Throughout history and especially today, teens have always been under tremendous amounts of pressure to plan out their future. In the 8th grade, we went through career choices and were asked to make a plan and choose a career. I myself felt so pressured, and now I’m in 10th grade, and I still feel pressured. I find it very odd that we are forced to make life-changing decisions at such a young age, but we aren’t allowed to make adult decisions. We can spend countless hours of the best years of our lives studying, but we’re treated like we’re stupid. We are forced to grow up so fast, against our will, and then treated inadequately.
Adults look upon us as if we’re troublemakers, forgetting they too were once teenagers. Of course we like to have fun, but we also care about things. If you haven’t noticed, the youth of today is — in a lot of ways — a sad, tired, emotionally drained group of individuals, and no one has ever sat down to figure out why.
Most of us have come to terms with the fact that we will be economically challenged. We’ve also come to the realization that, since most of us will be middle class or lower, we will have to work the remaining years of our youth trying to get a good paying job and then work the rest of our good years trying to earn enough money just to get by — or in the hopes of making a better life for our children. We’re working our entire lives instead of just living. So many people don’t even have time to live and be free like everyone should be.
Some people think that the pressure put on teens is reasonable, considering they’re growing into adults. Of course we can handle adult responsibilities, right? Of course most responsibilities are still extremely hard. Puberty is a crucial time for emotional development, so extreme pressure, whether it’s from home life or school life, can negatively affect a teen’s mental stability. Girls usually begin puberty around the ages of 10-12 and finish around 15-17. Boys begin at ages 11-13 and end around ages 16-18. Keep in mind that this time period is a very confusing, very hard time, and the pressure of trying to figure out your entire life doesn’t help at all.You’re still finding out who you are right now, let alone who you will be in 10-15 years.
All of that being said, you don’t have to know what your plans are right now. My aunt is in her 30’s and still has doubts about her career choice. It’s okay. The pressure we put on ourselves is not needed. You still obviously need an education and a semi-solid plan, but it shouldn’t consume you. Open yourself up to all possibilities, not just one career choice. Educate yourself fully with the intention to be able to work many jobs. Just live the best years of your life to the fullest and don’t look back. Everyone is very talented — just maybe not talented in a way the school system shows.
“What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning.” – Chuck Grassley