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Was High School Graduation a Major Transition?

In the USA, when you reach age 17 or18, you’re usually in 12th grade, which is your last year of high school.  You’re a senior!  It’s a pivotal moment of transition in life when you slide right into adulthood.

But even though you are a “brand new adult”, if you were like me, you still didn’t have to pay the rent or face other responsibilities because …?  Because you still live at home with your parents.

It has been decades.  I graduated from high school in the 70s.  But I can remember my high school graduation was a big deal!  My mother, my aunts, my brothers, and sister attended the ceremony, took pictures, everybody was smiling and happy!  I don’t remember getting any gifts.  That’s OK.  We weren’t that financially well off.  It’s enough that I have good memories of that day.  I even remember the summer after I graduated I didn’t even get a job. I just stayed at home the whole summer.  My mom let me enjoy those last few months of freedom with no responsibility.  Then when September came I registered to start classes at the university and life carried on, but … IN A MAJOR WAY.  It was my first real step towards independence.  Got checked into my dorm room, registered for classes, signed up for a part-time college work-study job, and there was no parent or teacher there nagging and telling me what to do.  If something needed to be done, it was all on me!

* * *

This post is inspired by the fact that my last child, my daughter, will be graduating from high school this year.  Class of 2019.  Woo Hoo!  I think I’m more excited than she is.  Sharing some wise quotes to encourage her and set on her on the right path.  These quotes might help other graduates too.

“Stay on the course, never lose focus.”

 In Hindi, they don’t say Congratulations!  They say “Mujhe tum logo kiyadd bilkul nahi aayegi” which means “You’ve achieved success!”

…Don’t wait for the future to change you, change your future.”

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

  • Question of

    Was your graduation from high school a major transition in your life?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    These days many feel attending an institution of higher learning is not profitable. Would you advise a high school graduate to attend college or university?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Were you given any wise advice to help you make your transition into adulthood?

    • Yes
    • No

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What do you think?

12 Comments

  1. I like the “You’ve achieved success!” part! Here in Bulgaria, high school graduation is a big deal, there’s a huge celebration, formal clothes and so on, but it wasn’t that exciting or important for me.

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  2. My daughter will be graduating in college this April and like you, I think I am more excited than she is. She will be a teacher and I hope that teaching is the right profession for her which I believe it is.

    1
    • All this time that I’ve been chatting with you in our various social circles, I had no idea you had a daughter old enough to graduate from college. That’s awesome! Congrats to your daughter!

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  3. I was all hyped up for graduation, but it was a bust for me. I’d achieved a high GPA (3.87), had planned on it for months, and had made it plain to my mother and father how important it was for me for them both to be there. Neither was. My mother and father divorced when I was six and were afraid that they’d see each other! They didn’t have to sit together, for crying out loud. I just wanted them to share my moment. For decades, I blamed myself. I wasn’t important enough for them to put aside their disagreements for a few hours, so I must have done something wrong. My two sisters and brothers couldn’t be there due to distance and work, but my parents didn’t have that excuse.

    It took me a long while, but I got over it and forgave them both. Still, it is a less than stellar memory. Two months later, I was working and a month after that, I left home (I was living with my mother at the time). I didn’t leave out of spite or anything like that, I just wanted to be on my own, although I didn’t feel particularly loved.

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    • Oh, I have other life memories that are not stellar memories either. They were unpleasant difficulties and much like you, I was happy to be independent and move out on my own. It’s like getting a brand new start to your life. I would not describe it as a “second chance” because people say that when they think they need to redeem themselves from bad life choices. Instead, it’s more like … the slate is wiped clean. Those years are “cleaned” because you’re not holding a grudge or filled with hatred or bitterness and carrying that excess baggage forward. You just erased the chalkboard because you were ready to move on. I totally get where you’re coming from.

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  4. Congrats on your daughter graduating this year. I know you are proud.
    I was on my own before and after graduation, giving myself advice as
    I went through life. Always on my own, never stayed anywhere without
    paying rent. Always paid my way.

    College can be a benefit, but not required. Depends on what your future plans involve.

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    • Thanks. I am very happy for my daughter.

      You’re right in that college is not required. But if anybody asked me should they go to college, my answer will always Yes. Education never works against you.

  5. One of the things that I spent my early life doing was teaching school. I cannot tell you the value of a college education.

    1. College educated professionals average between 500,000 to 1,000,000 dollars more over the course of their careers.
    2 there are many professions that in fact you can’t join if you don’t have a college degree.

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    • Yes. I hear all kinds of lame excuses. Don’t want to graduate with student loan debt. The economy is bad and lots of people don’t have jobs. On and on and on … I agree with you. College education has immeasurable value and it shouldn’t be equated with debt or a bad economy. Why? Because debt can be eliminated and bad economies can get better. What could be a better investment than your mind for the present and for your future?

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      • There is no better investment.

        The people arguing that the economy is bad, need to check their facts. The economy is nowhere near as good as the government says, but it is actually in the middle of a good solid recovery.