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Tuesday, August 30, 2016
"The 'Happy' Phrase" by Katie S
When attempting to discover what my future career is going to be, the word “happy” has
come up in many conversations. I have frantically searched through school websites, sparked
conversations with strangers and sat for hours thinking about what I would like to do as a career
in the future. Whenever I ask for career advice, people always give me the same response: “Do
something that makes you happy!”. I understand where these people are coming from when
they respond with these exact six words but I do not believe it is that easy. As a person of youth,
I have not found something that I see myself doing everyday for the rest of my life. I have only
lived for seventeen years and most of that time is spent at school where I repeat the same six
period day over and over again. How am I suppose to discover what makes me “happy” when I
am not given many opportunities to see what specific careers are like? I know that college is
where you can dive into different options and have more of an interactive experience but as a
high school student people frequently expect you to know your career. They want you to leave
high school with a vivid idea of your future but I feel like I am taking a shot in the dark. I will
either be really lucky and hit something that makes me happy or I am going to fall short and be
miserable for the rest of my life. Many high school students claim that they know their career
path but students often say this to feel like they are where they are expected to be at this point
in their lives. A study on high school students by U.S News stated, “ Almost 80 percent of ACT
testtakers who graduated in 2013 said they knew which major they would pursue in college. Of
those students, only 36 percent chose a major that fit their interests , according to the study.”
(Sheehy, Kelsey). Students have started to choose specific paths solely because they feel
obligated to have one. I know for me it is extremely awkward when people ask me about my
career path. When I am asked this question I usually respond with a simple “I don’t know yet.”
and soon after that despised sentence I am left with a long and awkward silence from the other
person. If I am lucky I will receive an “Oh really! Well just find something that makes you
happy.”. Again, I am back at square one with the “happy” phrase. I want to have a career that
makes me happy but I still need a job that pays the bills. I can’t be happy if I can’t pay for my
house or put food on the table. There is a constant toss up between finding a job that I will be
excited to do everyday or find a job that will allow me to be financially stable. Do I sacrifice my
happiness or my stability? At this point in my life my main goal is to find medium ground. I am
not searching for a job that is going to make me a millionaire, even though that would be
wonderful. I am searching for something that will motivate to get up in the morning everyday
with a smile on my face and allows me to make a positive change in the world while still paying
the bills. I still have no idea what I want my career to be in the future but I have accepted that it
is alright to not know. Everyone is different and eventually I will “find what makes me happy”.
Study by U.S News:
http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/highschoolnotes/
2013/11/11/studyhighschoolgradschoosingwrongcollegemajors
Your eloquent language and thought-provoking insight is incredibly valuable to this piece especially because it is a criticism about the education system and its restrictions. Adults are used to hearing complaints from teenagers and never take them seriously, but by incorporating evidence and advanced vocabulary, you make a very convincing argument that this is not a complaint piece, but a developed, sophisticated argument that is hard to ignore. Amazing job!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree and can relate to your situation. Apart from the education system, society has already set the ideal careers in life that isolates careers that you, yourself, as an individual can benefit from. Which on that note, makes it really difficult to apply or turn your passion(s) into a career field. Your blog piece is something that, I bet, most high school students, specifically speaking juniors and seniors, can relate to.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your piece as not only I can relate to it, but many others can as well, especially those who are in their older teen years. It is hard to find something that makes you happy when our education restricts you so much and doesn't even give you a chance to find something that truly makes you happy. It's great how you can make such a great argument about a topic that many people worry about.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated this post because I too feel the same way and struggle to find my path in life, especially with there being so many job opportunities which are unknown to me as of right now. This piece was very relatable to most of the high population however people are often times too afraid to express this or they have predetermined what they want in life. This is a good topic of discussion that I feel is rarely touched on.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I can totally relate, this I feel is like an understatement because I am pretty sure our entire senior class can relate,but none the less I totally agree! I want to work with the brain, so i have jumped back in forth over and over again between neurologist, neurosurgeon and psychologist. Although I FEEL like I have a real passion for these 3 choices I still lay up a night wondering if I will enjoy any of these jobs for the rest of my life. Also when you stated that you believe students that claim that they know what they want to be is only so they feel as if they are on track, its like you read my mind! Sometimes I think that I am only choosing a specific job because it is "where I should be," but really want a career that I enjoy and that "will motivated me to get up in the morning," as well. So thank you for this blog post and I am now going to go and reevaluate my career choices!
