In the year 2012, we are constantly bombarded with prophesies of impending doom. If the earth doesn’t become incinerated through the holes in the ozone layer, it will combust in nuclear warfare or be swallowed up by the deluges of melted polar icecaps. On a slightly less catastrophic level, it seems that the media is never at a loss for a negative report. Whether the value of the dollar has been depleted a few cents or there’s a tropical storm brewing that will result in cancelled classes, there’s always something to fear. In this segment, Juniata students were asked about their fears for the future.

Pete Mullins ’14 Oakmont Pa:

What I’m most afraid of is things getting boring and mundane. I don’t want a routine to become predictable and I don’t want to become bored with life. I’m mostly concerned with a lack of variety in the things that I’ll do, the location I’m in and the people I’m with.

Alison Shannon ’16 Landisville, Pa.:

I’m most concerned about finding a job, about where it will be located and how my life will revolve around it. I don’t want to get stuck in a job that I don’t like. I want to be happy.

Brendan Garrison ’13 Brooklyn, N.Y.:

I’m worried that my undergrad degree won’t do anything for me monetarily. I don’t want a minimum wage, manual labor job. People tell me I should worry as an English major, but I think English is useful in everything. I would like to be a writer of some sort, writing prose or creative works. I would be self-employed, so it would all be up to me, which is a little nerve-racking.

Ramsey Amad ’16 Vienna, Va.:

I fear the safety of our children in these tough economic times. I don’t know if they’ll ever find jobs. They must take on our crippling debt, which will bankrupt them and the task of solving global warming. They are falling behind in education in comparison with the rest of the world and they are losing the space race. They won’t be energy independent and they will be susceptible to infectious diseases that are becoming increasingly stronger. I also fear for the well being of the polar bears and the rise of Lord Voldemort.

Hailey McCandless ’14 Harmony Pa.:

I’m most afraid of not getting the job I want. I’m going into the field of wildlife conservation and they want people with more experience. With the advances in technology, people don’t care about animals as much, so there are a limited number of jobs. I worry that I’ll fall into something that’s completely not what I want to do. I don’t want to go on to grad school because that’s more money and stress, but nowadays it’s hard to get a job without a master’s degree.

-Hannah Jeffery ’16 Juniata Online Journalist