I started grade 9 wanting to explore the subjects/activities that intrigued me and develop my skills. I also wanted to continue music independently, learning the piano and the ukulele on my own. Those were my personal goals. I didn’t have any specific academic goals because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to ‘do in life’. I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do in IB, college, or afterwards. I still don’t.
Not having any specific academic goals set me on a vague path, and my indecision concerns me. Seeing my older sister and cousins doing well in college, and having clear aspirations was, and still is, daunting. Having an older sister and cousins also meant discussions about college and jobs surrounded me from early on.
I remember going to the UK in 2017 to look at the universities my sister was thinking of applying to. Visiting some of the top colleges was intimidating and set a high expectation. Even though this expectation was never imposed on me, it stayed in the back of my mind. This is particularly relevant now that I’m in high school, and am starting to think about my future more seriously. I wanted to narrow down my search.
One thing I realised was my interest in design, and joining the Humanities Magazine team was an important step. I signed up to be in the magazine’s layout team, this allowed me to experiment with design, and my hard work paid off. Being a part of that process reassured me of my skills, and encouraged me to pursue this interest. While my subject choices for IGCSE can’t reflect this particular experience, it is something I want to try. My IGCSE subject choices were also important to me. I wasn’t sure what to choose, so I took Film and History because my friends and I were curious about it, and I took Economics because it seemed practical. Looking back on it, I made the right decision. While I can’t say if I will continue these subjects in IB, or college, they have given me an idea of what they would be like, and that is all I wanted from this year– options, and some clarity.
To move closer to my goal, I want to find out more about my interests through an academic lens and see if I could seriously pursue them. It’s not an early start to figuring out what I want to study further, but it’s not late either. I don’t want to have the same uncertainty as I did this year. To solve this, I want to research online and talk to different people I know who are pursuing/entering different careers. For example, I could talk to my sister who is currently in law school or my sister’s friend Avery who is studying design. I think hearing the perspectives of people who are still in college/high school will be more useful at my stage than adults I know who are well into their careers. I also want to make sure I continue music. Music has always been a part of my life, and I don’t want to lose it. Learning the ukulele was a way for me to make sure I could play and practise wherever I go and develop my skills. In continuing my journey of learning the ukulele and piano independently, I want to become more confident in sharing my progress with those around me. I don’t like playing in front of other people, so by pushing myself to ‘perform’ in front of my family, I hope to start becoming comfortable with sharing my work. I think it will also help with my overall confidence.
This year has been very valuable to me. I have learned a lot about myself and experienced many different things– from designing a magazine to horseback riding in Australia. My plans have always been very obscure, but I think I’m finally on the right path to start making decisions about my future soon. I feel confident that I will figure things out, at least more than I did a year ago. I don’t have to be so worried about the future.
