Dear High School Students,
Welcome to High School! It’s a big accomplishment that you made it this far. Whether you’re in 9th grade or 12th I want to speak to you guys about what you will hear a lot during this time, COLLEGE. Yes, college the so called Holy Grail of education. There’s many ways you can look at college. It can either be scary or you can look at it as your ticket out. In reality, college is not for everybody.
Today is June 8, 2015. I wanted this to be out on this day because it marks a very special date. Today, three years ago, I graduated High School. I was very excited. I knew I was transitioning into a new path in life which was everybody’s assumption, college. That day was the day of my downfall. The day where I knew I was going to soul search and learn about myself. I was so excited that I was graduating but the whole time during the ceremony I was thinking more about the failure of not going to college rather than the accomplishment of graduating high school. I fell victim to society. Society got me good, they trapped me and made me feel like a failure because I wasn’t a part of their “Standards”.
I was brainwashed. This whole time I was living by the standard that once you turn 18, you’re supposed to go to college, graduate, then use your degree to get a high paying job. How many 22 year olds have their life prepared after college? I’ll give you a hint, it’s less than the number of students who are unprepared and move back home after college. So desperately I wanted to be accepted by society that I thought my life would be over if I wasn’t in school during the fall. Most of the people that I graduated with were going to be doing something in September so I wanted to do something too. I can’t tell you how much stupid shit I thought of doing just so I can catch up and not be the poster boy of failure on society’s wall of standards. I was so indecisive. So many thoughts came to my head of what I could and should do just to be like everybody else my age. I even applied to colleges just to say that I was in college so I can make society happy.
If I had stayed in school and gone to college right after then I would’ve just completed my Junior year. At this very moment I could be still questioning my future and know that time was ticking. Once May came around your ass had better be prepared to grow up. Technically around this time it’s adult age. Around 21. Next year when you’re 22 you’re walking across and getting the diploma because you worked hard but it’s also a certificate that marks you an adult whether you like it or not. Time waits for no man. We're forced to grow up on society’s time and we are taught that we are supposed to go to college right after high school. Well that’s incorrect. I’m here to tell you my story and give you advice so you won’t make the same mistake I did.
It took me some time to learn that I can’t please everybody. I wasn’t going to conform to society, I was going to do what makes me happy and be a leader, not a follower. The beginning of 2013, 7 months after graduation and I still wasn’t in school. I had no fucking idea what I wanted to do with my life. I set a goal that I was going to college. The problem there was I wasn’t emotionally invested in the school itself I was more interested in how much financial aid you were gonna give so my parents would pay less. I chose a school and I was ready to go. I didn’t give a fuck about anything I chose them because they gave me a lot of financial aid. I realized that society brainwashed me again. Not only did they want me to go to where they think I should I go but they wanted me to fail.
I say, FUCK SOCIETY. Students do what you want to do, not what makes “THEM” happy. You will never please society. Society isn’t grooming us to be the leaders of the world, they want to keep us below them. If college isn’t for you don’t go. If you’re not prepared to go right after high school then don’t go. But don’t quit school to smoke weed and become an alcoholic. Go to college when you’re ready or just make a positive impact. They want us to further our education but they also want us to spend money we don’t have. Society is a bully. If we conform to them we will stay trapped. Do what interests you. Don’t waste your parents' money doing something you don’t want to do: you worked very hard to get the point you’re at, you deserve the happiness. I’m not saying to never go to college. I’m promoting that It shouldn’t be a rule for students to go college months after graduating high school. If you take a year off school you’ll learn so much about yourself and what interests you. You’ll see the world is much bigger than you know. Most importantly you’ll get a mental break. For 18 years we don’t get a long break from school. If you want to, take a full year off to get your mind right.
If you want to be a doctor or lawyer, PLEASE go to college. If you want to do something else I wouldn’t tell you 100% to go but at least give it a try. Get your feet wet and know what to expect when you go. College isn’t what it’s portrayed like in the movies. The only part that’s true is the partying. Don’t waste your time in college partying. If that’s your thing then that’ll always be there. To succeed in college you must be emotionally invested. Go to college for the right reasons, not for trying to prove a point the wrong way. Ii you fuck up you’ll drown in student debt. If you want to be a part-time student then go be a part-time student. If you don't want to go don't go, but substitute it for something for positive.
Congrats to the class of 2015! To the future high school graduates, you don’t have to listen to me but I’m just telling you the other side. I’m just like one of you. I got out of society’s trap and I don’t plan on going back. This was just to give you guys something to think about while you plan your futureHopefully you learned something, and I hope I inspired you with my story about how I lived after High School graduation.
Sincerely,
Juan (Class of 2012)
Twitter: @AmbassadorJD Follow Me!
“A man who views the world at 50 as he did at 20 has just wasted 30 years of his life” ~ Muhammad Ali
