The pandemic and its impact

Another thing to keep in mind is that the world is a very different place today than it was a year ago. There are different factors to consider in the world of an ongoing pandemic that might not have been previously considered.

Already many students have been forced to change their post-high school plans due to the impact of Covid-19. In a study done by juniorachievement.org, it was found that “more than a quarter of teens say that their plans after high school graduation have changed.” Additionally, “more than a third replied that Covid-19 would change their expected living situation after high school graduation, and nearly as many say that Covid-19 is impacting their expected college starting date.” 

The current world situation has led many teens to reevaluate their post-high school options. This is both out of want and out of necessity, seeing as many people lost their jobs when quarantine started. 

Many teenagers are choosing to defer college and take a gap year, and some are even choosing not to go to college at all. Like Spears pointed out, it’s important to recognize that there is never one right course. Any path is a possibility as long as it’s in your best interests.

As Brown said, “What interests you? What do you think you would enjoy? That is the most important thing of all. The kind of life you would like to have is a factor too, but things change so much throughout your life. It really is about what’s going to make you happy.”

Junior Achievement Survey Source: https://www.juniorachievement.org/documents/20009/0/2020+COVID-19+Survey+Executive+Summary.pdf