What do you really want?

High school is a time of growth and change. In the grand scheme of things four years is not a very long time, but these four years are some of if not the most impactful and transformative years of our lives up to this point and going forward. The change in maturity and thoughts about the world are most apparent looking back each year. My freshman year I was obsessed with space and really enjoyed math so I thought I had my heart set on merging these two interests of mine and becoming an aerospace engineer.

As time went on I realized this was not the life for me and began to explore all sorts of different options coming up with a new career and life plan every few months. One day near the end of my junior year a friend said to me “what really interests you that you could see yourself pursuing in the future”. He made me really think about everything for once, the who, what, where, when, why, and how of what I want my life to look like in the future. He made me answer all the questions one by one and really forced me to realize what I want in my life taking me out of the ambiguous cloud of “something I think is cool that makes a lot of money” that I was stuck in. This reality check really allowed me to realize some viable options I could pursue in my life that would make me happy. This friend then continued to help me narrow the options until I found something that truly checked all the boxes, finance. Funnily enough this friend of mine currently works on wall street trading derivatives of money, who, with the click of a button, moves more money than I could ever imagine. One day he and I were just chatting about school and work, he really explained what he does and I linked that with the lifestyle he has and realized that this is basically everything I also want in life. So this idea of finance lingered in the back of my mind for the next few months every time someone would mention something to do with college or postsecondary plans. This year, I am taking AP Economics and found that while I find that class very interesting, the more specific finance sections of it really intrigue me and the class has solidified that I want to work within the realm of finance. While it may not be one specific instance, the help that I received from my friend is invaluable as it has set me on my path for life as of this moment.

Since then, I have similarly helped someone really look at all the sides of a situation. A different friend of mine came to me in a panic this year. As we all know, the transition from high school to college is filled with stress from paperwork, to decisions, to moving out, and much more. My friend came to me with two very different options on which college to choose. One was an inner-city large school with lots of people and things to do; the other, a small school in a more rural location. Both schools had the major she wants to pursue and the programs are similar in ranking. Obviously I am not an expert on this type of thing as I myself was choosing a school at the same time; however, I remembered what my friend told me, “really think about the who, what, when, where, why, and how”. While it was difficult, she eventually laid out what she wants from the program and from her life over the next 4+ years including city accessibility, how many people she felt comfortable being in class with, her favorite things to do, and much more. While this wasn’t the moment she officially chose which college she would be attending, much like in the example where I was the one being helped, this led to a realization that then led her down the path she chose.

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