Future Ready, or College and Career Readiness (CCR), has one glaring issue: students, particularly freshmen, aren’t enjoying it or finding it useful. Some find it a waste of time and effort, and some find that it isn’t necessary and is just another class to get through and move on; and most importantly, some find that it isn’t preparing them for what they truly need.

As the name suggests, Future Ready is designed to prepare students for their future, both throughout their time at Doherty High School and afterwards. The idea is that whether they plan to go to university, straight into the workforce, to the military, or whatever else they want to do after they graduate, they will have a clear and beneficial path to follow. 

In many ways, it does succeed in doing so. Easton Bryarly, a freshman at Doherty, stated that, “I like to help us set goals so that we can achieve them and help boost our mindset.” Many agree that it does help us set achievable goals, many related to current academics. Despite these goals being relatively short term, they do aid in helping us learn to properly set those objectives, a skill that helps in almost all aspects of life. One of the main benefits in many students’ minds, is the guide towards graduating. It helps set a clear plan for their time in high school, through setting up an idea for future classes and giving a helping hand towards obtaining the required graduation credits. 

However, despite the pros, there are a significant number of cons. One, is the lack of direction at times. Nyle Webster, a freshman, mentioned, “I don’t enjoy the random reflections and unrelated assignments we have to do when the class is supposed to be about college and career readiness.” It can get off track and has us do things that are seemingly unrelated or irrelevant. For example, the quarterly reflections, as Webster mentioned. Not only do they feel out of place, they also don’t seem to change anything. Despite asking for what could be fixed or done better, it doesn’t appear to change. 

So, a few things can be done to improve the program. First, we could give more opportunities and options to find careers. While there are some opportunities, they can feel a bit linear. Similarly, it tends to focus more so on the “college” side over “career,” which doesn’t fully apply to everybody’s future plan. Furthermore, it could help us get a job. It shows a pathway for a set career plan, but not how to get our first one, or how to properly write a resume. Finally, it could help explain everyday life such as financing. Webster also said, “I wish they taught us how to manage finance, like credits, banking, and taxes earlier on.” While there are personal finance classes, it would be better if everyone could experience it so that they are prepared for the real world. 

Ultimately, Future Ready can really help students both during, and after their time at Doherty High School. But, by focusing more on career opportunities, how to obtain a job, and how to manage finances, it could be more beneficial and useful towards them.