On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, seniors had a seminar with sophomores regarding their high school experiences, and potential future career choices were brought up. Seniors Ashley Turnage, Anirudh Srinivasan, Jillian Marty, and Jada Malone talked about their career plans and the university they plan on attending. However, this begs the question: At what age should students know their future career? As teenagers, when do we reach the maturity to make this decision?

Although it is beneficial to understand one’s passion, talents, and field of interest, it is not a matter of stress if a student doesn’t. At the sophomore stage, our high school experience is not rich or developed enough to make a concrete decision. Worrying about the future only diminishes the present moment. Hence, students should keep the question ‘What is my passion?’ at the back of their heads in high school in order to guide them through the experience. Once a passion has been followed, the career will find itself in later stages.  

The seniors at the seminar also noted that sophomores should not measure themselves on anyone else’s yardsticks. Friends or parents can cause unnecessary pressure and provide biased opinions, neither of which are healthy or helpful for high school students. Thus, students should do what they love and build their resume off of their passion, not their passion based on their desired resume. 

If you as a reader believe you are ready to determine a career, do so and pursue those dreams. However, make an educated decision and do so with as much research as possible to understand the necessary steps for achieving a goal. Parents and teachers should constantly support and encourage students struggling to find a path. And with patience, dedication, and honesty, every student will eventually find where they are meant to be.