What should you do after high
school?
From Mike
Hardcastle,
Your Guide to Teen Advice.
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A
look at your post graduation choices.
Graduating from high school is the end of an era. Gone are the days of carefree learning and socializing with friends. Now you need to decide what you are going to do with the rest of your life and that is no small decision to make. While lots of teens see high school as a chore, something to get through and leave behind, the reality is that high school is the last frontier to cross before the responsibility of adulthood takes center stage. Sure studying is work and school isn’t always fun and games but guess what? After high school is over you will come to appreciate it for the relatively carefree time of life that it is. It may sound cliché but once you graduate high school real life begins and how that life plays out is shaped by what you decide to do after high school.
So let’s take a quick look at your options.
What are your choices when high school is done? Where do you go from there? It all depends on where you want to be and how quickly you want to get there. Some people have life plans started before freshman year while others are still at the planning stage a year after high school. No one way is the right way because every choice means sacrifice and every path leads to more than one destination. Here are some of the options that you have immediately after grad – yes, there are others but these are the most common ones - along with tips to help you can decide which is best for you.
What is it?
This includes university, college or career training in a non-trades field.
Some examples of non-trades training include; Medical Office Assistant, Legal
Assistant, Dental Assistant, Corrections Officer, and Office Assistant.
Is it right for you?
This is for you if you are ready to select a career path, did reasonably well
in an academic program at school, and are able and ready to study and learn in
a traditional setting. If you are thinking of university or college you will
need good grades in high school course work to get accepted to a school, or you
must be willing to take extra time to upgrade in a post-secondary college prep
program. Just because your grades right out of high school weren’t great does
not mean that college or university is not an option for you, it just means
you’ll have to take a slightly longer path in getting there. As for career
training programs, like the ones noted above, your high school grades may be
less important but could come in to play when seeking financial aid for
tuition. Check with the training center of your choice for details.
The biggest hurdle faced by many people wanting to go on to
post-secondary schools like university or college is the high cost of tuition
and books. If your parents or family can afford to pay your way or if you have
an education savings account this may not be a concern for you but if you’re
not so lucky you still have options. Extremely good grades can help in getting
full or partial scholarships or bursaries but student loans are available to
everyone, even if you just squeaked by with minimum entrance requirements.
Visit the Registrars Office or
A Word to the
Trade School
What is it?
Trade school is where you go to learn a trade or craft. In trade school you
study to become a ticketed journeyman in a trade such as; electrician, plumber,
carpenter, master builder, mechanic, auto body technician, mason, drywaller, heating and refrigeration technician, etc. You
enter in to a program where you learn the skills hands on, become an apprentice
in a specified trade and eventually take a test - usually both written and
practical - to become a full journeyman in that field.
Is it right for you?
This is for you if you thrive in a hands-on learning environment, if you have
an interest in a trade and/or have taken basic courses in a specific area while
in high school, and if you enjoy physically demanding work that is also
mentally challenging.
Many people who do not do well in the academic part of high school choose a trade as a profession giving the incorrect impression that tradesman are not “intellectuals.” This is just not true. Trades work is just as mentally challenging as fields like law, business, journalism, and medicine. Where it differs most from these professions is in how you are trained not in how smart you have to be to do the work. Trades work is by no stretch of the imagination simple work.
Training in trades is intensive and in most trades you are actually working in an apprenticeship position within 6 months to a year. Depending on the trade you choose and the program you enter in to it can be a few years before you become a ticketed journeyman. A journeyman is considered an expert in a given trade and passing a journeyman’s exam is akin to passing the bar in law or completing a specialty in medicine. Right now there is a serious shortage in trades workers making it a competitively well-paid career choice. “Blue collar work” as trades work has been called is quickly becoming one of the better paying career choices in the job market. Trades workers with their tickets can choose to work for a company or can work for themselves making it an ideal career choice for people who work well in a structured environment as well as for people with an entrepreneurial spirit. As a trades worker you can easily be self-employed if so inclined.
