31 Oct 2017

When you’re coming close to graduation, it seems like teachers and career advisors know everything when it comes to surviving the end of high school and becoming an adult.

Despite their best intentions in getting you motivated for your final years, sometimes they miss the mark and whatever they say, there’s always going to be a way around it later on. 

It may seem like they hold all the answers, but there’s a few things that don’t hold up, so here’s a few lies they’re telling you right now.

1. You need to know what you’re doing with your life

Teachers will stress you out because suddenly you’ve got to decide your whole future when you’re barley legal and still going to the dentist with your mum. 

Some of your teachers will tell you it’s important to know what you want to do with your life so you can start planning right now, which is valid.

But they will forget to mention that you don’t have to follow the path set for you when you’re seventeen and that your entire life plan (if you even have one) can go completely off track- which is totally okay. So, don’t worry, take a deep breath and try to ignore them (the best you can).

2. You have to go to uni

A lot of schools will try to tell you that uni is the only way for you to succeed and get the best job possible. While this might have been true once upon a time, things are changing and uni isn’t for everyone–which is completely normal.

Lots of jobs don’t actually require uni at all–so if you don’t want to continue studying and can find another way to get to where you want to be it’s totally okay to say you’re not going to put yourself through tertiary education.

Ignore what some people tell you and get out there and do your own thing, whether that’s with a degree or an apprenticeship or a job that you love.

3. Your ATAR defines you

As you lead into your final years of high school, all the talk’s going be about the ATAR. 

Teachers won’t be able to get through an entire lesson without mentioning the subject or your upcoming exams (which is fair enough since they’re probably feeling the pressure too to make sure you do well).

It’s easy to start thinking that your ATAR is all that matters, and everything else about you can be disregarded. The truth is it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the most outstanding score ever and you are worth more as a person that an arbitrary ranking.

Guess what? When you’re out of school and living your life, you probably won’t even remember your ATAR or what an ATAR even is.