Your approaching graduation is going to be one of the biggest events in your life and therefore, it will be followed by a great deal of responsibility and decision making. It is a milestone and it can feel like a huge burden on such a young person. That is why many of us tend to get overwhelmed and confused in the process. Being 19 and having to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life seems like a bit too much for such a young and inexperienced person. To be honest, advice from family and friends isn’t always useful and it can be confusing as well, but regardless of what anyone tells you, you’ll only have yourself to blame if you make the wrong choice. All this sounds incredibly scary and that’s fine. It’s normal to feel insecure and it’s OK to be afraid of making the wrong choice. The truth is that there’s quite a high probability of you making a choice you’ll regret later on. However, your decision is not set in stone and what you decide to do after graduation is not beyond repair, even if you do make a mistake. Nevertheless, let us focus on unveiling your options and giving you the freedom to choose on your own. No pressure.
Gap year
One of the safest things you can do is have a gap year. This is advised if you are completely clueless about what to do next. Taking a gap year is becoming more and more popular among young people of the world simply because it allows them to spend a year doing what they want to do and figuring out what they’d like to do next. You can travel the world, volunteer, learn languages, do yoga, sports, explore a hobby you never had time to do until now or literally anything else. Of course, you will be limited by your parents’ budget, but that can also be surpassed if you want to take up a part-time job or volunteer in order to travel affordably. This option seems to not have any possible negative consequences. However, things that definitely will happen are the following: you will ‘’lose’’ your generation if you decide to go to university next year and you will lose the hardworking skills you acquired during the long tradition of going to school and studying for tests.
Work
If you decided that you don’t care for further education and you know what it is that you want to do, you can and should start working. Explore your working options in your hometown and surroundings if you plan on staying there. If not, go online and search for job offers that concern your field of expertise and interest. However, if you don’t want to be an employee and you have great ideas, you can easily register a business and start your own company. Of course, being a young entrepreneur is a very challenging endeavor, but if your will and motivation are strong, you shouldn’t let anything put you off. Of course, this path is usually a path to complete independence, because once you start working and having your own money, there’s no need to keep living with your parents and on their budget.
University
A natural choice for a large percentage of people is going to university. This is a great choice for those who have a clear goal in their head and know what they want to study and do later in life, or at least know what their main interests are. It’s fine if you just like a certain subject and want to know more hoping that in a few years’ time you’ll be able to know which job you want to do. Plus, you’ll be jumping from books and classes onto more books and classes, which means you’ll be well-trained to keep studying.
Starting a family
Another option that can be combined with some of the above is starting a family. Of course, this cannot be your occupation, but it is also a major life decision that can follow graduation. Some people want to be young parents and start a family at an early age. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as you’re aware of the responsibilities that follow.
Regardless of what you choose, you’ll always be able to alter your plans in the future. Don’t get too stressed about the decision, but don’t take it lightly either, because every decision has consequences and the fewer mistakes you make, the easier you’ll have it in the future. Good luck!
Need help finding a college or university? Look no further than Petersons.com.
