From the time that we’re young, we’re constantly being pressured to do just as everyone else does. You’re expected to do just as your parents, siblings, neighbors, friends, classmates and cousins did. You must get straight As, go to college, know what you want to do with the rest of your life by age 18 at the latest, have a successful job, get married, have children, in that order, nonetheless. Society wraps us all up into following “the norm” and “sticking to the status quo” (shout out to High School Musical for that one) that there’s little room for diversity. And on top of all of that, we’re all expected to be UNIQUE. Here’s why I believe that doing everything exactly by the books isn’t always necessarily the best option for some people and why it’s okay to stray away from it:
Getting straight As: Obviously we all want to do the best we can while we’re in school for the beginning part of our lives, but when the idea of having to get straight As to be anything in life consumes your mind in entirety, the stress and pressure placed on your shoulders can become unbearable. My generation especially has an unrealistic expectation that anything under an A is unacceptable and will never amount to anything. Not all of us are going to be able to get into the Ivy League, you know.
Going to college: If you know me at all, you know I adore my college more than anything, however, I do believe that college isn’t necessarily for everyone. Of course it opens up incredible doors for people, but there’s this unnecessary negative connotation about people who choose not to go to college. Some people choose a trade, the military, or working to support themselves after high school, and that’s okay. As long as you have some sort of drive and ambition to do something with your life, college isn’t the only answer, and these people shouldn’t be looked down upon for their choices. After all, it is their life.
