As seniors are pushing through their last year of high school, most are not looking forward to the end of their school life, but rather to the beginning of a new, equally long, more difficult upcoming school life: University.
I’m writing this article to say to future seniors that this is not the only option! You have been a student; you’ve been told to obey rules, you’ve been in a structured environment for nearly your whole life. You have NEVER had a year to yourself, or worse, you have never had more than a summer break to yourself.
This, however, is not to say that there is anything wrong with going straight into college out of high school. Many people love learning and just want to keep pushing through and there is nothing wrong with that. I am only saying that students deserve a break, and that students deserve at least a year of independence so that they can make an informed decision on what they want to spend their lives doing.
SO many college students pick a major that they are confident they will enjoy, and then next thing you know they have changed it three times, and now they are unsure of themselves.
How could we expect anything different?
These people haven’t ever been given sufficient time to find themselves, and therefore, know themselves well enough to discover their true passion.
It is sad that so many people end up in a job in which they feel unfulfilled and bored. That isn’t what life is about! If we are going to grow up in the confines of a society and be treated as cogs in a machine, the least we can do for ourselves is make a living from something we love doing.
Additionally, think about the sheer amount of things you can do in a year free of school. You could go to a retreat, you could work and build wealth, you could travel, you could reconnect with family, you could learn new skills, and the list goes on…
All these things force you to sit with the reality of your life and face what’s in front of you, and when the pressure of school is not weighing you down, that reflection can really help you discover what you want to spend your time doing.
To be completely honest, I have no idea what I am going to end up doing in my life, but I am about to graduate high school and I am taking a gap year. I’ll be spending a few months in a monastery, meditating and being in nature, and then I’ll slip back into society, knowing myself more deeply, and having a clearer direction to walk in
Yes, I don’t know what I love doing yet, but I am excited to take some time for myself and figure it out, and I encourage high schoolers to at least consider this option for themselves.