ReplyDeleteI was so thrilled reading this, I felt like we were in person and was speaking to me on how you felt about the future. This is how I feel as well, just as anxious, it's like you took the words right out of my mouth and I really do like how this seems so optimistic about your future in the and how you're determined to find your happiness, good piece!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I love how you address how people are not one size fits all by taking your own story to convey that message. This message is so important especially in this day and age where everything being made and manufactured to be faster and more efficient. People start to think that children are supposed to be manufactured like machines which go in looking one way and come out with a definite purpose. However, what people forget are that human beings are living organisms and are part of nature and that we all have our own path to find our destiny no matter how long. Thank you for sharing your message.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is something that I think the majority of us high school seniors can relate to. I like that you commented on the fact that really, none of us know what we want, we kind of just tell people what sounds good to us. This piece has a good message of trying to find what motivates us rather than what will make us rich and I think that your writing style came through very clearly, as it seemed very conversational. The only critique I would have is focused toward organization-paragraph breaks in particular. But overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteThis piece is absolutely so relatable! Many high school students are not sure what road they want to take and you displayed that so genuinely and in a way that people can relate to. I also like how you added in a stat as well that conveys your point. Great piece!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed every detail of this piece! There's so many things that make it stand out, but I think my favorite one is how truly and bluntly almost every high school upperclassmen can relate to this piece and how you feel. I tell people what I want to do and possible career paths I might take but I don't fully know what is actually gonna happen. Another factor that made this piece what it is, is the incredible vocabulary used! I felt as if I was reading an article, especially with that statistic added at the end! I enjoyed reading this piece a lot and truly hope both you, and all of us find our path and career that, like you said, "makes us happy."
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your piece because it is so dang relatable. It opened up my eyes and now I am aware that I'm not the only one not knowing what I want to do for my future career. What was really inspiring was when it ended with, "and eventually I will, 'find what makes me happy,'" because you did not say hopefully, but you are so determined to.
ReplyDeleteWow, I not only enjoyed the main idea itself but also the word choice and diction of your writing. I commend you for being able to make this very relatable. For me, this was a very eyeopening read because it made me realize that I only chose a career path because I feel pressured to do so. Great topic choice and good job on being able to connect with your audience.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you described the struggle of finding a job that makes you happy and one that will keep you from worrying about money, especially when you said that you can't be happy if you can't afford to buy necessary things. This is definitely something that high school and college students have difficulty with, and you worded it very nicely. I also liked how you used statistics to help depict how significant of a problem this can be and build your passage rather than just using them because they're available to use.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your writing! When you say, "Do I sacrifice my happiness or my stability?" you are exposing a truth our society today had hidden from people our age. Everyone tells us to strive for a job that we will enjoy waking up for at 6 am but in reality, if we chose what we actually wanted, we would all be broke and homeless. The fact that you shown a light on this matter proves to be a testament of how insightful you are as both a person and a writer. I couldn't agree more with this writing and on top of all of this, your language was extremely sophisticated and compelling to me as a reader.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I absolutely agree with your argument because it demonstrates how limited experience high school can provide us in the career field and how the repetition of the school day does not offer insight to how unpredictable and frightening the future can be. You also provide this detail of information that we are, as a society, sometimes unable to accept because we believe that we should have already decided our career path because that is what others tell us. The writing you shared with us expresses that individuals are not alone in the search for a career and at the same time the search or pursuit of happiness. The use of the article and your diction is extremely convincing to the audience and allows them to accept being undecided in a future path.
