Weekly Prompt: Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years? by Aura Mahoney

Posted: October 10, 2018

 

“Hopefully I’ll be fresh out of university, and I’ll be able to start my own horse facility from my home. I also want to be financially stable, but that’s kind of expected!”

- Rebeka Sealy, grade eleven student at Bathurst High

“In five years I want to be finished my degree at St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia. I want to make a lot of money with my degree too.”

-Tyler Duguay, grade twelve student at Bathurst High

“I’ll want to be finishing up at St. Mary’s and be living in Halifax after getting used to school. I’ll probably be doing stuff for the boat club at the university too, because it sounds like a lot of fun and I think I’m going to have a really good time doing that. I really want to have my own pet too, like a gerbil or something.”

-McKenzie Bolichowski, grade twelve student at Bathurst High

Students who were faced with the recurring question of their future plans were quick to add healthy finances and a post-secondary education onto the list. But does having a higher education and being rich truly matter more than the morals that seem to be lacking in modern society? Is being financially stable more important than enjoying oneself to the extent of being comfortable in their situation, no matter what they are going through? Does happiness not have more importance than the constant stress and dreariness a forced life carries?

Obviously, there are exceptions to this claim; many people aspire to bring light into other people’s lives through education, health, safety, or stability, for example, which require a post-secondary education that will be obtained under no force. However, there are many other students that are forced to meet the requirements of societal standards, whether or not they wish to follow those footsteps.

The main question to this, though, is why does it happen? Why do youth feel the need to pursue noble careers and lives they do not wish to have? Sadly, there seems to be no proper answer; pressures from society, parental figures, and even peers can turn it into a competition on who can be the “most successful” under the traditional views that the world currently has. Students are also treated like children for decades and then are quickly expected to decide the path of their whole life by 18, which is extremely stressful, and can make choosing a standard plan seem much more plausible rather than doing things they are passionate about.

Whatever the case may be involving the pressured youth of today, there are still ways for them to claim a life full of joys specific to their interests, true aspirations, and skills rather than what they can make a good profit from in the future. The leaders of tomorrow are the ones suffering from this cycle, however tomorrow will be bright if they are able to break through into a fun and rewarding life for themselves.