I woke up today thinking about highschool, yes highschool. And I tried to remember the thoughts I used to have when I was in school, but unfortunately most memories were vague. Maybe it’s because I had just woken up, I couldn’t tell. But I’m still left wondering, did I know who I was going to become after school? Did life give me hints that I may have ignored? Maybe I should have chosen sciences over arts when choosing concentrations, maybe if I had put in more I would be on another level or am I exactly where I want to be?

All these thoughts rushed through my mind and it became evident that the main concern I had ever had since I was in high school was of my future. What will my future hold? Being the visionary person that I am, I used to ask myself this question a lot. And today I thought I might advise some high schoolers about what their future holds. It’s a privilege to be writing this after I have already crossed that bridge and I hope it helps someone out there.

DISCLAIMER :I wrote this for a Kenyan Audience, but anyone can take the advice!

  1. Choosing subjects

 I would honestly say go for something you love, see if you love something then you are definitely going to put time and effort into it so do just that don’t complicate things. Choose subjects that you love and put in more effort into them, at least this way you have better chances of enjoying your classes.

  1. Don’t pressure

I know it seems like you have all the reasons in the world to be pressured because of the upcoming KCSE exams and your parents. But the truth is, you still have a life after high school, and you will get to explore your career options so take it easy. There is no gun to your head that says you have to make every decision today, time will guarantee you enough space for decision making so just relax. After all the Bible does say there is time for everything.

  1. Stop trying to be the smartest in the room

I know that most of you want to be referred to as intelligent (chopi). It feels good to be acknowledged as such. But the truth is it really doesn’t matter period! Work hard yes, get good grades yes, do your best yes, but don’t do it for prestige do it for yourself and not for the people around you. I mean pleasing people is a lot of work so if you put such a burden on yourself now, when disappointment comes I’m not sure how you’ll cope. So just stop trying and learn to accept yourself as you are.

  1. You will fail

Well, that’s the truth, before you get offended read on. Failure in life is inevitable, not every day will be a good day for you, not every paper will be an A for you, not all decisions you make will be perfect too and that’s OKAY! Accepting to fail is what leads you to grow, the key is not giving up. Even when you fail 10x remember to always get up, dust yourself, and get back into the game. This is some good advice for life too.

  1. You will date

Well it’s the truth, you will date, somewhere in your futures there is hope for a relationship. Whether good or bad the choice will be up to you. But I still maintain, the most destructive thing you can do in your highschool life is get into a relationship. At this point in life you are trying to figure things out, you’re busy trying to understand your body, you’re also trying to find your identity because you realize you don’t really know yourself that well, you’re trying to do well in school and all that. The last thing you need at this moment is an immature, unmonitored relationship that will most likely lead to a heartbreak. In my opinion a relationship at this stage will do you more harm than good. So just relax and take your time with these things, there’s no need to rush honestly.

  1. Make good friends

One thing you can do here is to invest in good friendship. Choose your squad wisely, and if you find someone worth it invest in that friendship. Build up yourselves and together you will be able to achieve a lot. To me what you really need in highschool is a good friend, that is way important.

  1. Enjoy the season

No matter what lies you have been telling yourself, you won’t be in high school forever. Seasons come and go and what you do in this season is what will remain. If you waste your time away, there will be evidence of that. But also if you spend your time wisely the fruits will be seen. Rather than worry about what the future holds, use this time to live and enjoy every moment of your high school life. This is the only thing you should be doing right now, trust the process!

Noanne❤❤❤