ReplyDeleteI really like this piece because that is me almost every time someone asks me the same question. The way you explained this piece couldn't be anymore right. Your examples even help support what you are trying to say. I mean as a senior and really not know what you want to do in life kind of sucks but I am in the same shoes as you are because I still don't really know. Plus you have to worry about if the major is impacted or not. Your piece really made me think about my future and there's a lot of things I need to consider. Great job on this!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you because I am also in that situation of trying to find out what I want to do after high school. I do believe that adults older than us want us to have an idea of what we want to do when we don't even know what path to go down. I also agree that as high school students we should choose what classes we want to take to see what we want to do after high school instead of the regular math, English, history, etc. Great piece! I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteKatie, honestly I understand what your situation is and that I fully agree with your main point of having the "perfect" career to satisfy your needs in life. You're not alone on the fact that you still do not know what you want to major in or what you want to do in the future, because I too am in the same situation as long as other people who are still undecided. Because of like how you said, finding a job that will make you happy but at the same time will provide you with the salary you need to help provide for yourself. I very much loved your use of diction throughout the writing and how very realistic this piece is. But I mainly favored the fact how you wrote your piece using an experience that is very much relatable to many high school students.
ReplyDeleteMost often, I find it hard to find a piece of writing that is relatable as well as articulate and executed nicely. Your reflection had many great insights that I felt were applicable to so many people going through the same things. A piece that the reader can relate to is always well worth reading and resonates with them. :)
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your story because i think about the same thing everyday. It is hard to decide where your going to be after graduation because i know i've changed my mind about what I'm going to major in many times. Your story is very relatable and thoughtful and i hope you figure out where your going to end up. Although you may not know now, I'm sure you'll find yourself doing something you really enjoy! Nice job.
ReplyDeleteWow, I really enjoyed this piece because you touched my emotions and I was able to relate to this so much. The point of view in this piece allowed me to feel connected and relate to the speaker on a different level. This piece was very thought provoking. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteThis piece was so incredibly touching. So much of the time we find ourselves saying we want to pursue a job or a career path because of the money or the high title we will get in society, when in reality it leaves us unhappy and miserable. We are all given different talents, some more than others but we all have something we are passionate about or areas we exel in and its our job to explore those things and put them to good use.
ReplyDeleteKatie this story is so amazing. I feel like we all get to this point where we are confused in deciding what to do. The part when you said how you are only 17 and you spent most of that time in school repeating the 6 period day over, how are you suppose to find out what makes you happy, it stood out to me because I never thought about that. Even though I know what I want to do, i'm still left with the decision if that is going to make me happy.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly my current mindset as well so don’t feel so alone! I like how you addressed the issue of whether your happiness or your financial stability is more important because this is a big problem for many young people. I also like that you said you would eventually find what makes you happy because it shows your ambition in finding that happiness. Not only does it show you're ambitious, but it gives others the hope that they will someday pursue a career that makes them happy too.
ReplyDeleteYou made such a valid point when you asked if you should sacrifice your happiness or stability. Nothing has ever been so relatable to my thoughts on the future. Although I plan to be a nurse and take interest in helping others, I've always aspired to be in music or photography/film production. I chose nursing because I knew it would give me better pay but I also knew my life would be more flexible and fun as a musician or photographer.
ReplyDeleteHonestly this hit me so hard. I thought I was the only one struggling to find the balance between being happy wit my career and being stable. I loved that you used the statistics to kind of show that you were like the odd-one-out too. Being able to connect with the audience is very important and I believe you maintained that connection all the way through! It not only relates to teenagers deciding their path, but also to adults who have gone through the same thing and may forget all the pressures young adults are faced with. Over all, very passionate and thought provoking!
ReplyDeleteWell done! I remember having this conversation a couple of times with you and some others in our class last year and I still agree 100%. This topic seems to be disregarded frankly because it, as you mentioned makes people uncomfortable. However I'm glad you chose to write about it because it is so relevant to many especially seniors in high school. Your piece serves as reassurance to those who think they are the only ones contemplating happiness versus stability and also acts as an excellent critique of the education system.
ReplyDeleteThis was a well done blog with a subject that many of us can relate to as we are all faced with the same discussions. Being a teenager on the verge of going into college has brought this question out more frequently and the answer can vary each time depending on the person. I personally like this as it is a completely relatable article.
