by: Britney Adeline Budiman

Thrilling and terrifying, this is what life after high school is. Discovering what the vast world has to offer is every student's dream -- and so is the prospect of living their own lives with liberation, gaining new experiences, meeting new people, and learning new things. However, taking the first step out of your comfort zone into a new environment filled with uncertainty is not always easy. We need to figure out what, where, and how to pursue our goals and dreams for the future -- a process that requires careful consideration.

Trustworthy adults have guided us to gain the knowledge we need to achieve our ambitions early. We spend a little over a decade learning about the world and ourselves. From Career Days in elementary to University Fairs in high school, the school has consistently supported us in planning our future. This creates a sense of curiosity as to why we have dedicated so much time to prepare. Some students may be intimidated by the success stories of well-known individuals such as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg, feeling as if achieving the same is but a pipe dream, unaware that they too started somewhere. 

This brings about the question: Why students must plan their careers and future?

Purpose and Motivation

Planning fuels purpose. Motivation is an outcome of purpose. By focusing our energy and revolving our plans around a purpose, we are more likely to achieve it -- we will feel more encouraged to make an effort to work hard for our goals.

Guidance in Decision-Making

Making important decisions requires reasoning. Without an ultimate goal, decisions become meaningless and impulsive. For instance, students who want to pursue astrophysics know that they would have to take advanced physics, maths, and other classes providing relevant knowledge and participating in related events or activities to strengthen their resume. Without a goal, we would naturally become jacks of all trades but masters of none.

Organization and Strategy

Organization is critical in planning our lives. We need to be aware that dabbling in too many activities does not equate to increased productivity and is more likely to make us feel stretched out. Instead, find a proper strategy to get things done more efficiently. Know where to start and how to finish. Strategizing essential activities in life helps ensure that we would reach our goals more efficiently.

Control

Though we may sometimes feel certain things are out of our reach, planning allows us to control our lives. By making choices and sorting out our priorities, we will manage at least 10% of what goes on around us. This way, we hold the reins in deciding our future.

Success

Last but not least is something sought by most individuals -- success. Whether we interpret "success" as becoming rich and famous or less tangible goals such as achieving happiness or love, planning can help us accomplish all sorts of success. By setting different purposes at different stages of life, we can slowly reach our absolute definition of success.

Mentari Intercultural School's University Counselling helps high school students plan and prepare their future and career. They help the students prepare for interviews and select the best educational program of universities by:

1. Offering Career Counselling for students and parents

2. Organizing University Fair and Career Day in collaboration with other M.I.S. campuses

3. Organizing University Workshops

4. Holding Career Counselling Classes from Grades 9-12

5. Checking university requirements

6. Offering assistance and guidance with university admissions

7. Supporting students and parents with university search platform

8. Helping students with subject choices based on career assessments, strengths, passion, and university requirements

However, after taking advantage of this opportunity given by the school, students must learn to take the initiative. The IB rollercoaster has ended, and now it is time to use everything we have learned thus far. Parents and teachers have paved the way for our futures, and now it is our turn to continue and take the lead.

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail." - Benjamin Franklin