Life after High School: Eight Options

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Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash

“What am I going to do after high school?” is a difficult question for many teenagers. The common answer, “Go to college” only leads to more difficult questions, “Where?” and “What major?”

If you are only 16 or 17 years old, how can you answer these questions? You barely know yourself, you have not heard of many colleges or career opportunities, and you have little to no work experience. In addition, there are too many options to consider: thousands of colleges, majors, and careers.

How should you approach this major transition in life? You can’t possibly process thousands of ideas, but I think you can process eight.

Before we begin, allow me to make introductory remarks.

  • Some of the following information is currently affected by Covid-19.
  • This post is primarily written for U.S. high school students, but many of the concepts are relevant to students in other countries. Also, if you will not be attending university in the U.S., do an online search to find similar data for your country of interest.
  • The blue text indicates links so make sure to click on items of interest.

Option 1: Bachelor’s Degree

  • Four-Year College or University: currently 44% of U.S. high school graduates are choosing to immediately enroll in a traditional 4-year school. This type of study leads to a bachelor’s degree (B.A.), allowing you to proceed to more advanced degrees, such as a master’s (M.A.) and doctorate (Ph.D.). If you think, “everyone has a bachelor’s degree” that’s not true. Of the 328 million people in the U.S. about one out of three have a four-year degree or higher. If you think, “I will earn more money with a bachelor’s degree,” in general that is true. While earnings vary depending on major, on average those with a bachelor’s degree will earn about $1 million more during their lifetime than those with a high school degree only. The same report, however, also states “In a surprising number of cases, people with less educational attainment earn more than those with more.” (See the infographic for more detail.) In other words, having a bachelor’s degree does not guarantee that you will earn more money than someone only with a high school diploma. In fact, having a bachelor’s degree does not even guarantee a job. Here are three variations on the traditional 4-year school:
    • College with a Co-op Program incorporates paid work experience into the traditional college schedule. Although it may take longer to graduate, you will earn money while working and graduate with a year or two of work experience, increasing your chances of landing a good job. The University of Waterloo currently has the largest co-op program in the world with about half of its 30,000 students alternating between a semester on campus and semester of work (Selingo, 121). This page contains a few examples of colleges with co-op programs. (While some use “internship” and “co-op” interchangeably, others make a distinction. In general, co-op refers to full-time paid work during several terms with one employer, whereas internship may be limited to part-time work during one term without pay. Here’s further clarification.)
    • College outside of the U.S. In many cases bachelor’s degrees in Europe only take three years to complete and the cost of tuition is cheaper. However, you may need to show that you have enough in savings for your entire time in that country. In general, U.S. graduate schools—where you can earn a master’s degree—usually have no problem accepting bachelor’s degrees from other countries. For a description of schools in Europe with English-speaking programs, see College Beyond the States: European Schools That Will Change Your Life Without Breaking the Bank by Jennifer Viemont and the author’s website. In addition, you can do an online search for top schools in specific countries.
    • College online is an increasingly popular option. College degrees make no distinction between on-campus and online students. Here is a list of online degree programs and a list of affordable online degrees. Also, some online degrees are competency based (pass a test and move on to the next course), allowing you to proceed as quickly as possible through the program (ex. Western Governors University). This article says that the pandemic has changed things so much that college will never return to normal. But the author believes that is a good thing because tuition will decrease and students will consider other options, such as online education.

Option 2: Associate’s Degree

  • Community Colleges offer two-year degrees, usually called Associate of Arts (A.A.), which you can then use to transfer to a 4-year college to earn a bachelor’s degree. This can be an inexpensive way to complete your first two years of college. Additionally, there are good jobs that only require a two-year degree. See the lists here and here. Currently 26% of high school graduates are choosing to immediately enroll in a 2-year college. “Be sure to check out their transfer rates if your goal is to go on to a four-year college and look at their job-placement rates based on your major if you want a job with your associate’s degree” (Selingo, 186). Adding this number to the previous option gives a total of 70% of high school graduates pursuing a bachelor’s or associate’s degree.

*If you are considering options 1 or 2, there is a lot to think about so read this post first.