ReplyDeleteWell said! I'm especially happy that I read your piece because it says what almost all seniors are thinking, but using adult language that addresses the "happy" phrase seriously. Your inclusion of the study statistics also helped enhance the piece because I feel adults would read this and consider the dilemma us seniors have to undergo, and that the declaration and pursuit of what makes us happy is really not that easy for humans who have only been alive for 17/18 years.
ReplyDeleteWell said! I'm especially happy that I read your piece because it says what almost all seniors are thinking, but using adult language that addresses the "happy" phrase seriously. Your inclusion of the study statistics also helped enhance the piece because I feel adults would read this and consider the dilemma us seniors have to undergo, and that the declaration and pursuit of what makes us happy is really not that easy for humans who have only been alive for 17/18 years.
ReplyDeleteI feel exactly the same! I might say what I want to do in my life but in all reality I have no idea what I want to do in the future. Also, I love how you did write in a teenagers perspective because a lot of people feel that way.Then, good job putting the statistic from the lady, it gave it some real evidence
ReplyDeleteThis piece is so well written and relative to the current situation of pretty much every student in the Class of '17. I found it extremely easy to empathize with you because of the detail and effort you put into this piece. I would've never thought to write on this topic. It was very intelligent of you to include a statistic from the US news as it shows your audience that what you're saying is bogus, but it's backed by hard stats. Your short anecdote about adults' response to you saying you're undecided on a career choice frustrated me so much. Not your writing, but how true it was. Thanks for writing such a great piece and bringing to light one of the challenges us seniors (along with others) face so often.
ReplyDeleteGood Job Katie! This piece is so well written. It makes the reader audience think about their future and wondering if their career will actually make them "happy". Also, the use of an article really pushes the reader to consider their future choices.
ReplyDeleteThis story was very well written and is very relevant. This speaks to the seniors on campus, especially us AP students, just because we are gifted academically per se they expect us to all know what we want to do with our lives. For me personally, I think I know what I want to do with my life and what career path to follow so this story allowed me to see the perspective of my peers who do not. Your inclusion of the statistics shows that you know what your talking about and this is a legitimate situation high school students are facing.
ReplyDeleteAs several others have been commenting, I also agree with what is being stated in this piece. But, I feel as if this issue is not brought up as much as it needs to be. Now, i have known what i want to do in my future from the moment Freshman year started. But, not everyone is that lucky. Several people when confronted with this question will note a variety of choices, almost as if they are stating that they have a good idea of certain things they might be interested in doing. Others, however, simply do this because they are afraid of being criticized for not having a set goal. The real struggle is, as you stated, that not everyone can do what they want, be happy, and make a lot of money at the same time. People are usually forced to sacrifice one of their needs in order to work: you can either work for a good pay while hating the job or love what you're doing but only receiving minimal payment. And if you're lucky, you'll make a lot and be happy doing it. Thank you for posting this piece
ReplyDeleteI feel that I can relate to your story because of the hard making choices we have to do as young adults to make our "desired" future come true. Your story perfectly displays the stress of what a high school should be like because we are never sure what tomorrow is going to bring us. High school to me seems like a preparation for what college you want to go to, but what if we don't get into that college? Will our life be ruined? Do I have to change my major/ my dream just so that I can live/ survive? These are the questions that usually run through my mind as well, but since I don't know what the future may hold for me, I've decided to live in the present and plan "today" little by little so that my future can be something I am sure of.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a common issue for so many seniors. Your topic is one that many people can connect with. Happiness is something that adults tell us to look for in our careers and they seem to think that we know what we want to do with our lives right this minute. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of not knowing what you want to study is mostly seen as a negative thing . As if it makes you be behind everyone else. Even though it's not talked about a lot of us are in this situation right now I enjoyed that you chose to talk about it and your personal feelings.I connected to when you said that you were "taking a shot at the dark" the most because its true sometimes you can feel like you have no idea what to do.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good piece! I can relate to this 100%! I liked the detail and how you explained thoroughly your thoughts toward the "happy phrase".
