I am not an expert nor am I saying this is a perfect key to life or high school, but it’s through experience that I can suggest this: Firstly don’t stress about what you’re going to do after high school, as a student what’s most likely on your mind is what you’re gonna do after. You’ve been asked your entire life, “What do you want to do after high school?” 

This burning question has been driven into our heads to think about most, if not all, of our school career since we can remember. The pressure to have everything planned out for when you graduate is overwhelming and stressing. Family, teachers, and counselors have the best of intentions,  but they do seem to be stressing pressures. 

From my experience and those who I’ve talked to, you don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to go to college or have a high paying job or an overly successful career. These stressing aspects and ideals cause unnecessary stress and worry. Some people live comfortably without a college degree, while others have crushing student loan debt for a degree they aren’t using. There’s alternatives to college as well, like trade school, military, apprenticeships, or entering the workforce.

Not everyone has to have it all figured out, and not everyone has to have a plan. Make as much as you need to live, not as much as others tell you, and if you don’t have a plan don’t cause yourself stress by trying to make one. “What screws us up the most in life is the picture of how everything is supposed to be.” -Socrates