For many high school students, the future is something they give a lot of thought to. Many students struggle to consider all of the options available to them. Parental expectations, an overwhelming amount of information and having to consider so many factors all make the future tricky to navigate.
At South, a majority of students plan to go to a four year college after graduation with many planning on seeking higher education afterwards. Although a bachelor’s degree is not the only option for students looking towards the future. Some students plan on going into the military straight out of high school while others plan on going into nontypical careers. Students in every grade are considering their future goals and making plans accordingly.
College Bound
Jazmine Curtis (‘29) plans on attending a four year college in hopes of one day becoming a veterinarian. Curtis has had this plan since she was in first or second grade and helped her dog when it injured its leg.
“Ever since I was young, I’ve always had this passion to take care of animals,” Curtis said.
This is not just a dream for Curtis either. She has been taking time to volunteer at animal shelters and veterinarian offices for a while now. She has been doing whatever she can to help animals, having even helped nurse a squirrel back to health when it was attacked by her dog.
Curtis has also considered the cons to her future career plans.
“Some cons would be seeing animals pass away or seeing them hurt and in desperate need of help,” Curtis said.
While she takes this into account, for her this does not outweigh the pros of being able to help animals and do what she loves doing. For her, college is the best option, but it is not the best option for everyone.
Military Made
For A’Lora Matyas (‘27), the military is the best option. She has been wanting to go into the military for about four or five years and first got interested in the career from the media.
“I watch TV about the military, and I think it’s cool,” Matyas said. “It’s an experience that I want to do.”
Matyas has not yet decided what branch she plans on going into, but has researched many of them. She wants to eventually become a sergeant.
However, the cons for the military are much larger than other careers.
“There’s a possible chance of death at war, so I’m afraid of that,” Matyas said. “But I also want to get more friends and learn about other people.”
The biggest pro for Matyas is the people she will meet while serving. She thinks that the joy of serving and being there for other people would outweigh the risk of death.
While the career is not for many people at South, it is still a viable option for many students who do not know exactly what they want to do after high school.
Work Oriented
There are many other future avenues students can take after graduation. Davin Miller (‘26) plans to go into storm chasing.
“When I was growing up, I had the pleasure of going out a few times with my uncle who knows stuff about storm chasing. I saw a few twisters in my life, and I just plan to try and become reliable for the local people,” Miller said.
Miller has known that he wanted to be a storm chaser since elementary school. He plans on going into the workforce right after graduation to make enough money to get started storm chasing.
“Once I get a job, I’m going to have the money to fix up my parents’ suburban and I will get the gear required after that to go storm chasing,” Miller said.
While Miller is aware of this path’s proposed challenges, he thinks the pros outweigh the cons. In storm chasing, it is possible to get caught in a bad storm in the middle of nowhere and supplies can easily get damaged.
However, Miller loves the rush of adrenaline and being able to help save lives by reporting storms to the National Weather Service. While being a storm chaser is dangerous, he finds it very fun.
Future Help
When students look to the future, it is important to remember that one solution does not fit all. There are many career paths available for every student upon graduation. Counselors like Jim Allen in the Student Center are available at South to help students discuss their future and navigate financial problems.
Students can also look to Xello to be introduced to new career opportunities and get help preparing for scholarships and scouting out colleges.