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite piece out of all the ones I've read. This is the most relatable one to where I am in life right now and this makes me feel a bit better knowing I'm not the only person who feels this way. I really admire your courage for writing this even though it's somewhat an uncommon thought or opinion.
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ReplyDeleteI'm very thankful that you brought this up, I personally feel many kids our age feel forced to chose certain career paths due to peer pressure, pressure from parents, and the idea of choosing a "safe" and financially stable career path. It is certainly disappointing to think that the paths we idolize right now might not bring us happiness in the future. I feel like the only solution is to ask God for help in deciding the right path in life. On a personal level my parents originally forced me to be interested in medicine, they wouldn't accept it when I claimed interest in computer science, after a year they gave me some space to do what I'm interested in. Parents shouldn't force their kids to pursue goals they're not interested in. Even today sometimes I have a conflict in my own mind if the field I'm currently interested in is right for me, I've lately been more interested in film making than anything else. At the same time I don't want to pick something that doesn't ensure financial safety. Time will tell which path is right for me.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you're coming from when you say that you've had the same routine for your entire life and once you're out of high school, its challenging to have so many options to choose from but not knowing which is the best fit. I think the use of U.S News as a source for corroborating your own personal thoughts and feelings towards the next chapter in your life really helped develop your overall argument. Great job sharing your point of view in a well-thought-out response!
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty safe to say all of us are slightly terrified of the future. As exhilarating as moving onto the next stage in our life can be, some of us still don't know what we're going to do with our lives. Saying the words,"I don't know what I'm going to do with my life," really puts into perspective how much of life we haven't really experienced, despite the fact that we've all been alive for 17 years, give or take (which really seems like a long time, considering how much schooling we've done). It's always nice to hear that someone else is on board the "Let's pick something fun and hope this doesn't destroy my future," ship. But at the same time, it's really exciting to jump into to something we know little to nothing about. Thanks for sharing how you felt on the subject of our future, I hope whatever you choose in life makes you happy, AND rich as hell.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how you point out how students like yourself "take a shot in the dark," because those are the exact words I would look for when explaining to adults how making a choice, affecting my future, is not as simple as it may seem. Even though we are young and are unaware what the future may hold, I have started to believe that there is a possibility that making our life decisions now is a risk that must be taken in order to grow as an individual. It may be a difficult choice now, but in the future whether or not we regret our past decisions, it will help us become an individual who will become stronger by learning from their mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a piece of writing that every high school student should read over. You stated how us as in high school students think we know what we want to do and basically not everyone will follow through with those plans. I use to be in the same situation and sometimes I feel like I still am, simply because I have different career pathways I would want to choose, and stick with for the rest of my life to either be " happy or stable". This gives really good advice for those who feel ashamed of not knowing what they want to pursue there career in.
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ReplyDeleteYou wrote about something that nearly every young adult can relate to. As we near adult hood, we are suddenly faced with expectations and responsibilities we were never burdened with before, and it can become truly overwhelming at times. I believe it is very true that happiness and success do not always coincide, but I respect the fact that despite the tremendous amount of pressure being placed on you, you choose to take your time when making such an important decision.
I totally agree with how we are pressured to pursue things that we do not necessarily want to do or have an interest in but do it anyway for the sake of how everyone else will see us or what other people expect of us. Nearing the end of high school specially, I also find myself in the dilemma you face of being unsure of what I want to do with my life, and this is the time of our lives when we should be finding ourselves and those interests that could later help us make those decisions. We all want to find something that makes us happy, but sometimes we are blinded by what society expects of us and how we are molded to reach for materialistic goals that don't have any deeper purpose.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this piece because i feel like im reading an exerpt from my own personal thoughts and feelings toward the same subject. The simple fact that you are speaking on exactly what the majority of students go through, as well as adults, contributes to a stronger understanding of your writing. I loved reading this and you developed your essay in such a way that convinced me im not alone in my struggle for the future. Amazing job -Tyler Ragland
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