For high schoolers in today’s world, the pressure to succeed begins young. First-year students in high school have to think about what colleges and majors they want to try to achieve, and for many, there is little room to think about career paths that are seemingly ‘risky’. Careers that involve putting yourself out there and potentially facing failure are often seen as jobs in the humanities, such as art, language, and history. Still, really, every career involves putting yourself out there and risking failure. Going to college for med or law school, you risk flunking out or losing your spark. 

The question arises as to why students feel the need to replace their dreams with seemingly ‘realistic’ life pursuits. For some, when asked about dream jobs, fame, or pursuing something to do with creation and creativity, these come to mind, but when thinking about where they will be in 10 years, the answer is different. Junior Alejandra Guzman has a dream of becoming a Cinematographer, which is a job title for someone who does camera work in movies. She loves the idea of helping change someone’s life through film. 

“Realistically, I think I will get a master’s degree in chemistry, work my butt off for 10 to 15 years, and save lots of money, then I hope I can run away and make movies for a few years,” said Guzman. 

For those who feel they must seek jobs that offer greater security in the future, most hold on to what they really want to do. I hope they can keep some aspect of their passion in their life. For junior Stephanie Adeoshun, the life of a popstar is the dream; she says they get to sing and dance all day, which are the things she loves the most. 

“In the future, I will be a pediatrician, because I get to help children. I do want to join some sort of music group in college, though, like as an extracurricular, some sort of a a acapella group,” said Adeoshun. 

Although this is not true for every student, junior Adam Jacobs hopes to become a CRNA, which requires attending nursing school. He wants to make sure he earns good money in the future, and he has always wanted to become a nurse, but even with outwardly stable jobs, concerns can still arise. 

“I am scared that I might burn out because it is 12 years of school, and add that to the 12 I have already done throughout my life, that is a lot,” said Jacobs. 

Whether students feel external or internal pressure to strive for stability in their adult lives and careers, the art of balance can help them navigate the tension of wanting to reach for the stars while staying grounded.