Graduation season is now among us! And as someone who has graduated four times(Elementary school, Jr. high school, high school, and as an undergrad in college), I know the routine by now: You buy an overpriced cap, and gown, you receive a sheet of paper, you go to a very hot, and muggy graduation ceremony, watch some phony speeches at the ceremony throw your caps in the air for some unknown reason, and walk away with "lifelong" friends. However, this is an exciting time, and it should be celebrated.
I went to some unique schools. After my sixth grade year (which was the last year of elementary school at the local public schools I went to), we had a graduation ceremony at a church near our school. Our class sang random songs as a chorus(and they were great songs). Out of every graduation, that was my most exciting one. So, if you're graduating from elementary school: Relax. Celebrate, but you're still a kid-You still have a lot of life ahead of you. Don't worry about Jr. high/middle school, or how scary the 6th/7th, or 8th grade will be. You're very young. Enjoy it.
Now, for anyone graduating Jr. high/middle school, listen up. I went to a local Catholic elementary school for my seventh, and eighth grade years. Yes, we had recess as 14 year olds! However, I still had a graduation ceremony in the church which belonged to the school I graduated from, and we still sang Christian music. It was a fun ceremony, and I have it ranked second of my four graduations. So, whether you're graduating from Jr/high/middle school as a sixth, seventh, or eighth grader, here are some pros, and cons.
Pros of graduating from Jr. high/middle school, and going onto high school
-You begin to explore yourself as a more mature adolescent than before.
-You have a "fresh start."
-You have more independence: Your own locker, not being smothered by your parents, and possibly a job.
-You'll learn from a more wide range of subjects/content areas, and not just the traditional math, English, science, etc.
-There are a lot more ways to get involved, whether it be sports, clubs, arts, and so on.
-Field trips are a lot more elaborate than ever before, and it many cases, allow you to travel across the country.
-If not before, you'll probably enter the dating scene.
Cons of graduating from Jr. high/middle school, and going onto high school
-The school work is more rigorous.
-It's harder to mange time, especially if you're involved in extra curricular activities, or have a job.
-You'll probably be more stressed out than you ever have been.
-The drama will probably be everywhere. You'll see a lot more backstabbing, and friendships broken.
-The teachers treat you more like an independent adult, and will require more responsibility from you.
-If not before, you'll probably enter the dating scene.
Attention all graduating high school seniors: I hope you're excited! I graduated high school in 2009, and my ceremony was a long, two hour, muggy, hot mess. I didn't enjoy it much, but I did like how ridiculous our graduation crowd acted(they acted like the audience on The Jerry Springer Show). So, while it may be exciting to finally get out of required schooling, here are the pros, and cons.
Pros of graduating from high school
-You have so many options: Trade school, University, a full time job, a "honeymoon" year off, or moving to somewhere different!
-You have more freedom, and your parents can't legally force you to do anything.
-You are more independent than you've ever been.
-You have more flexibility in your daily schedule.
-You've officially entered the realm of adulthood.
Cons of graduating from high school
-You don't have a set structure anymore, which can be hard to get used to.
-You are now held more accountable in your life, since your high school "safety" shield has been removed.
-If you advance your education, you'll be put to the ultimate time management test.
-If you advance your education, good luck with the school work. It will certainly be more rigorous.
-If you advance your education, post-secondary education isn't "fun, and games" like the movies make it to be.
-If you have a job, your job will no longer cut you slack-Because they don't legally have to.
-You've officially entered the realm of adulthood.
You've now made it, regardless of what age you are, you're finally graduating from college! Whether it took you two, four, six, or even as much as ten years, you've earned this degree! I graduated from Miami University(In Ohio-NOT Florida) last year, and my graduation ceremony couldn't have been more boring. There was no music, it was nearly three hours long, the speakers were monotone, and not interesting at all-And even the graduates among me were in a doze. Needless to say, it was my worst of my four graduations, and a complete snoozefest. But I was still happy to get out of college. So, here is my final list of pros, and cons.
Pros of graduating from post-secondary education (Whether it be undergrad, or postgrad)
-You can finally start, or advance your career!
-You probably won't be near as stressed as you were!
-Regardless of what age you are, you get more freedom, and you feel young again!
-If you were living in a dorm, you now have more space!
-You won't have to deal with absurd teachers anymore.
-You have more time(and probably money) to travel.
Cons of graduating from post-secondary education (Whether it be undergrad, or postgrad)
-If you have student loans, paying them back can be very challenging.
-You might have a difficult time finding a career in the field you went to school for.
-You're finally done with schooling(altogether): This is tough to let sink in.
-If you were a "college kid"(You still weren't a kid), now you're really really really not a kid anymore.
-If you graduate under 30, potential employers won't take you seriously. If you graduate over 50, potential employers might think you're "too old" to begin a career.
-You actually have absolute freedom now-Which is scary!
These were just my opinions, and my advice. It's the way I see it with people I come across. As someone who will probably be working on his fifth graduation soon, I know a little bit about graduating to the next stage of life. It's quite exciting, yet scary at the same time. My ultimate advice: Just relax on the beach, no matter what age, or stage of life you're in!
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