Life after highschool.

[TopsyCrett]

As my high school journey is coming to an end... All I can seem to think about is what life is going to be like after high school. I've completed all applications for the local universities I would like to go to (SFU, Kwantlen.. and Douglas College just in case lol.), and I feel that I am set in the Business field (More specifically Marketing... or advertising.) I felt I was a lazy shit that just went to school, went to the gym, worked on my car, and browse twitter & car forums... so I got a part-time job at a call center as a Customer service representative at Panago Pizza to start putting on my "big boy pants".

I just feel some anxiety through the fact that it seems like whatever I choose now will effect the rest of my life... like what if I'm not down for the business field in 5 years? then what? Even though I feel Marketing and advertising is something I am passionate about, other than cars of course.. I feel some uncertainty as to that is exactly what I want to do the rest of my life!

So I ask you Revscene... I know most of you are older than me, and there are members here I know have been through a lot and have much more under their belt than I. So I ask,

What were you guys like when you were in your senior year? What route did you take post-secondary/high school? What inspired you to choose the profession/route/job you took?

[bcrdukes]

I became a belligerent racist and chat destroyer.

[mac25]

out of high school i was freaking to find a proper job and get rich... worked for a year in a hell hole saving enough money for engineering at ubc. how ever i decided that i wanted to be happy in my youth and enjoy life so i scrapped the engineering idea and decided to enroll in emily carr university of art and design. i am currently completing my third year with a major in visual fine arts and a minor in art history. best choice of my life!

you may only have one life to live. if you're not set on what career you'd like to pursue then take a year off, save up for the long nights of coffee and wicked weekends partying, just think it over. there's always plan B and many people return to school for a change in field. so just take it day by day and own your life mate =D.

[Drow]

beginning of grade 12 till halfway through the first uni semester were the best days of my life lol

brb fuck around in class with your buddies / skip every other day
brb drink a lot blaze a lot
brb you and your buddies got your N's no more taking the bus
brb NOT A CARE IN THE WORLD during your summer break before uni
brb you're grade 12 so you can mack on LG's easy
brb brb

[Timpo]

yeah just enjoy your life.
I was obsessed with money, status, etc...but if you think about it, when you die, you can't take your money with you.

find a job you like, be with people you want, do what you want, try to ignore what parents or surroundings will tell you, though it may be not that easy

[Timpo]

What Do You Desire? - YouTube

[dink]

most people are not working in the field they went for post secondary for.

[doritos]

my little buddy, i didn't know what the mutha fuck i am doing with my life for the longest time, am in my 20's. i've finally figured it out this year what i want to do that will make me happy. you will have ups and downs, it could be months, years until you see and realize what you truly want to do after you experience a little bit of life. I say take half a year to a full year off, enjoy a little bit of life, you will meet people that inspires you and you will come across careers/ideas out there that you never knew existed. don't even worry about getting old, im in my twenties, you are in your teens. I consider mid 30's to be the new young. Hell I work out at the gym and met this 63 year old, hes still going to school at sfu because he is "seeking a new profession" that he enjoys

GOOD LUCK

[dark0821]

I am going to go out on a limb here, and take a different stance, mayve because I am asian? LOL or parents pressure, but dont take the year off? Go to a university, or what not, take like a 2~3course semester and ease in to your new life style. University is all about networking, at least in my years, I am about to reach mid 20's, and if there is anything that I got out of university, that is networking. Yes there are some buddies in your highschool that will just stick with you, but almost all my social group are from university and jobs. I found new friends, but importantly new people who shares the same passion with you, go to the field that you are passionate about, and you are bound to find liked minded people.

I also took on like 30 different part-time jobs, off course at different times, it took me 7 years to get thru university, I just didnt want to accumulate any debt =P. Taking on different jobs will show you your strengths, but more importantly your weaknesses, some weakness you can overcome, but others you know you are in it for life. So even with that, you can start to alter your career choices.

Oh and I am not in the field that I studied in SFU at all, I kinda found my way thru my part-time jobs, haha, and I am just working full time.

