“What career path have you decided to move towards?” In this stage of our life, we are more than often pushed to answer this question. The persistent, wearying weight on our shoulders of what we are going to make of ourselves. More often than not, once we answer this question, we’re judged. We, as teenagers, are often times more expected than encouraged to be society’s definition of success, and if we don’t reach it, we are seen as irresponsible. But what would this be? You could say it’s the American Dream. Lots of adults are used to making sure teens that dream big know that their dreams are “unrealistic,” and letting us know our plans will not work in order to be successful. This article may seem like a bitter opinion piece, but I have just had these thoughts for a while and was sure others could relate.

Do we really know at this age, what we want to do for the rest of our lives? New interests and hobbies are constantly entering our world, and we lose fascination with our current passions all too often. High school is a time where most mature enough to drift away from trends and the crowds to express ourselves in every outlet that we are drawn to. We are given the opportunity to explore and learn important lessons on our own. I can not even name how many people whom I’ve known personally that have changed their minds and ended up perfectly fine. If you are one of the positive people that knows exactly where they’re going, who are others to judge you? If you are dedicated and willing to work hard to get to where you’re going, you’re likely to end up happy. 

Now, I am not saying that it is not helpful to have an idea of what you want to do early. Because it is more than useful to have this in mind. Knowing what college you’re attending and working towards that goal is extremely necessary. But, my point being it is not detrimental to you if you can’t decide what you really want to do for the rest of your life. You will not fail.  We are young, and we have so much time to think about what strikes our fancy the most, and what we’d be the best at. It is also a matter of being able to express ourselves and feel important, which we all crave. We need to scrap the idea that success is only defined by annual salary and your job position. Success is defined by each individual, and with the constant stress of school and life’s challenges, I believe it is perfectly okay to not be certain yet.