I am by no means the expert on this topic but I'm going to chat about it anyways.
I think it's inevitable that at some point in the first few years after graduating from high school, you're gonna feel a bit lost. and I'm sure this feeling of lost-ness will return many times throughout the rest of life also. trust me when I say this is so okay.
up until this point, your life direction has been essentially controlled by someone else. you go through primary school, then intermediate and then high-school, because that's what you have to do and there's no real question about it. but all of a sudden you finish high-school, after over a decade of routine, and now there's a huge empty space that could be filled with literally an endless list of options.
regardless of whether you go to university, move out of home, start working full time, take a gap year or do something completely different, once you graduate high-school you are given all this control and all these massive decisions to make. and we're not used to making these decisions because we've never had to make them before.
in today's day and age, the possibilities for us are literally endless. there's new technology being invented, new jobs emerging in the workplace, new opinions and perspectives and ideas rising to prevalence. but personally, the fact that I had so many choices leaving school meant my mind ended up in a tangled mess. I had this preconceived notion that whatever I decided to do this year would dictate the rest of my life. for example, if I went to university and studied commerce, I'd become a businesswoman, work a 9-5 job, raise a family, retire and then die. this added so much unnecessary pressure to my decision, and now I realise that I was so damn wrong. yes, that's the reality for some, but do some research and you'll find that the average amount of career changes in a person's lifetime (not just changing jobs) can be anywhere between 5 and 7 times. what you do straight after graduating high-school doesn't have to determine the next 60+ years of your life. it really shouldn't. you are a product of your environment, and if you are experiencing new things, meeting new people and learning of new ideas every day, then you will inevitably change, develop new passions and desires, become inspired by something and uninspired by another. change isn't something to be afraid of, it's healthy and it keeps life interesting.
what I'm really trying to say here is that, regardless of what you decide to do after high-school, it's not going to be the end of the world. there's no rush to jump straight into uni if it's not something you feel motivated to do (ironic coming from myself but hey whatever). you might take a gap year, build up your finances, travel or volunteer. I know of plenty of people who have done this and are having the absolute times of their lives. if you decide to study later on, being a year or two behind your old friends barely matters like it does in high-school. on the other hand, you might not want to go to university at all, and that's also a completely valid option too. university (or other tertiary study options) are amazing for some people and not others. a university degree does not mean you will become successful. although it is an undeniably valuable thing to have under your belt, it's all about the amount of effort, drive and determination you invest into making shit happen. there's no set timeline (or order) for how you should live your life and it's all about finding a balance between being realistic, following your instincts and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.
the last year of high-school is scary in terms of figuring out what's next. I've been through it, I get it, I still wonder if I'm doing the right thing myself. at the end of the day, all you can really do is assess your options, do your research and understand yourself - figure out what really makes you tick. what would you do if society, your parents or your teachers didn't influence your perception of what you 'should' do. while being realistic in terms of finances and employment is important, ultimately you need to remember that you're in charge of your life - you deal with the consequences of your actions and you reap the rewards of your own hard work. there aren't many things in life that come easy. your career may not always make you grin from ear to ear, but if it gives you motivation to get out of bed every single morning, it's worth it.
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