24 May 2016

It’s going to sound stupid, but Year 12 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Yeah, you’re the Kings and Queens of the playground, you wear a special tie and if you’re lucky you get to add ‘prefect’ to your resume (hot tip: do it anyway). However, there is a stigma attached to Year 12 which has plagued students for years: once you finish Year 12, that’s it.

When I walked out of that exam hall for the final time, I couldn’t have been happier. I’d done it. Thirteen years of my life, all for just one number, which would apparently dictate my future. The following is a letter to myself, a letter which I honestly wished I had in my hand during Year 12, a letter that would have made that year of my life so much easier.

Dear me,

Year 12 is an awesome year isn’t it? Your biggest worries at the moment are what part of the Business Studies Syllabus you’ve forgotten and if you’re going to go to Anna or Davo’s 18th this weekend. You’ve spent 13 years of your life studying, all in the lead up to one number. At the moment, you think that that number will dictate your future–if you take nothing else from this please know that your ATAR means f*ck all. A week after they are released, no one cares what you got. The only bloke who does is that one kid at O-Week who is still having a tough time letting go. You’ll wake up one morning in early December to a flurry of calls from family members demanding to know what you got, and they can get stuffed. This mark isn’t for them, you’re the one who spent 13 years of your life studying for that one mark, it’s for you and you alone–and whatever you want to do with it is your choice.Alex, before you decide to use it I’ve got just one request for you. Travel.

In a few months from now you’ll find yourself in Portugal, sinking beers on the beach and coming to the sudden realisation that everything isn’t as bad as it once seemed. You got your mark and you’ve forgotten about it, you haven’t thought about it since December 17th. You’re going to meet a group of new mates and for the first time you’re going to understand true happiness–not the quasi-happiness you think you’ve been experiencing for the past few years.

As ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ begins to echo out of the speakers at the Rolling Stones headline set at Glastonbury, you will finally realise that it honestly doesn’t matter. The past two years were stupid beyond all comprehension, those late night study sessions, the anxiety and stress all for one stupid number. You spent all this time worrying about meaningless shit, however it’s this realisation that will alter your perspective on life. You’re finally free, go enjoy it.

From the boat parties in Budapest to the nights out in Amsterdam, travelling is going to change you for the better. You’re going to be put out of your comfort zone, from sleeping on the beach, to police stations in rural Hungary, there will be good times and bad. Travel isn’t perfect, but it’s worth it.

At the end of your gap year in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll have a clear conscience and a better idea of what you want to do with your life. If you want to go to Uni, start an apprenticeship or continue travelling–you’ll understand that it’s your life and whatever you want to do is okay. The problem with many young Australians is that we don’t realise how much the world has to offer. A degree in economics from a top uni is pretty sweet, but if it’s not your life calling you’re just left with a sheet of paper and tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

Everyone around you will continue to berate you with statements like “your ATAR will determine your future” and “if you don’t study, how will you make it into university.” They say it with such conviction that it seems like your only option is university. But what school doesn’t teach you is who you are as a person. Before you decide what to do with your life, you should find out who you. The best way to do that is travel. Get out of home and get out of your comfort zone, because trust me, you’ll have an incredible time doing it.

Enjoy the final days of Year 12, they’re great times. Just make sure you get out of home as quick as you can. You have no idea how liberating it is.