A Word to the Wise
Over the years trades have been unfairly stigmatized as a fall back career for
people who could not perform in an academic setting. This is untrue and has led
to a serious shortage in qualified trades workers. A career in a trade pays
very well, is mentally stimulating, physically demanding and no one day on the
job is ever the same as the last. If you are looking for a career that will
never grow dull and that is always changing this may be the best choice for
you, even if you were a straight-A student in high school.
Public Service Work
What is it?
Police officers, ambulance attendants, paramedics, firefighters, social
workers, government employees and politicians are some examples of public
service workers.
Is it right for you?
This is for you if you like helping people, work well
under very stressful circumstances, are able to cope with the best and the
worst that society has to offer, and adhere well to structure and rules. This
is not for you if you have problems with authority or if you do not handle
stress well. All of these professions are very, very stressful. They are also
very, very satisfying and stimulating. Being a public servant will be the most
fulfilling and heartbreaking career choice you can make. It takes a certain
type of personality to effectively do this type of work, which is why
personality profiling and psychological work-ups are often part of the hiring
process.
The type of training necessary to be a public servant varies according to which field you are interested in. Some of these careers require university or college while others do not. Some of these careers like police work, start with a paid training program and a hands-on learning approach. To find out the education or training requirements of a given field contact the agency itself to inquire.
A Word to the Wise
Public service work is not for the weak of heart. Police officers, paramedics,
firefighters and social workers deal with some of the most terrible things that
happen in our world. In some cases you will routinely put your life and safety
at risk while on the job. They are on the frontlines of life and life never
really lets up. If you want to do this type of work be warned that it is
emotionally, physically and mentally challenging. It is also very fulfilling
and important.
Military Life
What is it?
A career in the army, navy or air force. You can join
the military at any time after you turn 18. You can join the military right out
of high school or you can choose to join after college or university. ROTC
(Registered Officer Training Program) is a tuition program in which the
military will pay your way through college or university and in return you
engage in limited military service while in school and full time service after
graduation for a predetermined period of time.
Is it right for you?
This is for you if you thrive in a strict and structured environment, like
helping people, have a sense of adventure and want to travel. ROTC is also a
great way to pay for university and ensure that you will have a job immediately
after graduation.
Military life is not for everyone.
Military service often puts you in high-risk situations and your life is often in danger even if you are not in a war zone. Depending on what type of service you choose even training can carry life-or-limb risks. Also, it is common for military service people to engage in peacekeeping missions that are anything but peaceful.
Whether you are deployed to a recognized war zone like the
A Word to the Wise
Like public service, a military career is not for the faint of heart. In many ways service men and women are the police of the world. You put your life at risk when you are sent on deployment and depending on the type of military career you pursue your life can be put on the line during training as well. You will see some incredible things and there is a very real chance that you will see some terrible things as well. A military career is not an easy one on body, mind or soul.
Straight to Work
What is it?
You get a job right out of high school or you continue doing a job you had
while in school, maybe moving to a full time position instead of a part time
one.
Is it right for you?
This is for you if you want to work to save for school, are not sure what you
want to do with your life yet and need to keep busy while you sort it out, or
if you have already have a job with growth opportunities that could make it a
great life-long career. A career has three key components that a job does not;
it offers room to grow and advance, it has increasing earning potential as time
goes on and you gain experience, and it is something you take personal pride
and satisfaction in doing. A job just pays the bills. If you are lucky enough to
get on a real career path right out of high school that is great but if you are
just a taking a job so that have something to do and as a way to earn some cash
you may come to regret it.
People opt to work right out of school for a variety of reasons and for many people it is a good temporary choice but unless your job offers room for advancement it is not a career choice, it is just something to do. The only danger in choosing to work after school rather than seek specialized training is that you run the risk of waking up one day in a dead end job. Let’s put it this way; that job at the fast food joint may have been great while you were in high school and it may give you spending money while you live at home but it is not a solid career choice and is unlikely to offer you many opportunities for advancement. While it is a great short term thing to do while you plan your future if it is all you ever do you may become dissatisfied.
A Word to the Wise
While there is nothing wrong with jumping right in to
the workforce after high school be weary of accepting just any old job in order
to bring home a paycheck. While you are still young you have so many
opportunities to take advantage of that working in a dead end job or accepting
a seemingly high paying position with no future is simply a waste. This is your
life; make the best of it.