I honestly do not know where to begin. I guess the reality that I’m graduating high school hasn’t set in yet. It’s such an abstract concept, a distant thing that just happens, so there’s no use worrying about it. Well, I’m worrying about it anyway.

When I walked into journalism for the first time, I was confused. I thought journalism would be more creative writing, not the newspaper. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love, though. I’ve been doing journalism for all four years, probably annoying all my editors with my unmatched ability to miss any and all deadlines. Knowing other people were relying on my work getting done on time made it easier to get stories in on time, so I wasn’t as far behind in journalism as I was in other classes.

I made so many friends, not just in my journalism class. Even though I am a notorious flake who stresses herself out about plans and who has a tendency to isolate herself from others completely by accident, I’m going to miss them. Online just isn’t the same as seeing someone in person every day, especially since I’m terrible at staying in touch.

It’s weird to see how all my friends have plans for after high school. They have colleges picked out, majors decided, their future set out in front of them. Meanwhile, I have no idea. College decides the rest of my future, or that’s what people tell me. Then again, other people tell me that college isn’t for everyone and there are other paths in life, with some outright saying that college is not important.

So here’s what I’ve decided. College is important and can be life-changing, but if you’re not sure, wait. It took me until senior year to find something I would be able to do as a job, and it doesn’t even involve college! Or journalism, even though I spent all four years in the class. Sorry, Mrs. Smith, but I think if I were to go into journalism full-time, I’d make editors tear out their hair in frustration.

That doesn’t mean I regret spending so much time in journalism. Journalism helped me with deadlines, with prioritizing, with reaching out to people and not apologizing for bothering them. Just because it doesn’t relate to future job prospects and career paths doesn’t mean it was a waste of time.