Now That High School Is Over, What Are Your Future Plans?

After high school there are many options as to which direction you want to go in life. While some may come from more well off families which give them more options in choosing exactly what it is they want to do, there are still many choices available to all of us. Maybe you've known since you were a child that you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer so it's off to college for you. Or perhaps you will go into the family business or join one of the armed forces. Maybe you have no clue on which direction you should take so you decide to take a year off to travel or just to find yourself. In my experience, it takes much longer than a year to find oneself, but this time can be used for some serious thinking about life decisions.

Growing up I hated school and never imagined I would go to college after high school. Anytime I shared this decision with someone, they would ask me what I was going to do with my life. With all my smarts and intelligence, surely I couldn't throw all of that away by skipping out on a college education. I remember the piles and piles of mail I received from colleges and universities and my lack of interest in any of them. My problem wasn't that I didn't want to go to college; my problem was the fact that I had no clue as to what I wanted to do.

Since I had no job and no immediate plans for my future, I listened to what everyone was telling me to do and enrolled in Roosevelt University as a psychology major. With my heart not being in school in the least, I left before completing a single semester. That was money down the drain and time wasted. Had I went with my first mind and not enrolled in the first place, I could have saved myself a ton of stress and student bills.

Looking back, I see that I lacked what many young adults lack which is guidance from a mentor who is willing to help you explore the options that are available to you. I didn't think that perhaps I just wasn't ready for college, instead I went when I knew I didn't really want to just so I could be doing something with my life. I'd considered joining the military but I quickly decided against it. It was hard for me to find a job since I had relatively very little work experience and once I did find a job, although the pay was better than minimum wage, I still had no future there.

This time, without the influence of others, I decided to enroll in college in the year I would have been due to graduate from college had I stayed right after high school. Instead of going to a big college or university, I enrolled in a two year college in pursuit on an Associate's degree. This would give me the option to stop after those two years or decide to continue on for a higher degree. Being a bit older and wiser, I know the many opportunities that are available to me. While it is true that college isn't for everyone, it's also true that with college, there are better options available for you to explore.

There are trade schools, CDL courses, certification programs, online schools, internships, and some jobs that allow you to work your way up all without a college degree. Not everyone can fathom spending four years or more of their lives in college. If you don't think your future involves a campus, start researching alternative options ahead of time. Don't let others pressure you into going to college just because they believe it's the best thing for you to do. No one wants to spend thousands of dollars on a degree they could care less about in a career choice that they aren't passionate about. Maybe you weren't that five year old child who knew exactly what they would be when you grew up but that doesn't mean that there still isn't a bright future ahead of you. Life is full of trial and error so you have to try different things and find what suits you.