High school is a very important part of every teenager’s life. In high school, teens often meet a lot of new people and branch out of their comfort zone, but they also learn a lot about themselves. For junior Tori Hendricks, her high school experience has helped her decide what she wants to do in the future.

“When I first started high school I really thought I had it all planned out,” Hendricks said. “I thought I wanted to be a computer scientist but since then my interests have definitely changed quite a bit. Now I know that’s not what really interests me.”  

Hendricks isn’t the only one who has had a dramatic career change. An average of 75% of students in college have changed their career choice at least once before finally choosing one and graduating, according to Penn State University.

“I think it’s definitely a good thing that I changed my career choice,” Hendricks said. “I realized that I was just trying to think about the money that I would be making rather, than what would actually make me happy.”

Hendricks says she knows that it is going to take effort and preparation for the career she chose but she also has people to help her and guide her in the right direction.

“When I actually asked myself if I wanted to be a computer scientist I realized that it wasn’t as interesting to me as I thought it would be,” Hendricks said. “I even took computer classes here at NA, but they didn’t grab my attention. I realized I wanted to be a preschool teacher because I enjoy taking care of kids and that’s why next year, with the help of Mrs. McGarvey, I’ll be taking cadet teaching to help me in the career I chose.”

Hendricks has learned a lot about herself in these years she’s been in high school.

“I learned that  when choosing a career, we should definitely think about what makes us happy and less about the amount of money we’ll be making,” Hendricks said. “I mean I went from wanting to be a computer scientist to a preschool teacher!”