“When are we going to use this?” is the question that has been asked by students, countless times, throughout the whole country. Frustrated with school and homework, students see no use for trigonometry or poetry, in everyday life. Do we really need Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, to help us after high school? The answer is no, you won’t need Shakespeare to help you after high school, but you will need and use many other things you learn in high school.

I spoke to Alex McQuade, who graduated from Blaine High School in 2010. Alex went to college for a few years, and now works for an optical lab. She says that math was and is the most helpful thing she learned in high school, “Math is what you’ll use the most throughout your life, depending on your job; math is one of the most useful classes you’ll take”. “English is also important, because you need to know how to write resumes with good grammar, spelling and correct words; you need to know how to communicate” Alex says. She also recommends to current Blaine High School students to “Take computer classes, because it’s the 21st century”.

Even though Alex says the things you learn in high school are important and good to know after high school, she also says “They aren’t as important as they think”. “I don’t go home and draw graphs of parabolas, or think about the World War II” Alex says. She agrees that “Everybody feels like they are learning useless things, and some parts aren’t necessarily useful in everyday life, but are still good to know”. “Yeah, you probably won’t be using quadratic equations, but it’s still a good baseline for education” Alex says.

So even though you probably won’t be thinking much about War World II, or referring back to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” often, you’ll still need many of the things you learn in high school. Alex gives advice to students to “Take as many of the classes you want, in high school, because in college they cost money; and also enjoy high school, because at least in school, they can’t fire you”.