Let's talk about post high school

Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog! Today I wanted to talk about something I think we can all relate to! When high school starts to come to a close, it feels like a cloud is hovering over your head. What do I do next? College, trade school, community college, right into a job? It’s a lot of pressure to decide what you want to do after high school, especially at a young age. For me, I felt a lot of pressure. Mostly everyone I knew was going to college. I decided to attend Johnson and Wales University and major in marketing.

When COVID-19 hit, everything changed. JWU sent us home and I wasn’t sure when I was able to go back. When JWU sent us home, I had a lot of thinking to do. I didn’t want to pay full tuition If it was just doing college online. One of the things I loved about JWU was the campus life. So, after a lot of thinking I decided to transfer to a community college. However, transferring wasn’t the only thing that changed. I also decided to completely change my major. When I was at JWU, I wasn’t 100% passionate about marketing like I thought I would. I had no idea what route I wanted to go with marketing. So, I knew I needed a change and wanted to major in something else.

My mom and sister are both teachers. I always had the thought of being a teacher in the back of my mind. I also have had some amazing teachers that have inspired me to become a teacher. One teacher that helped me was my high school English teacher. I had him my sophomore and senior year. In my senior year, I decided to take creative writing. I was nervous to take this class because writing creatively was a challenge for me. However, he helped me become a better writer, and inspired me to continue to write, and share my passion through writing. I knew one day I wanted to inspire kids and help them grow just like he helped me grow through writing.

So, when I transferred to a community college I decided to change my major to early childhood education. When I started taking classes for education, I enjoyed what I was learning. I also decided to start a new job at a daycare. I instantly knew working with children is what I wanted to do. It was that eye-opening experience I needed to know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I continue to grow connections with the children I work with every day, and it shows me how much I love my job and how happy I am that I decided to become a teacher.

My advice for everyone who is struggling with what to do after high school is to do what you think is best. You may feel pressured to go to college the right way, but is that really what you want to do? College isn’t just about the experience. Post-high school is the time to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. I struggled with comparing myself to other people’s experiences, but you need to do what’s best for you. My college experience is defiantly different than other people’s. I switched my major several times and transferred schools, but I found my path, and now I’m happier than ever! Soon, I will be officially Miss. Catey, certified daycare teacher!