Most of us fall into two camps: those who come up with a five-year plan and follow it, and those who have no freaking clue. However, one thing is certain; ideas change and life-chapters are constantly opening and closing – life is unpredictable.

Uni Junkee spoke with four high school graduates about whether or not their idea of life after high school turned out how they thought.

The One Who Took A Gap Year

Frankie* graduated in 2007 and finished school with great marks. However, she was unsure of what she wanted to pursue, so she sort of floated about for a while instead.

Frankie learned that she loved to travel, but with that comes the whole “having to save” part, so she picked up some work at her mum’s medical practice. Going from school days where you barely need to lift a finger to working long hours is a pretty big transition itself. But thankfully, she reached her goal and headed out on a big trip.

She says she always had a thing for languages and film, so after her travels and volunteering overseas, Frankie decided to enrol into a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Spanish & Latin American studies and film studies. Like some of us, Frankie had a change of heart with her interests and, inspired by working at her mum’s practice, decided to complete a Bachelor of Medical Science.

However, suprise suprise, Frankie told us, “That didn’t end up happening either! After one semester I changed my mind and persued environmental studies”. That’s the one that finally stuck. Frankie tells Uni Junkee, “You never know what life has in store for you. At school, I never in a million years thought I’d be in the science field, but guess what? I am!”

The One Who Stuck To The Plan

Ellie* had a plan after high school and she followed it through – her expectations were pretty close to the reality of what life is like after high school days. Ellie graduated in 2014 and had already decided that she was interested in business, which led to her studies in business management at uni.

Ellie says, “As a young adult, my parents let me decide for myself what I wanted to do.” She’s always been career driven, and having a strong support system shaped Ellie’s idea of life after the good ol’ high school years. Ellie is now interning at a PR agency in Sydney and completely loving her field of study.

The One Who Didn’t Suit Uni

Joe describes his story as one that wasn’t entirely expected. After just three weeks of uni, Joe dropped out. He felt the course and the atmosphere of uni just wasn’t his cup of tea.

He says that in high school, he didn’t do as great as he had hoped in the HSC, but this didn’t affect what he does today. Joe is now completing an apprenticeship to become an electrician and is loving it. The hours are pretty shitty compared to the flexible timetables students make for uni, but it’ll pay off in the end.

Joe told Uni Junkee that the transition in friendships after high school days was really unexpected for him. He says, “One of the main things I didn’t expect was how much smaller social circles became as lots of mates would go off and study abroad or travel, or even just move on.”

The One With The Best Of Both Worlds

Graduating in 2002, Rosie* followed her dream of being a muso. Being a musician in Australia and starting fresh with no connections can be tough – there’s no money at the start of the journey and paying rent after moving out of home early is a bitch. “There was no way I could have done life after school without share-housing,” Rosie says.

Now, at age 33, Rosie is a part-time nurse and musician. “What I wanted just after graduating high school was very different to five years after that,” she says. “But above all other pursuits and endeavours, music has always been my magnet.” Rosie pushed herself with her music career and is now very well-known in the acoustic music community, playing at live gigs and even on TV.

* Names changed for the article