Elkhorn Public Schools is known for its success as a college preparatory school district, meaning that preparing students for higher education after high school is a pivotal part of the curriculum.
At Elkhorn, many classes are available on a wide range of subjects and possible career paths, giving students an insight into different career opportunities in a class period. The district also offers career and college fairs, eat with an expert, and programs like Naviance that can help guide students to possible career paths.
Many of these career and academic opportunities are entirely overlooked until Junior year, when the counselors and curriculum shift more towards college prep. This leaves many students, who hadn’t thought about what they want to do before, with one of the most important decisions of their lives: what happens next?
“There is a lot of pressure on students to know when you’re 17 years old what you want to do for your whole life,” Counselor Meg Starman said. “And that’s too much pressure.”
According to U.S. News, 3,982 secondary education institutions grant degrees in the United States. Only one of these schools is attended by any given student. That leaves way for a lot of room for decision-making, without noting the 2000+ majors that one can pursue.
“I think it’s very important to plan where you want to go,” Junior Alex Aliano said. “It sets you up for your future education and alleviates the stress of having no options when the time comes.”
Many students feel the need to decide the rest of their lives due to this pressure, but this is not the case. The National Center for Education Statistics says that 1 in 10 students end up switching their majors. It’s not uncommon to switch, so there should be less stress in knowing exactly what to pursue.
Head of the science department, Chemistry, and AP Chemistry teacher, Reyne Armbrust, didn’t always want to be a teacher. She switched majors after job shadowing while pursuing a nursing degree in California.
“I just realized being a nurse involved lots of gross things that I didn’t want to do,” Armbrust said.
This pressure of college can negatively affect students’ mental health, building unnecessary anxiety and stress. It’s important just to take a break and relax, worry less about the future, but also, if this pressure gets too unbearable, the counselors are available for individual support.
“Any student can come in and ask about career counseling and what academic classes they should take to pursue what they want to do,” Counselor Meg Starman said.
Instead of rushing to decide life after high school, students should place focus on learning about themselves and different career paths, and shouldn’t be afraid to figure it out after they graduate. There is no direct definition or path for success, so students should do what works for them and what makes them happy. Doing so, success is a guarantee.
“I graduated high school and had no idea what I wanted to do, and I didn’t declare my major until my sophomore year of college,” Starman said.
