The Future: What's Next?

The future. If I was eight, I would’ve associated that word with aliens, spaceships, flying cars, and maybe even Saturn. But when you are newly-oriented high schooler and on the struggle bus when someone asks you, “What’s next?”, the only things you can muster are careers, pathways, salaries, and don’t even get me started on taxes. Most people my age already know how to answer that question relatively well. But am I seriously expected to put a name to myself right now? 

Hi! Welcome to the very first blog of an impulsive yet sensible, and emotional yet realistic teenager! I want to start with a topic that anyone can relate to. How can you choose who you want to be tomorrow if you don’t know who you are now? Some can argue that it is a little early to think about careers when you have three more years of high school to go through. Just go with the flow, they’ll say. But I’ll ask you this: when the time comes, do you truly trust yourself to make the right decision if you don’t start thinking right now? If you do, then maybe you already have a path laid out for you to follow. But if you are like me, with a million different ideas and wants, things get a little bit more frustrating.  

Look, I’ve been through a lot of phases in my life, and I mean a lot. I can go one month fixated on becoming a marine biologist, and when that doesn’t pan out, I learn everything that I can think of about outer space in hopes of becoming an Astro engineer. When I finally find something interesting and worth spending the rest of my life on, I lose it in the end. Not that there is anything about marine biology or Astro engineering, it just isn’t who I truly am. 

Ever since seventh grade, though, I believe that I have found the one thing that I truly connect with: music. I have been playing violin for a while, but the love settled in deep in seventh grade. It brings a sense of joy, happiness, and sometimes even satisfaction when I play, something that no other art or subject gives me. People even say that music can heal the soul. What’s better than that? Just as I started to think that this might be it, reality started to kick in. The music industry is very competitive. So much so that if you do not achieve certain checkpoints or reach credibility at a certain age, there is no guarantee of a successful career. Meaning that you may have to live in your parents’ basement when you are in your early thirties. These factors can somewhat bring a person down. What do I do now? Was this just another phase?  

Wow, I just went into a very depressing rabbit hole. But what’s true is true. The thing to keep in mind is to always believe that there is a bright side and that things will turn out. I know it’s a little old-school and cheesy, but it works! Last year, I won an award for my very first science fair project, and I had zero expectations (more on that later)!  That’s when I realized that the one thing that makes me feel like myself is making other people happy and helping them. That’s the connector between my phases. I just wanted to be there for others when they needed it. So, this is my official proclamation. I will strive to become or do something that will benefit the people around me. Even if it means taking small steps like tutoring friends and others to begin. I know that I want to help. If that isn’t a sneak peek into my future, I don’t know what is! 

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What do You Think? 

That was a lot of heart-to-hearts right there. This quick “What do You Think?” section is to pose a few thought-provoking questions to get your mind racing (if it isn’t already). So, get thinking! 

• Do you struggle with making long lasting decisions? 

• If there is one thing that you can ensure about your future, what would it be? 

• Looking back, can you think of any “phases” that you have been through? 

• What is one thing that you can do today that can brighten someone else’s day?