You Graduated! Now What?

Congratulations! You've graduated from high school. Like many of your friends, you're probably wondering what you should do next. The most important thing to do is to make a plan. You have many options in front of you, you just need to decide which is the best for you.

Enroll in a 4-Year College

This is the most common path for young people who have just finished high school. About sixty percent of high school grads will head straight to college. But only about 40% of them will graduate from college within 4 years, with another fifteen percent or so graduating within 6 years. That means that a whopping forty-five percent of kids that go to college right after high school never graduate. The reasons for this are varied. For many students, the cost of college is a huge factor. For others, they just can't handle the stress of classes, social life and work. Regardless of the reason, the statistics show that going right to college is not the best choice for everyone. If you are one of those rare people who have known what you want to do since third grade, this is the obvious choice, but if not, you might want to think about some other options.

Take Some Time Off

Including kindergarten, you just completed thirteen years of school! If you're burned out and unsure about what you want to study, maybe a little time away from academics is what you need. There are pros and cons of a gap year. Your parents might be afraid that if you don't go to college now, you never will. Let them know that actually, a huge percentage of gap year kids decide to further their education after taking a year off. A gap year can allow you to catch your breath, save some money, and gain a bit of life experience before committing to college. It could also give you the chance to gain some clarity on a career path or to take part in a gap year program that will give you the chance to see a bit more of the world.

Go to a 2-Year College

There are a lot of benefits to attending a community college or a junior college. These institutions tend to be smaller in size than the typical 4-year college. They can be a great transition between high school and university, making the move to a larger school much less overwhelming. Tuition costs tend to be much lower as well. If you aren't quite sure what you want to major in, a community college will allow you to take all the necessary general studies courses while earning an associate's degree. When you do discover your perfect major, you'll be able to move on to a 4-year college and put all your focus on your major subjects. Additionally, many states offer generous scholarships to 2-year colleges for students who were decent students in high school, and for those who didn't do as well in high school as they would have liked, community colleges have much more lenient acceptance criteria and will give you the opportunity to beef up your transcripts.

Think About Trade School

Trades schools are also known as vocational or technical colleges. They offer certificates in many programs for trade-oriented careers. Not everyone dreams of being a doctor or lawyer, and there are a lot of well-paying trades that you just don't need a 4-year degree for. For example, you could take a technical certificate program to become a web developer with a median annual pay of about $75,000!

There are so many possibilities open to you as you step into adult-hood. A college degree is a great achievement, but if it's not for you, or it's just not for you right now, that's okay. Not going to college today, does not mean that there isn't a bright future ahead.