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The Five Year Plan I Wrote Five Years Ago

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Elizabeth Casarella
Danielle Pransky
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.

When I was 16 years old my guidance counselor suggested that I make a five year plan to discover what I wanted to do with my life.  I was unsure of where I wanted to go to college, what I wanted to study or the person I wanted to be.  As I sat in her office, apathetic and misunderstood, I made a list of things I wanted to do by the time I was 21.  The list included:

  1. Get Into College
  2. Actually Go To College
  3. Figure Out Who I Want To Be
  4. Stop Eating Candy For Breakfast
  5. Probably Get a Job
  6. Go Backpacking In Alaska

Looking back at this list at age 21, I can laugh at the priorities and worries that plagued my 16 year old self.  I can recall worrying so much about college applications and my GPA not being worthy of any acceptance.  Thinking five years into the future made me sick because I was so sure that I wouldn’t succeed based on the smallest of things. As it turns out, I got into all the colleges I applied to and I am currently attending Montclair State University.  I went backpacking in Alaska by myself a week after high school graduation, and later went on to find a part time job.  

Being 16 wasn’t easy but then again neither is being 21.  In fact, the two are quite similar.  I’m still worried that I won’t find out who I am and that I won’t get into the internships and jobs I’ve applied to.  And as it turns out, I am still eating candy for breakfast.  

Looking back on my old five year plan, I am better able to calm myself about the future of the next five years of my life.  The things I am worrying about now will likely be the things I look back on and question why I let myself stress out so much in the first place.  

With this in mind, here is my five year plan I hope to achieve by age 26.  

  1. Find a Job I Love
  2. Be Able To Afford An Apartment
  3. Go Backpacking In New Zealand
  4. Fall In Love and Settle Down
  5. Eat Whatever I Want For Breakfast
  6. Figure Out Who I Want To Be

 

Sources: 1, 2, 3

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Danielle has held various positions at Her Campus Montclair. Starting as a Contributing Writer during her sophomore year at MSU in 2015, she later became President & Editor-in-Chief during her senior year in 2017. She completed her B.A. in Communication & Media Arts with a minor in Leadership Development at Montclair State University in January 2018. Besides writing, she's a lover of cozy cafés, good lyrics, inspiring speeches, mountainous retreats, and sunsets on the skyline. She enjoys capturing the moment and has a passion for travel and discovery. You can often find her exploring NYC or venturing to one of her favorite East Coast spots.