Good luck OP, its an amazing, confusing and exciting time! take it easy, take it slow, but rmbr to just not let up on any opportunity to try something new!

[RevYouUp]

What ever you do, make sure you pick the right major. If you're still not sure what you want to do yet I suggest you to not go to university or college right away. Maybe take a semester off and apply for the Spring semester later. But, if you do decide to go to school right away just take a few courses and see what going to university is really like. I've wasted a year and a half at SFU taking random courses, wasting time and money. Took a break for a semester after that and I now I'm at Kwantlen doing accounting. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. My point is.. don't rush into things right away. You're still young.

[Gerbs]

Idk what to do ether, maybe probably going to head to arts at SFU or UBC and internal transfer somewhere?

[trancehead]

be prepared for the culture change once you hit uni. it was a huge change of the teacher not giving a fuck about you personally if u failed or not, and being in a class of 500 in my first year classes at ubc really honed that fact

going into ubc was probably the best choice (given that i didnt even look outside of schooling in vancouver for lack of awareness or benefit) as it really brings you out of the little cave you thought was the world back in highschool. cant say the same about other post secondaries in vancouver as i think they really lack that campus culture...whre u get exposure to a variety of things
[if its not too late, and you have elite grades...look outside of Canada. i forget the deadlines for the application process, but i definitely think there are better schools than ubc in hindsight]

one of the things of uni anyone SHOULD FUCKING EMBRACE is open mindedness. try every thing, everyone, and every place.

i wanted at first to go into med school, then that changed to pharmacy, then to business school...then i finally as a last resort went into computer science. looking back, im really fortunate to have landed upon this as i really didnt have a clue as to what i should have taken until after the fact i graduated.

you say you enjoy marketing? then by all means pursue it. dont go half ass, but embrace it and its culture. make sure to make a lot of friends in that field/faculty and hangout with your fucking classmates and maybe some older ones in the faculty to get a good grasp of it.

if in the end you dont like it, its a good sign anyways as you can cross that off your list.

as you get older, you will see what really aligns with your values. your career should be based off that.


i know first hand a lot of people who gradded and are working in fields not even remotely butt fuck related to their degree. it may turn out for them , or it may not. regardless, they have spent some years where they may not get it back. these years are a good window of opportunity that should be harvested and plowed the hell out of. thats the importance of finding balance in your post-secondary years. yes party, meet new girls (very important, open your perspective on girls and be a fucking man around them. not being able to tame a potential girlfriend can and will turn your life upside down. more on this later if you want) , and do shit you love. but for the love of the 8 armed elephant, take your studies seriously at the same time.

also watch who you hangout with . those you see on a daily basis ...remember you are a sponge and you will soak up all their tendencies and nuances.

[i know its getting choppy here, but my thoughts are kind of all over the place]
if there is one thing that is underrated, talk talk talk talk.

communication skills are very key. be it body language, spoken, and the aura you give off.
you want to be able to convey what you are thinking clearly, efficiently, eloquently to those around you. this is how youll be succesful in post-seconary (and in life). this is where you can really hone your thinking process, which is really underrated. this is how you will meet the people who will mentor you and bring you to where u want to be

theres a million mental midgets out there, they go on a first date with a girl (or any social outting), and yet they are glued to their phones because they cant carry on a decent conversation. nor can they connect the logical dots between any idea. they have the mental capacities of hamsters, and there is a little wheel that spins at 1rpm in their heads. do not be that guy.

[trancehead]

and about debt / finances, take up a student loan if it means avoiding doing some shitty ass job that severely limits your study and leisure time. or maybe just work in the summer

if you find yourself at a dead end job, i say its better off getting a loan and paying it off when you have the means to make real money. the oppurtunity cost (take econ 101 or whatever, youll see this term) is too great

but say if u find a job that relates to marketing or such, and you can really learn from it...keep it. it may even be better than your degree it self (in terms of class room knowledge). this is also where you will build your network, and really grow as a person.

