As a high school student, it can be pretty scary thinking of jumping into that big world of adulthood. There is so much to do. There are so many responsibilities. There are so many expectations. The first thing to do is to calm down! It is not necessary to take on the entire world the day after graduation. Hopefully there has been some thought given to some of the things that you would like to do. If not, try to sit down, think about a few things that you would like to do in life, which direction you would like to go, and just start putting a little action behind your thoughts.
When you graduate from High School, it is the end of an era, not the end of your life. There are many choices, and after researching you will see that life is really just beginning. What happens in your life now totally depends on your choices. The key thing is to research all of your options, and never limit yourself.
Some options are Colleges and Universities. If you did reasonably well in High School and developed pretty good study habits, this might be an option for you. One thing to consider would be the cost. Tuition can be very expensive. If you have received good grades, you might be able to qualify for a scholarship. There are also grants that are out there. One site to consider is fastweb.com. This site can help tremendously with financial assistance. There are also loans that can pay for tuition.
Another option is considering the United States Armed Forces. They are always looking for people who would like to serve their country. This is a most honorable career with great benefits. There are many career fields to chose from. They offer tuition assistance as well as travel around the world. You can call your local recruiter or visit military.com.
One other option to consider is good old fashioned work. It is a great starting point if you already have a family of your own on the way, or if you would like to stay close and save money. There are great success stories of starting off at the bottom and working your way up to the top. Just be careful that you do not get stuck in a dead end job and wake up with no skills to move on in your journey in life.
I have talked to several High School graduates. One stuck out particularly in my mind. A young lady went from high school straight to college. She had friends who had kids after being out of school for 2 years. Others who had been married, and still others who had joined the military. She felt that her life was not going anywhere since she still lived home with her parents, and all that she was doing was going to school everyday. I encouraged her to hold her head up and feel good about her career choice. I also told her that although she has chosen a different choice in life that will provide delayed gratification, that does not mean that she is not accomplishing anything. What she is doing is positioning herself for sucess.
There are many choices in life. Do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot be or what you need to do with your life. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the future. MSNBC ran an article earlier this year which gave some students an opportunity to share their stories of life after high school. The article gives five different stories of the obstacles that these teens faces. On thing is for sure. It will not be easy. With a lot of research and hard work, you can be anything that you want to be. Think big.
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This is an important post because I see so many people attempt college before they are ready. What you do here is important: you let readers know that there are other, valuable options beside college. Unfortunately, college isn't right for everybody. The costs (what are they, by the way?) can be extreme, and the stress, along with family, rent, even work, can be overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, though. What about those people with overinflated expectations about what they can and should be able to do (see my own post this week)? What if we told somebody they could do anything they wanted, but all they wanted is to be an astronaut or a pilot? Of course, those careers are limited with other expectations (health, fitness) backgrounds (physics), and training needs. I guess at some point we should be positive but realistic? Or is that giving in too quickly?