What do I do after high school?

Question

I have no job at the moment. I'm acepted to a college but I don't know if I want to go right now. I live with my parents. I don't have a car. I feel like a bum.

Answer 1

college!

Answer 2

I can definitely relate to your situation. I felt like a bum when I first graduated high school. My best advise to you is to talk to a human resource center and see if the can set you up on a job or provide a entry level job that can be bring in money. However if your parents don't have a problem with you stay there then thats a plus, not a bummer. I highly recommend you contact your HS counseler and see if there is any help available for you. Another way to go to school would be on the internet, in which I myself is doing.
If you are having trouble deciding what you wnat to do in college, then stop and ask yourself a question. Do I have a hobby that can be turned in to a career, am I a people person, do I care for people, or are you a computer person, and lastly are you a government type person? These are examples I chose myself and thats a start.

Answer 3

It's very common not knowing what you want to do. My advice is, just pick something and stick with it. At the same time you can still ponder on what you really want to do. But the key is, DO SOMETHING in the meantime while you are pondering. Just feeilng like a bum is not going to help you tomorrow. It's better to just do something about it. It's very hard to focus and think long term at this age (I know, been there, done that). I'd say just go to college and try to find out what you are interested in. (Again, if you can't find anything very interesting, just picking something you hate the least or can tolerate the most.) College is a great place to learn things, and meet a lot of people, and that can always help you in the long run. As far as living at home, you should think of it as an advantage! Cars, jobs will come later if you work at it. Good Luck!

Answer 4

I can say almost without reservation that the first things to do are:

1. Get a job- the best jobs for a person in the college age are in the restaurant business. Short hours (relatively) big pay-off. They give flexibility during the day so you can go to school etc...
2. Go to your local community college- You don't know what you want to do right? Well the best place to find out is your CC (community college). They specialize in training people for all kinds of jobs. Some require a degree (Science, teaching) some don't (design, secretarial work).

The real reason it's so perfect is that you can AFFORD it. The average CC costs about $1000 a semester. That way you can try out different kinds of jobs without getting up to your eyeballs in debt. I worked through 3 years at a CC while paying rent and other expenses and I didn't have a single dollar in debt. Contrast that with people graduating from 5 years at a university with $97,000!

Then you can decide what you want, the job will help you realize the importance of getting paid. Maybe you'll go to school, maybe you'll move out. Who knows? Not you. Not yet.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Go to college. There is no excuse not to go to college other than just not wanting to. I went to college and didn't even work while I was in college. I live in the South (Mississippi), and state universities seem to be more affordable here than other states particularly up north. So go to a southern university. There are all kinds of grants and loans to pay for college. Four years here costs about $27000 in loans which is cheap compared to the rest of the country and the education is the same. Also DO NOT GET A STUPID DEGREE. And by that, get a practical degree; something you can use in the real world. Philosophy is cool and all but unless you plan on pondering the life stages of the McD's french fry, I'd stick to something like business and/or computer based degrees. Personally I got my BS in Geographic Information Technology....cartography. That's just my opinion/advise.

FYI: If you go to Community College for the first 2 years to get your core classes out of the way you can get a part-time job and pay for it out of pocket. Also, if you wait until you are 24, or the year that you will turn 24 rather, you do not have to use your parents' financial information on the grant applications. This can GREATLY influence how much grant money you are eligible for (IE the less of anyone's money you put on the applications, the more you are eligible for). This is what I did.

As for chosing a major, don't get in a hurry to do this. Waiting until you have the core classes out of the way isn't horrible, but also you don't want to wait until the last minute to start thinking about it either. Think about it a little as you go along, as professors what they think you should do. The biggest help for me was simply looking through the course catalogue and just seeing what classes were necessary for each major. I narrowed it down, the went to department heads and asked them about job outlooks and about professions available to those majors. I had never heard of Geographic Information Technology until I did that. I started my job 5 days after I graduated from college and I love it.

Answer 6

Get a job and try going to college for a semester. By getting a job you will be able to save up money for a car if you want one, or for a place of your own. This way you won't feel so much like a bum. As for college, try it for a semester, if you don't like it or don't do well, then continue working until you do feel like going. Try taking the minimum of hours (usually 12 at any accredited university) and keeping your job, and if it doesn't work out, just stick with your job. College isn't for everyone but it doesn't hurt to try it. If anything you could also try a vo-tech college also.

Answer 7

After high school you have a couple month before you should go to college. In the two months after high school, before college you want to make sure everything is ready for you to go to college: paperwork, supplies, living arrangements, class schedule, ext. Also in those two months you should have a great time with your friends. It is hard to understand now but 10 years from now you will most likely have no idea what anyone you went to high school is doing anymore. If your lucky you'll have a couple friends that will be there for life. Although a two month party saying good bye is important, remember that a 4 year degree is the most important thing to do after high school, and don't forget there is a lot of exploring that goes along with getting a four year degree.

Answer 8

I know that there is a lot of pressure to hurry up and go to college, but let me speak from personal experience. Depending on the career path you want to take, college may not be the best place to start. I wasted a lot of time and money in classes that had nothing to do with my chosen career. I found later that a specialty class outside of college gave me the skills I needed for my career. Don't know what you want to do for a career? Make a list of all the hobbies and things that you enjoy doing, or seeing or talking about. Then list all of the jobs related to those things. See of one of those jobs may be something that you can make your career goal. IF YOU DON'T ENJOY WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING, YOU WILL MOST LIKELY SPEND MANY YEARS OF YOUR LIFE CAREER JUMPING. The best advice anyone can give is to find something you love- and then get the training necessary for THAT job. Good Luck!

Answer 9

Well you have several options open to you. 1) you can join the military, 2) do the summer babysitting thing for your neighbors as a part time job since you dont have a car, or 3) go to school. There is another option open to you and its a college that travels on ship it will allow you to go to college and see the world at the same time. I forgot the name of it but from what I understand its a pretty good program.

Answer 10

Get a job for a year and save some cash. I wish I had taken some time between high school and college. You will build a work ethic, and also see what a grind work is, so you'll appreciate going back to school. Your grades will be better in college because you'll take it more seriously. Also, you'll never save so much money as when you're not paying rent.
But be careful to avoid getting stuck in a rut at work. Set a date to quit and stick to it. Tell the college you are taking a year before starting, and they should keep your slot free. But make sure to tell them or you'll have to apply all over.

Answer 11

Try school. But if your really not interested right now, get a job and keep school as an option. Without a college degree you may find it difficult to get a good job. Have fun this summer but seriously think about your future. Get busy with something this fall. Perhaps you could consider training in a field which interests you, something that doesn't require a long-term commitment. Good luck.