05 Feb 2016

For many of us, the beginning of a new year brings with it a mountain of decisions on we’ve never had to face before. With university offers circulating and constantly being dragged (unwillingly, no doubt) into conversations about gap years and future career directions, not knowing what you want to do right now can seem like the end of the world. But trust me, if you’re fresh out of high school and uncertain about what you do in the future, you might actually be better off than many of your peers who’re already resolutely pursuing one goal.

That’s right, uncertainty about your future could actually be your best friend right now. Here’s why:

1. School is a small bubble, that rarely shows you all the options

I know you hear it all the time, but you don’t realise how self-contained school actually is until you mange to escape its confines and get out into the Real World. Spending almost everyday in one place, at the same time, with the same people, over and over again is hardly going to be a good representation of the diverse places and people this big ol’ world has to offer.

You’re only ever going to be exposed to a finite number of perspectives in the school environment–which will serve you well enough for the first 18 years of your life–but won’t give you the entire spectrum of options when it comes time to make weighty decisions about your life outside of school. You first have to experience the world before deciding exactly what you want to do within it, and having uncertainty is going to give you the time and motivation to do that.

2. You’ll be trying out different things in attempt to find what it is you want

If you get an offer to study that you’re not entirely sure you want to take, there is no rule that says you absolutely have to accept it right now. You might not have planned on it, but why not defer the offer for a year? Then, take that time to try out a few different things–working, travelling, short courses, traineeships. Everything you try–whether you like it or not–will get you one step closer to knowing what exactly you want out of life.

Some universities even give you the opportunity to spend time trying out different subjects, before making a final decision. An even simpler solution would be to head along to a variety of university lectures with your friends. Most lectures are open door affairs, and you don’t even need to be enrolled in university to attend. Its a perfect way to do a little trial and error, and decide what you want to study, or whether university is even the right place for you at all.

3. You wont make a rash decision

Well, we really, really hope you wont. We hope you’ll take advantage of your uncertainty and make time to explore your options before approaching a potentially life-altering decision. So many people, myself included, make a choice after school based on what you think you should do, simply because that’s what everyone has told you your whole schooling career. And often, these are the people who end up getting halfway through their degree only to realise they have absolutely no desire or motivation to complete it. I know from experience that this is a shitty situation to end up in.

If you’re going to make a decision, you’ve got to do it all on your own, based on what you want and not what you think you should want. Try out some of the things you’ve always wanted to do. If it doesn’t work out, at least you know you took a shot at one of your passions, and then you can move on to the next.

So, if you’re one of those people who is struggling with post-school uncertainty, we want you to breathe a sigh of relief, because you’re still on the right track. Just take some time. Defer if you need to. Try working for a little while, make some money, travel the world, meet a bunch of new and inspirational people and become a your fully independent self. Then you can come back next year with a refreshed perspective on what you want.

And if you still don’t know… well, why not do it all over again?