As many high school juniors and seniors start to prepare for life after graduation, they are already forming plans surrounding careers and college. While some students have formed clear ambitions for the future, others stay uncertain as they experience pressure and self-doubt when considering their options. 

Interviews with juniors and seniors here at Baruch reveal that career decisions are shaped by family influence, financial considerations, academic performance and personal interests. 

Lina Nouari, a junior, said she hopes to work in the pharmaceutical field. 

“I want to work in pharma,” Nouari said. “It makes good money, and I’m really into chemistry. Creating medicine through chemistry—it can help people and achieve the goal of creation.” 

Nouari said both financial stability and an interest in science helped to influence her decision. However, she also said her grades affect how confident she feels about achieving her goal. This is a common worry for kids around the nation. 

“When I look at my grades now, it makes me look at myself and tell myself, there’s no way you’re going to make it that far, because your grades suck. And that means you’re like stupid.” 

Nouari described feeling a strong sense of imposter syndrome when thinking about her future career. 

Many students experience similar feelings when they begin thinking about their future careers. While students’ interests and passions can inspire them to pursue certain career paths, academic pressure and competition often limits their creativity, making them question whether their goals are realistic.

 For most students who are still developing their confidence in their academic and social abilities, grades can feel like a measure to their true intelligence. 

Another junior, Sandra Huang, said she hopes to work in the healthcare field, possibly as a nurse. While she isn’t sure about her future career, she said she is motivated by helping others through her work. 

“I want to go to work knowing that I’m helping others,” Huang said. “I want to be motivated to do work and save people’s lives.”

Huang said her family played a big role in shaping her goals. Her mother, who works in healthcare, caring for elderly patients, helped influence Huang’s interest in healthcare. 

“She inspires me,” Huang said. “She loves working with old people.”

Research shows that many high school graduates report feeling unprepared for the transition to college or careers. Some studies suggest that students feel they lack important life skills after graduating high school. 

Students also often feel overwhelmed as they have to choose from thousands of colleges and a wide range of career options. 

For many juniors, this transition is already starting. Students have begun researching colleges, speaking with guidance counselors or considering which classes and outside extracurriculars to help them get into college. 

A recent career day here at Baruch also gave students the opportunity to speak with professionals from different industries, further helping juniors and seniors start to get an understanding of possible career paths. 

Grace Konds, another junior at Baruch, explained how helpful career day has been towards her understanding of her future career and aspirations. 

Grace said “I talked to this lady who works on Mount Sinai […], she gave me this volunteering link so I can volunteer and get some experience working in the medical field.” 

Experiences like career day can give students more exposure to different professions, helping them better understand what steps they need to take after high school. 

Despite the uncertainty and pressure many students face today, a lot of kids still remain hopeful about the paths they hope to pursue. Whether they are inspired by family members, personal interests or their personal desires to help others, juniors still explore what their futures may look like post high school from such a young age. 

As graduation approaches these decisions will become more finalized. For now, many students remain in the process of balancing their dreams with their uncertainty while working towards the futures they strive for.