Option 3: Technical Training

  • Technical or Vocational or Trade Schools teach specific skills. They may last from a few months to two years. Despite the stigma attached to this option, more students are choosing to go in this direction. (According to this EU report, about 50% of young Europeans receive this type of training.) This training usually leads to some type of certificate or license. Many future jobs are “‘middle-skills jobs,’ which demand more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. There are roughly 29 million of these jobs today. Some 11 million of them pay $50,000 or more a year . . . nearly half of them are in office occupations” (Selingo, 185). If you choose this option make sure your school is accredited and see if student outcome data is available (completion and employment rates). By the way, cybersecurity workers are currently in high demand. See this site for more detail on the cybersecurity industry in the U.S.
  • ALPs (Accelerated Learning Programs or Bootcamps) now exist in computer programming, healthcare, sales, and banking. Most of these do not require any training beyond high school for admission, and they vary in length from a few weeks to a year or more. They also vary in design from an in-person apprenticeship model to a program that is completely online. A New U contains an appendix with a 70-page list of ALPs in the U.S.
  • Alternative programs like Praxis.  Also, see their list of college alternatives here.

Option 4: Online College Courses

  • MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are offered for free through several universities. This option overlaps with the previous options because it keeps you in the academic world and enables you to pursue technical training without necessarily pursuing a degree. For a fee some allow you to earn college credit, certificates, and microdegrees or nanodegrees. See especially:

Option 5: Start Working 

  • Find an apprenticeship: “Apprenticeship is the other college, except without the debt” (Thomas Perez, U.S. secretary of labor, Selingo, 131) and “another great way to jump-start your career.” Apprenticeships are usually available for jobs in trades, such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, iron and steel workers. In addition, “In some states (California, Virginia, Washington, and Vermont), you can take the bar without attending a single law school class. Instead, aspiring lawyers learn through a multiyear apprenticeship at a law firm” (Wagner & Dintersmith, ch. 7). For more information see the U.S. Department of Labor’s apprenticeship site. Also, companies like Acadium help arrange apprenticeships.
  • Find a job and start working: According to Georgetown University’s report, there are three pathways to good jobs: high school, middle skills (technical training), and a bachelor’s degree. Here is a list of jobs only requiring a high school diploma. Some companies provide tuition assistance for employees who want to continue their education.
  • Start your own business: make sure to write out a business plan and seek advice from others. See Goodmansen for examples of young people starting businesses. You can also Google “business ideas for under $5,000” etc.

Option 6: Study, Pass a Test, then Start Working

  • Some jobs only require you to pass a test to begin practicing. For example, to sell insurance or real estate you will need to earn a license by passing a test.
  • Certain companies like Cisco offer training and exams leading to industry certifications. (Cybersecurity is currently in high demand.)

Option 7: Military

  • U.S. citizens who serve for four years in the U.S. armed services receive many benefits, such as health insurance, college tuition, and excellent home loans. If you are seriously thinking about this option, read through these different opinions then consider the following:

Option 8: Gap Year (also called Bridge Year)

  • This is a planned year off of traditional school, allowing you to travel, serve, or learn in a different way. While a gap year may help you clarify your goals, it may make it difficult for you to want to return to full-time study. It’s vital to carefully plan out a gap year and what you will do after the gap year.
    • If you want help planning your gap year see J2Guides.
    • You don’t need to use a gap year program if you know where you want to volunteer. You can search for opportunities in your area or around the world. Offering your services for free may be an excellent way to get experience with an organization where you want to work. (See Goodmansen for a list of volunteering opportunities.) Here are a few large organizations to consider:

Conclusion

So what are your options?

  1. Earn a bachelor’s degree
  2. Earn an associate’s degree
  3. Get short-term technical training leading to a certificate or license
  4. Complete online courses (if you take these for credit you may be able to transfer the credits into a degree)
  5. Start working for someone or start your own business
  6. Study and pass a test then start working
  7. Join the military
  8. Take a gap year

Of course, these are not mutually exclusive. Finally, no matter which option you choose, you must understand what employers are looking for. According to an analysis of 20 million job listings,

Virtually every job posting included in its top five communication, writing, and organizational skills. Writing, for example, was an important skill even in information technology and health care jobs. Other competencies frequently requested across industries were a combination of soft skills—customer service, problem solving, planning, and being detail-oriented—as well as very specific hard skills—Microsoft Excel and Word. (Selingo, 34)

I hope this post helps you make an informed decision about your future. It’s your life. Take initiative, do your own research, then make your best decision and move forward with confidence.

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