[StylinRed]

just a note Douglas College>Kwantlen "university"

as for the rest of your posting you've got a lot of fucking time even if 5yrs from now you decide you dont want to do what you've been studying its not late to switch (never is)

[trancehead]

Originally Posted by dark0821

I am going to go out on a limb here, and take a different stance, mayve because I am asian? LOL or parents pressure, but dont take the year off? Go to a university, or what not, take like a 2~3course semester and ease in to your new life style. University is all about networking, at least in my years, I am about to reach mid 20's, and if there is anything that I got out of university, that is networking. Yes there are some buddies in your highschool that will just stick with you, but almost all my social group are from university and jobs. I found new friends, but importantly new people who shares the same passion with you, go to the field that you are passionate about, and you are bound to find liked minded people.

I also took on like 30 different part-time jobs, off course at different times, it took me 7 years to get thru university, I just didnt want to accumulate any debt =P. Taking on different jobs will show you your strengths, but more importantly your weaknesses, some weakness you can overcome, but others you know you are in it for life. So even with that, you can start to alter your career choices.

Oh and I am not in the field that I studied in SFU at all, I kinda found my way thru my part-time jobs, haha, and I am just working full time.

Good luck OP, its an amazing, confusing and exciting time! take it easy, take it slow, but rmbr to just not let up on any opportunity to try something new!

could not agree more.

dont be afraid to venture out of your social group.

i see so many instances of entire social groups that migrate from highschool together into university. and guess what? they just stick within that same group. doing the same shit, discussing the same things, staying on the same level.

they dont really get a clean shot at exploring new things as they have to backpack everyone else around.

its the securest thing of course to stick with them. its fine to some extent, but balance it out and make some new friends as well.

worst part about sticking with the group constantly is that it really narrows your path of opportunities sometimes. the Group Think can sometimes be overwhelming, and the next thing you know you are stuck in a position where you cannot escape really.

sidenote: if you are painted in a certain light by your social group, it is tough to shake off that image and try to experiment or try to even take on a new persona. say you are really shy, people will treat you as such and will probably laugh at you if u try to be more outspoken one day.

and if you are asian, try hanging out with some white guys. seriously. especially if you grew up on the east side (i did) your level of english will just sky rocket. get a mix of everything

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by trancehead

and if you are asian, try hanging out with some white guys.

I'm trying so hard not to post something racist. You have no idea what the urge feels like.

Spoiler!

Frack you man. Frack you.

[dlo]

I tell you this, take ur time and effort to pick ur career choice... Advertising is not a business field, its called communications and its a lot harder than just creative process, I am currently in marketing management and I'm having a blast, however the work is stressful. I took a year off to have my fun and decided it was time to grow up. Do whatever desires you with little influence of money. You don't want to be stuck with a job you dislike right?
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[jack3d]

dont take a year off man, i did that and now i havent been back to school in 3 years. lol, its just happens. i do plan to go back, but dont know what for

[asian_XL]

^ I agree, I took one year off after high school and finished my degree when I was 24, now I feel it was a waste of time and it took me a lot more effort to catch up with the people around me. Once you are out of highschool, you are on your own, whatever you plan in your 20s will seriously affect the rest of your life and career.

[PJ]

Life is not a race. No need to compare yourself to others.

At the end of our lives, what matters is who enjoyed themselves the most doing what they did. Not who finished post-secondary the fastest.

I want to stress the point that once you let go of the need to "beat" everyone around you, you'll feel much more at peace. Trust me on this. I learned this the hard way. I think right now you're worried about keeping up with your highschool friends, but like someone posted above, after a few years out of high school, you'll find out your "real" friends will be people you met in post-sec, work, social groups, etc.

I regret having rushed into things myself. I've always been a competitive person, so I naturally rushed into an engineering program and graduated when I was 20. Because of this, I didn't really have much of a youth. I went straight from high school to post secondary to the office. If I could do it over again, I would have just taken it slow(er), or at least just at a regular pace.

