What happens after you graduate? Are you ready to go on into the real world? These are the thoughts the majority of seniors have. It’s a scary feeling to think about the next chapter of your life. There are varieties of options you can do after you graduate high school. You can go to college, join the military, or even start working right away. Every path is good path to take, it depends on how prepared you are.

Attending a four year university or a community college is a great opportunity to take if you want to continue your education and earn a degree. However, it takes longer for you to start making good money and that is if you aren’t really in debt. A community college is a good option if you are unsure of what to major in and need time to think about that. You can have time to work part time and start saving money if you transfer out.

Signing up for the Army, Navy, Marines and the Air Force can be an option as well. If you feel that you want to travel and mature this might be the path you want to take. The branches of military travels to different continents, as well as providing you with housing and food. One of the benefits of working in the military is that it can help you pay for college if you decide to attend. You can also move ranks and start making more money. Becoming part of the military branch can be difficult for some people because they do intense training both physically and mentally.

Another option you can have is working. Many of the students that start working right after high school are in need in money because they have to support their families. Or they don’t see themselves in college. This is a way to make money fast. Working in a fast food restaurant can allow you to move up and become a manager. If you decide to earn minimum wage ($11.00) this is the way to go. However earning minimum wage won’t cover all your expenses and you won’t have a lot of extra money. In most cases, one job won’t help you pay bills so there is a high possibility you will be working two jobs or having to work longer shifts.

A poll taken by 120 students showed that the majority plan to go to a 4 year university. The second choice was to go to a community college. Both choices shows that the majority want to attend a college/university after they graduate.People want to further their education and pursue their “dream” job. However, it’s a good idea to have a plan B, just in case your first initial plan somehow isn’t possible anymore. You have another plan set and aren’t completely lost.

If you ever need any kind of assistance, our school provides alternatives such as getting help signing up for a community college. The staff at the career center on our campus can connect you with someone in the military branch. This year they created a college and readiness team that helped those students that wanted to apply for CSU and UC’s universities. There are many things you can do after high school, it just depends what you see yourself doing for the rest of your life.