WHAT IS YOUR PLAN AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?
By: Phuong Nguyen
I bet a lot of high school students from freshmen to seniors have heard this question from families, friends, coaches, teachers, or school counselors. This question brings excitement for some but worries for most students. So, where do we find the answer? Whom do we ask? How do we know it is the right path?
At the age of 13 to 17, it is almost impossible for high school kids to realize who they are, what they want to do, what they should do, or what the next step. High school is a mixture of a lot of emotions, from the endless summers of laughter and proms to countless hours of studying and feeling nervous about exams, standardized tests, college applications, advanced courses, etc. There are many intersections that every person has to stand at in their lives, and the end of high school is one of those exciting but at the same time scary intersections. There are many directions and options; however, the decisions have to be made almost precisely and strategically. Most kids will look at their peers to see what is trendy and just go with the flow. But some decide to take the leap of faith and stand out from the crowd to further their passions.
The truth is, we are all walking on very different paths. God gave us different abilities, gifts, strengths, and weaknesses. Coming from the same high school and being taught by the same teachers, students develop different skills and views of life. Therefore, the advice that is best for high school students is: Try everything and enjoy high school while it lasts! Why? Because anything done out of desperation or worries will not produce positive results. Speaking from my own experience: Back in high school, I used to be involved in many aspects of life, such as sports, dancing, social events, and many more fun activities. However, my family expected me to attend a good college and achieve good grades. They also expected me to find out what I wanted to do with my life to make some good money. They were worried that if I was not good at anything in life and if I did not make the right decisions early, my life would be ruined. I was stressed throughout high school. I did not even have time to enjoy some great moments with my friends. I thought I was focusing on the right and serious things because I was told to grow up.
But now thinking back, I regretted not being more involved. I regretted not exploring more about myself and what I could do before making the decisions.
College is not the only way to success. Surprising?! Perhaps not! I agree that a lot of successful people that we know of graduated from universities. However, there are some who are successful despite being college dropouts or even some who did not even attend colleges.
College provides incredible opportunities for students to network and make connections with amazing and influential alumni networks which lead to further job offers or business partnering. However, there are job interviews, offers, and business partnering done through some conversations, local events, or referrals as well. There are some professions which need proper university education including medicine, law, accounting, nursing, engineering, etc. However, there are many jobs out there which only require high school diplomas. A lot of people do not rush to attend colleges right after high school, but they join the workforce to gain skills and along the way better their finances while preparing for higher education in the future.
According to Inside Higher Ed digital news, 52 percent of college graduates are not able to find the jobs they want one year after graduation. 45 percent of college graduates struggle to land jobs that require a bachelor’s degree. Statistics point out that the job market has become very intensely competitive. As more people graduate from 4-year colleges, people have to lean on networking connections, referrals, or even Master’s or Doctorate degrees to stand out from the applicant pool. Additionally, 59 percent of college graduates carry student loan debt, which makes job searching more frustrating and urgent. Therefore, before anyone takes out those student loans, think very carefully about whether college is a good option, whether you are studying the effective majors, and what are the other options out there besides college.
Do not be overwhelmed! Focus on your own life and not what others are doing! Make a SWOT analysis board to have a better vision of your next steps. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths are what you are good and gifted at.
Weaknesses are what you are not so good at. Opportunities are what are beneficial for you. Threats are what will appear as difficulties on your paths. You should write them all down because sometimes if we do not document things, we tend to forget and we lose focus. And make sure to take your time with these too. An important decision takes time.
There are people who choose to go to college. There are people who decide not to. There are people who attend college right after high school. There are people who attend college years after graduating high school. What is the most important thing is to map out what you plan to do and whether colleges play a role on your map to achieve your goals.
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