Did you think I was going to say “graduation”? Well, if you’re headed to college then yes I suppose graduation is a worthy aim. But in this article I want to take a minute and look at a much broader picture.
By the time most students make it to their senior year, they not only have some idea of where they want to go in life, but they have many have parents, advisers, and friends whose advice is helping to guide them towards their dream. As a high school senior, you more than likely have some experience in your “chosen field”, which can prove invaluable as you take the next steps after graduation.
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For many of you the path ahead will require some schooling and several of you will need to go to college. But the unsettling trend among the majority of students (and their parents) is that instead of choosing college because it is something they need, they treat college like the 13th grade. They assume college is just the next step in academics, but rarely does a student take the time to stop and think about why they’re going or what they want to do there. Most parents/students just dive head first into picking the college they think is coolest, what gives them the biggest discount, or where their friends are going. Most parents and students I know don’t even worry about what degrees are available, what kind of education they need, or how the college education impacts their life goals.
This lack of thought concerning college is unfortunate because the raw facts of the matter are that college is expensive, a considerable time commitment, and that fancy degree becomes essentially worthless if you aren’t able to use that education to reach your bigger life goals.
So as you prepare for that high school graduation— or if you’re heading into your senior year here in the next few weeks— take time to define your goals and what you WANT from life. Not all careers need a college degree, especially in the world of the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates entrepreneurship. So as you take that university leap make sure that the steps you are taking in education are the ones that will enhance, encourage, support, and hopefully accelerate, your journey to the career you WANT. College can be a great experience, so make sure it works for you instead of just wasting your time (and money) on something you might not need.
