Should I stay or should I go now? O'Donel High students in their own words

For high school students in Newfoundland and Labrador, it's a common question: should I stay, or should I go?

And according to 2017 statistics from the Department of Finance, only about 19 per cent of the province's population is under the age of 20 — making it an important question for the future of the province as well.

Some students' deep family roots may keep them here for most of their lives, while others can't wait to leave to study abroad or travel the world.

CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show paid a visit to O'Donel High School in Mount Pearl Friday, and here's what students had to say about whether they'd stay or leave — in their own words.

'Itching to get out'

I think that I'm going to go, because I'm itching to get out of here. I also want to have a different education opportunity than the ones they offer here. I want to explore, I want to be out there on my own. 

But if I want to settle down and have a family, I'm probably going to come back here. I had a great childhood and if I get a career and everything's good and I want to have kids, I want them to come here have a safe childhood like one that I had.

'I don't know why I'd want to leave'

I plan to stay here in Newfoundland … probably Memorial University. I'm born a Newfoundlander, and as the song goes, I'll be one until I die.

If I could, I would move around the bay. That's where I really want to live, because I just don't like the city as much, it's too busy for me.

Now, it all depends on if I can get a job out there. If I'm living in Clarke's Beach, I probably can't become a neurosurgeon, so I'd probably have to say somewhere here [in greater St. John's area], but either way, Newfoundland is not like downtown Toronto.

I just don't like the hustle and bustle of the big city, you walk down [the street] — all these big buildings and everything. Other people I know like it, other people love the city. I just don't, [I] like it here. All my family is here, all my friends, so I don't know why I'd want to leave. I don't know why anyone would leave, beautiful Newfoundland.

'I would prefer to stay'

I've thought about leaving before, because I would only leave for opportunities. I wouldn't leave Newfoundland unless I absolutely had to.

If I really felt like I needed to leave, if it would benefit my career choice … if I needed to go away for a job or an opportunity then I might, but I would prefer to stay in Newfoundland for now.

All of my friends and family are here … and I feel like I have a home that I can stay in right now that my parents will provide.

I think that there's an adventure to leaving Newfoundland, and I think it could be fun. I'm still pretty young, so I don't know if my mind will change until then, but for now I'm really drawn to the beauty of Newfoundland, and there are enough opportunities for some careers. But if I need to leave to pursue my dreams, then I would.

'I think I will go'

I think I will go. I really am interested in going out of the country to do schooling … to England and to the U.K. and all those places, because I'm not from here, so I don't have any like emotional ties to family or to the land. I have a big family and … we used to live in New Brunswick.

[Just] getting off the island costs a lot of money, and I want to see the world so bad, I want to travel. It's one of my biggest aspirations is to travel and if I live somewhere like New Brunswick, a 10-hour drive can get you to New York.

There's a big difference, and I definitely see myself pursuing dreams outside of the province.

But [I would] definitely come visit because, I mean, I've lived here for a long time even though I'm not from here, and I have all my childhood friends here. But like I said, I would rather be able to come back and visit more often than be stuck here and not be able to travel due to the cost.

'I'm kind of torn'

I don't know if I'll be able to find a job here that I'll enjoy, but if I can find one I'll stay. If I can't, then I'm fine with moving away, too.

I actually play a lot of competitive basketball, so if I can get a scholarship for basketball I'll go away. But if I don't, I'll just end up going to [Marine Institute] or MUN. It depends on work, if I can find a job here, I'll stay.

All my family's here and … I grew up here, so I'm really familiar with the surroundings.

But I really want to live somewhere it's warm also, so I'm kind of torn between staying here and enjoying all of my surround​ings, and being somewhere where it's warm constantly, because I don't like the cold.

'Hopefully to Alberta'

I'm really looking forward to hopefully pursuing a career in pharmacy at MUN … but as far as staying here, I'd say I'd like to move away, hopefully to Alberta, that's where my brother went. That would probably be an asset if I move up there, because if I can live with him, it'd cut down the costs of living up there.

Here, [tuition's] a bit cheaper and I can live with my mom my dad just to get through school … because I don't have to pay for rent or anything and my laundry and everything I can do at my house.

It'd also be better for student loans while I'm here, just so it's not adding on to everything, so I'd say if I got a really good job in Alberta I could pay off my student loans fairly quickly.

These conversations have been edited for length and clarity.

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