The pressure of the future
Canva graphic with the words "the pressure of the future" and several college logos (Mia Landaverde/The Puma Prensa)
By Mia Landaverde, staff writer
High school is crucial. Seventh through twelfth graders hear that everywhere and from everyone, especially when high school is just around the corner or when the next chapter is a flip away. Parents, teachers, friends, maybe even neighbors mention it whenever they can, but does the pressure really have the positive impact they believe it does?
The overarching pressure of the future is nothing new; it has never been and will never be, but it is nevertheless destructive. More often than not, what adults think is guidance only causes more anxiety. If you're like me, you can be battling between pursuing your passion or following the plan your family has established for you. On face value, these plans may seem picture perfect. Great job, great university, more money, and a foundation for life. However, the fact stands that these cannot buy happiness.
The future causes worry and it causes fear that follows us for years. That’s not to say that motivation for the future isn’t a good thing – it’s incredible, but motivation is different from pressure. This pressure can stem from separate causes, often parental expectations and cultural differences. It can affect aspects of mental health, making passions feel unreachable and imagination dull.
This so-called “future” is what we’re all fighting for, and high school gets us closer to it. That’s why it is crucial. Students operate under the assumption that they need straight A’s, multiple sports under their belt, letters of recommendation from any and every teacher, and essays to sell themselves like a product to colleges. This is what the pressure does: it makes school a chore and not an opportunity for growth.
The constant urge to perform the best does not differentiate anyone from one another, and regardless of drive, every student falls into the same cycle over and over again. Repetition of desire for this cycle of “the best performance” from guardians affects the way students reach for what they want in their future. By the time it comes to college, can a difference be made between each individual? Will this pressure do students any good?
Out of Pumas surveyed, 40% almost always hear about college from adults, while 60% hear about jobs from adults most of the time when it comes to the future. Fifty percent of these students feel worried for their future almost all the time. Forty percent of these students feel pressured to need to know what they want to do in their life, and while 80% of respondents say they have their dream college or job in mind and 50% of them aren’t sure that it’s truly what they want to do.
So does this pressure truly motivate a student to strive for the best, or does it destroy the sense of pride one can have in their passion? It’s not wrong to follow what your heart wants and it’s also not wrong to push it to the side, but your future should be in your hands. The truth of the matter is that the pressure of the future impacts us in more negative ways than positive ones, but that is not to say that one’s future won’t fall into place.
The pressure of the future will follow students everywhere. It’s difficult to get rid of when you hear it everywhere you go, but it’s okay not to have everything figured out. It’s okay not to know what you want to do. Every perspective is valid, every journey is just as unique as any of the others, and the pressure doesn’t have to define what you want your future to be. It doesn’t have to define who you will become when the next chapter comes. So allow yourself to reset, understand how your future is simply yours, and go for what is best for you.