In schools all across the United States, students of all ages are asking themselves, “Where do I see myself in five years?”

Students attending Upper St. Clair High School by a margin of three to one in a casual survey said that they had no idea where they were going to be in five years, while the minority of students interviewed had detailed plans for their future. However, all students who were interviewed plan to attend a four-­year college, which can open opportunities that they may never have thought of.

The majority of students had the same opinion as Upper St. Clair High School sophomore Erik Warmbein who stated, “Honestly, I have no idea where I will be five years from now, let alone one year from now.”

This ambivalent attitude that most students expressed can be perceived as reckless and naive, but in reality this opinion reflects a characteristic of this generation. More and more frequently students are attempting to forge a new path in the world, rather than following clearings that have already been followed. By doing so, students tend to lean on the side of uncertainty, because they have yet to find a career which they wish to pursue.

On other hand, those who have thought at length about their future had varied ideas, as they represented the demographic of students who wanted to pursue careers in the modernized workplace. These careers included special education, guidance counselor, kinesiology major, radiology major, and technical worker (modernized electrical engineering).

One of these students, Erin Kohler, stated that “I plan to major in dance with a minor in kinesiology.” In regards to the practicality of dance as a lifetime career, she replied, “I know that dance isn’t a life­long career, so I would want to try something in exercise sciences or be a physical instructor.”

Sophomore Tyler Lamb expresses his interests when he states, “I definitely want to do something that involves computers or another form of advanced technology.” He goes on to say, “I see myself graduating from college with a computer science major or something very similar.”

In a schools similar to ours all across the United States, students are trying to break through their community’s bubble. These students are the embodiment of the fact that education is the passport to the future, and the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.