know what college I wanted to go to. When I was younger, I would get homesick easily. I wouldn't really go anywhere and I didn't want to be away from my parents. To fix that problem, I wanted to first go to Ferris State University because it's only twenty-five minutes down the road from where I live. Since then, I've made a huge change in decision making.
Now that I'm older, I figured I should stop to take some time in planning my future because let's face it, the future is coming faster than we thought. I decided I'd become a journalist when I was a junior in high school. The reason I chose to be that was because I love to write. Writing is my passion and I do nothing but write. Getting the inside scoop to an event before anyone else knows is what I love doing. Why would I want to do something that I hate and keep on doing that for the rest of my life?
All you have to do is figure out what you enjoy doing, then go on from there. You wouldn't believe the many possibilities and types of careers you could get with doing what you enjoy most. There are different types of journalists out there like broadcast, foreign correspondent, free lance, magazine, etc. The one that I prefer to be is a reporter for a magazine or newspaper. I'd really enjoy being one for a music magazine because I'm a music freak. One of the things that makes up most of my life is music. I've been told that it'll take me years to become one or that I'll never make it and instead I'll work for something small, but you know what? I won't let that bring me down because I know if I persevere, then I'll eventually get to where I want to be.
I did figure out where I wanted to go to college. I don't want to go to FSU because anyone can get in there and it's so simple. Plus it's close to home and now that I'm not so attached, I want to go further than a twenty mile radius. I decided that I'm going to GVSU and I'm going to live there. Just recently I was accepted to Grand Valley and now I know for sure that's where I want to go. I am a little scared to be going away from home, but at the same time I'm glad that I can be on my own in some sort of way. College is a time for me to figure out who I really am and what I'm going to become.
The future may be scary and a little dim to some people, but if you have a plan to follow, then there's nothing to worry about. This generation is going to take the lead soon so it's best if we just buckle down and be in control of our own lives. Mom and dad won't always be there for us. While you're still in high school, make the best of it because if you don't, then you'll look back on those years wondering, "What if I did this or that?" Like the saying goes, "Everyday is a new adventure and a new beginning."
