By Ashleigh Leck
The most common questions for senior high school students include something like ‘What university are you going to go to after school?’ or ‘What are you going to study at uni?’. However, this is such an isolating question as there is are many other things that newly graduated students can do, not just follow society’s view of the norm and follow the rest of the 91% of students who were enrolled with universities in 2016. It is vital that we keep these options in our mind, so that we all can fulfil our full potential and be true to ourselves.
If you want to take a year off to travel, go for it! if you want to do a TAFE course, why not? If you want to go straight to full-time, do it. You don’t have to go to university just because everyone else is. Create your own path.
Not knowing what you want to do after school is another major factor as to why students go to uni in hope to find themselves. Whilst this can happen, it is likely that you would have wasted time and money on something that you aren’t truly passionate about. In 2016, 378 000 students began a university degree when in the same year only 186 000 students completed a course, clearly revealing the large dropout rate that is present in our university system.
It is completely normal to have no idea what you want to do after school. It is sometimes scary, but it is so important that we all embrace this emotion and follow our gut, so that we end up where we are meant to be.
Good luck to the class of 2019, we know you will do us proud.