IMO, nothing wrong with taking a year off, if you're confident that you can return. Or just take a part-time or lighter course load. There are plenty of options.

And about your career path worry... this is common. It's also common for people to switch paths, so don't feel like you have to stick with your initial choice forever. This ties back in with the "life is not a race" mindset. Some people are too afraid to make the change even if they're unhappy, because they feel that they'll "fall behind." Which is unfortunate.

Relax, live and learn, my friend.

[SkinnyPupp]

Life is not a race, exactly what I was going to say.

If you are in a big hurry to be a salary worker as soon as you can, by all means go study the right thing and get right to it. Get your career in order, go meet a nice girl, and move out of your parents house. The perfect life.

Otherwise, live your life. If you want to sit around and play video games for a year, go for it. It's not the best use of your time by any means, but nobody should have to tell you that. Instead you could spend that time traveling, partying, fucking, whatever... Don't be in a big hurry to get 'settled in'. What a waste of the prime of your life!

[neggo]

I'm basically echoing PJ's and Skinny's points but...The more you compare yourself to others, the more you become distracted to what it is you really want to do. Comparisons only bring needless noise into your head that make it difficult to hear what your true desires are.

Avoid the noise and listen to yourself!

[THORISHERE]

Some things I've learned after HS:

A) College is wayyy overrated... You spend years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars "studying" stupid theories and models that have next-to-nothing-to-do-with-reality. I wish I knew this earlier, it would have saved me a ton of time, stress and money. I expect to be breaking the 6 figure income mark this year and none of the knowledge I used to make my money did I learn from the indoctrination camps...err schools. You will learn a lot more from your classmates than from your "professors." Take heed, "Those who cannot do, teach."

B) The Buddha once said, "Your work is to find your work. And then with all your heart give yourself to it." To be happy, one must do what he/she is passionate about. You will be spending 1/3 to 1/2 of your waking life "working" so it's vital that you love your work. I cannot fathom how people can spend their entire lives in jobs they don't love. The hard part is finding out what you love to do, the rest is easy because when you love your work, you will work harder and longer at it than everyone else and will naturally outperform your competition.

C) Never stop learning and continually challenge yourself in all areas of life. Triathlete Chris Hauth likes to say, "The prize never goes to the fastest guy, it goes to the guy who slows down the least." Keep learning and improving yourself everyday and those improvements will compound exponentially over time, making your life an awesome one. I've done my best to take advantage of the compound effect and my life keeps getting better and better. This is in stark contrast to many (most?) of my former classmates back in HS. From what I can observe, most people never really do anything with their lives. And most of the "smart kids" back in HS and college stop learning/improving soon after graduation and as a consequence reach their life's apex soon thereafter. Case in point, yesterday after having dim sum with a buddy of mine, my friend stopped by a local TD bank and bumped into a old HS classmate of ours. This former classmate was in the Summit Program (re: smart kids program) in HS, he did all the "right" things, he spent years slaving away at Uni for his GPA and now years later he spends his days pushing paper at a bank in his cubicle, making a paltry middle-class wage. This is the reward for slaving away for 16+ years in school to finally to graduate to slave away for the rest of your life for some nameless corporation? This is what happens when you stop challenging yourself and stop improving, life turns into "the grind." There is a old Chinese saying that goes something like "Do not worry about going too slowly, worry about standing still." Never stop learning and challenging yourself, good luck!

[MG1]

^ happy people have one thing in common. They are life long learners.

Anyway, I lived it up after secondary school. Went to University, got into so much trouble. Led to academic probation, LOL. Women, women, women....... in that order. My advice to you guys is bang till your dick drops off. You're only young once.

OK, maybe some balance........ I envy you guys. To be young again........ sigh.

The other advice is don't listen too much to what others say. Oh yeah, parents will get in your way. Just remember that they love you and work around them.

[drunkrussian]

op wen u enter university you have tons of chances to keep switching majors so don't worry

Also about a year of something and you get used to it you will be fine
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