Knowing everything but nothing

I've always thought that as you get older, you start to understand the world and everything around you much better than you do as a child because as a child, the world is a mysterious yet wonderful place to be. I use to be excited about getting older and becoming an adult but right now, it is the most scariest thing in my life, becoming an adult. 

I've got just over  a month till i'm 18 and to be honest, I am not ready. I know a lot, but at the same time I know absolutely nothing. Hence the title of my blog being "knowing everything but nothing" which to be honest, I think is the same thing a lot of people in the 16-18 bracket age are thinking. We know everything that we need to do in order to succeed (get good grades at GCSE and A-Levels, get a degree or get a job, get married have children etc.) but at the same time, we know absolutely nothing about what we want to do with our lives and whether we want to go along the linear route of going to uni getting a job etc.

I am taking a gap year before I do anything life changing to figure out what I want to do with my life. This decision was taken after receiving my AS results (to anyone who isn't familiar with the UK education system this is what a junior year at high school is) and realizing that I needed to change my outlook when it came to exams and what I wanted to do when it came to finishing my exams etc. 

Decision like going to University or doing an apprenticeship is really big and having to make that decision at 16/17 years old to me is really daunting. To anyone who knows what they are going to do and what they need to do this is great and simple for them, however I tend to differ between what subject and job I want to do when I am in my 20s and therefore need more time to mature and realize what I want to do. 

I personally think there is too much pressure on teenagers to make big decisions at an age where none of us are mature enough to decide what job we are going to stick with for the rest of our lives. When talking to my friends at my Sixth Form College about this a lot of them agree with me that there is too much emphasis on going to University and going this route in life, instead of looking at what we really want to do and learning about ourselves. 

But there isn't much I alone can do on this situation however and there is the simple fact that I need to accept that this is the case. 

Nevertheless I can do with my life what I can and I think this needs to be spread across schools that University isn't the only way and that you can go at any point in your life if you really want to go. 

I hope that anyone reading this is happy with there life decisions but just so that you know, if you are not happy it is never too late to change your career. When I got my AS results and I thought my life was over because they were not what I was expecting my lovely father told me and I will always remember this "it is okay to fail as long as you learn how to pass next time" and this is so true. Just learn how to correct your bad decisions (which to be honest are never bad decisions because they make you who you are) and make yourself the happiest person you can be. 

Love yourself and don't worry if you don't know everything, not many of us knowing everything too.