staff editorial

Opinions| 18 Design by Isabel Aerni March 5, 2020 PROSPECTIVE PATHWAYS

It is okay not to know your plans after graduating high school

From the moment we enter high school, and even before, we are constantly questioned, “What are your plans after graduation?” This can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know your plans, let alone what you want to do for the rest of your life. Most say it’s a good idea to plan for after graduation before you actually graduate. Although I can understand their reasoning, I believe in many cas- es, not having a solid plan or even a vague plan is better.

One common choice is college, which is a good path for some, but tempting to attend because it’s accept- ed or to have something to do after graduation. While college is a solid option, it is very expensive for a lot of middle class citizens no matter where you attend. This is why I say if you’re going to spend up to tens of thousands of dollars a year, make sure you’re ready.

Despite the financial aspect, only 27% of college graduates have a job closely related to their major accordJORDAN PRESTIA reporter/photographer ing to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. This shows that many jobs do not require a specific field of study, meaning you may end

“NOT HAVING SOLID PLANS CAN SEEM RISKY TO SOME, BUT IN THE END YOU HAVE SO MUCH TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO.” sophomore jordan prestia

up in a job that doesn’t correspond to your degree. The only real benefit to this situation is the fact that you attended college, which seems useless if

evaluating options There are many post high school options

you’re not applying your knowledge to your career.

If you don’t plan to attend college, trade school is something to look into. Currently, a shortage of people with these skills creates a high demand for their specific expertise. Also known as technical school, education here rang- es from several month certificate pro- grams to two year associate’s degrees. They take much less time to complete than traditional four year universities and are more cost friendly.

Another option if you need time to save or make a decision is to take a gap year or longer after graduating high school to create your plan. This time allows you to discover new opportuni- ties like jobs, meeting people, travel- ing and more. Taking time off school grants you time to decide between all your new found options. Another ben- efit is a chance to save up money for college or other future expenses until you determine a plan.

Not having solid plans or being un- decided can seem risky to some, but in the end you have so much time to fig- ure out what to do for sure. This may be the better option for many students because you can confidently make your choice without feeling forced or rushed into a decision you’re not ready to make. Without a solid plan before graduation, you have time for laying out all your options and choosing the best one for you, use it wisely.

college work