As senior year approaches for the class of 2017, and college students begin to ponder what their next moves in life will be, decisions will have to be made: What to do, What to do, What to do?
With all of the options graduates fresh out of high school have, how is it possible to know what is right and best without knowing what the future may hold? After high school graduation, most people have several choices: the military, college, trade school, or enter the workforce (taking a gap year is also encouraged somewhere in that spectrum).
I ponder over these questions and thoughts as the next generation, myself included, prepares for adulthood because I was in this same predicament a couple of years back. And now? Now that I am more than halfway through with my degree program, I find myself again asking these same questions. So far, I have gotten through just fine by trial and error, meaning I went to school and decided I was going to go with the flow, but what if I didn't go to college immediately following my graduation? Would that have been a mistake or would it have been a sound judgment call?
While it is true that mistakes are a necessary part of growth and learning about one's self, figuring out what to do with your life after high school before funneling thousands and thousands of dollars into an institution can save you a lot of time and stress.
As I mentioned, I've recently been faced with the dilemma of choosing my next step after graduation. This whole conversation about next steps after high school often occurs repeatedly throughout college, and after graduation too. Should I aim for a J.D. and go to law school or should I take the plunge and go to grad school and earn an M.F.A.? Or should I do neither of those things and see how far my B.A. in Writing and Linguistics can take me? After weeks and weeks of going back and forth with myself, I realized I do not do anything I don't want to do. No one should. If you find yourself subtly resenting ready-made plans for your future, or if you would enjoy doing something that wasn't planned -- if it was something decided on a whim, go for it! If it turns out your choices were a mistake, there is a silver lining: life lesson learned, wisdom gained (if you have to pay the price for some of those choices so be it).
When deciding what path to take, it is best to do what makes you happy. Under absolutely no circumstance should you make such a gargantuan decision: continuing on with your education, joining the military or not go to school because of other forces like what family says or how much money you believe you will make with your chosen career path.
My experiences in college have shown me that it is not always in everyone's best interest to go directly to school. Some people aren't ready, while others simply know how to make a living without the use of a degree (college isn't necessary). And on the flip-side of that, going to college and taking the appropriate steps to earn a degree is the perfect plan for some. College is where some need to be to discover what their life/career will become.
So you have to answer the question: what to do? What will you do? Whenever I have to make these big decisions, before I commit to semi life-altering and completely life-altering plans, I ask myself: Will I whine and complain about my life once I make this decision or will I find myself happier and feeling better than ever about my life choices because I decided to go against the grain and follow what I wanted regardless of the outcome?
I know everyone's situation differs, but if you had the free will to decide for yourself, I say bump what others may think. In the end, the only opinion that matters is yours. Whether you are graduating from high school or finishing up a degree without a clear plan in sight, don't limit yourself. Do what you want. No matter how off-the-rails it may seem. Almost anything can be turned into an investment or business venture. Have no bounds to what you think you can and can't do in this life.
