What is the Percentage of Students Who Dont Continue an Education After High School
It's said 95% of high school students don't know what they want to do. 25% have parents that have picked their career path for them. Even though many students claim they know what they want to do, statistics speak differently.
The National Center for Education Statistics indicates that 80% of students will change majors 1x in college. Business Wire says up to "half of the students" will change their major.
The reality is, the majority of teenagers have no idea what they want to do in life. They might have a few hobbies, but there are very few people out there that discover their passions as a teen.
After all, it's hard enough to grow up these days. To fit in and get an idea of who you are. That alone can be overwhelming for most high school students.
What if have no idea what you want to do? Well, for one, don't stress out about it. I get it. There are all sorts of social pressures out there making you think you need to figure it out.
Maybe your parents are telling you to do something. Maybe you have parents that want to pick your career. Or maybe you have a few friends that say they know what they want to do (they don't).
Nobody knows what they want for a career.
The reality is, almost nobody out of high school knows what they want to do. And this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know this because I actually did know what I wanted to do.
Me being that 5% that had a passion, jumped headfirst and rushed into a career. You see, I was an artist. Grades really weren't my thing, but I had this innate talent since a young child for drawing.
Take your time
As it turns out, being an artist is both a blessing and a curse. I started working toward a career in visual effects and film when I was in 10th grade in high school. This was even before there was a lot of press on the career.
While it might seem great that I knew what I wanted to do from an early age, it actually wasn't the greatest thing. I mean, I had an early start. And it ultimately led to me have a decent career working in major studios.
But back when I picked that career, I didn't have any real understanding of what the job was.
And now looking back, I probably should have slowed down. Seriously. Because once you rev those career engines up and land your first gig, there isn't an easy way to slow down.
The bottom line is it's okay to not know what you want to do. In fact, it's probably better to take your time here. Do your research about careers. Make sure to talk to professionals to get an idea about what the job is really like.
For me, working in the film industry turned out to be super stressful and not as lucrative as I'd have expected.
And hindsight, I probably should have tried the entrepreneur thing out. Where did this ultimately leave me? Well, 3-4 career changes later. I had to pivot careers a few times, which is really hard to do. So relax, and slow down.
It's best to take some time and really make sure you understand what your career will be like.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
―Ferris Bueller
Is it OK to not know what you want to do after high school?
It's absolutely okay. Don't feel pressured to have it figured out. I will say you should be thinking about it.
In your senior year of high school, you should be researching different careers. You might start Googling for research. But I'd recommend getting hands-on.
Ask your parents if they know anyone in a specific field you're interested in. Try to line up a phone call with a family acquaintance in the field. I've personally taken calls with students over the years.
And I can tell you that I've offered valuable career advice that's not available in any book or webpage.
Things like globalization of the industry I'm in. What to expect. And the hurdles to break into the industry. You can also find out if the person even likes the job. Maybe it's just not what you thought it was.
Even students in college remain unsure what they want to do for at least their first 2 years. This will result in numerous 2nd-year students switching majors.
"According to Slaney (1988) in his review of empirical studies about career indecision, some 20 to 30% of college students were found to be undecided about their future career." – The National Science Foundation"
Central.edu says up to 75% of American college students don't know what they want to do. Which in my opinion, is optimistic. I'd say that the students that do know what they want, really have no idea what that career encompasses. And how could they?
"You're part of the 75 percent of American college students who either start their college career as undecided or change their major at least once. It's all part of the process of exploring your options. Central College students who start as exploring can still graduate in four years!" – Central.edu
I'm not passionate about anything
I hear you. That's not uncommon. It can take many years to find and foster a passion. After all, they say it takes 10,000 hours just to master something. So it's going to take a bit to try things out just to see if you like it.
That's the important thing. You need to get out there and try things out. Don't just read about it. Get out there a take a class on something that interests you.
For example, if you're interested in photography, take a class in it at a local community college.
You don't need to jump headfirst in and go straight to an expensive art school. Test the water and see if it's even something you like.
Know your strengths
Also, you need to actually see if you're good at it. No sense in climbing an uphill battle. For me, I really aspired to work in animation. It took me a really long time to get the skills mastered just to get a job though in it. Try 10+ years to just get my foot in the door.
That's another thing, know your strengths. Know what you're good at. We all know at least one guy that chases a dream that's obviously unattainable. Now I'm not one to ever tell anyone to not chase their dreams, but you need to be realistic about it.
Set yourself up for success.
I had a friend in high school that was an amazing radio DJ. He was already landing pro gigs in high school, and he was heavily involved with the college station. He was good at it, and it looked like he had an obvious career path.
The thing is, he wanted to be a rock star. The problem is he couldn't sing very well, and he couldn't play any instruments. So you need to assess your skills and be realistic. Make sure you can rise to the occasion.
Don't be afraid of failure
The number one thing that will derail you is the thought of failure. This thought is a demon. It will always be around, but you need to push it outside of your thoughts.
The thought of failure will create laziness and hesitation in your life. You're probably surrounded by others that are just as scared as you are of failing. And many of them won't ever tell you that. What they will do, is tell you that you can't succeed. Or your dream is too unattainable. That's their own fear coming out.
If you want something, then chase it down. You're just as worthy as anyone else in getting it.
Have a plan
Okay, as crazy as it sounds, plan for failure. Shoot for your goals, but have a plan. Maybe you have a lofty dream. Like becoming a professional baseball player. If you do, set a timeline and put some backup plans in place.
You will fail.
It's important that you acknowledge that you'll fail. Every successful person has failed. There's no lottery ticket to success. In fact, you'll likely need failure to teach you how to succeed.
Do grades matter?
It depends. Grades do matter to pursue many careers, although there are plenty of options if you didn't get the best grades. It goes without saying that you need to graduate high school.
Your options are incredibly limited if you don't. It's not essential to go to college. But many careers will look for a college degree.
And some careers require at least a bachelor's degree. Nowadays, it's not uncommon for many students to have a master's before they enter the workforce.
For example, if you want to be a surgeon or scientist, you'll need extensive education. In most of these types of careers, you'll need your doctorate.
Higher education often pays off
As crazy as it seems, many big corporations use your education to gauge pay as well.
So if you're entering the workforce, you'll often get paid significantly more if you have a master's or doctorate.
It's pretty well known that big fortune 100 companies even reserve high-paying jobs for new graduates from IVY league schools.
Median weekly earnings in 2017 for those with the highest levels of educational attainment—doctoral and professional degrees—were more than triple those with the lowest level, less than a high school diploma. And workers with at least a bachelor's degree earned more than the$907 median weekly earnings for all workers.
BLS.gov
Skilled work is in high demand
There are plenty of careers that are somewhere between higher education and high school though. Lots of good-paying jobs do exist that only require a technical degree.
Welding, believe it or not, pays well. And it's in high demand. Becoming a merchant marine is another job.
There are even technology jobs that don't demand a master's degree. Such as UI Design or Testing.
Some career options or ideas
- Attend a community college.
- Take classes at a community college or trade school.
- Offer your time or intern for a local business to learn more about a career.
- Research becoming an entrepreneur. Starting a business is hard work. But if you start early, the reward will be incredible later in life.
- Start a business from your home. Jobs like web design, photography, and writing are great ways to build experience.
- Join the military. The military is a great way to learn about trades in technology, mechanical engineering, and more.
- Become self-published. Writing a book is a great way to become an expert at something, and you can sell it very easily as a digital product.
- Volunteer overseas. Charity work is a great way to meet people. Why not combine doing charity with travel; you'll likely make some friends for life and gain and amazing experience at the same time.
- Online forums are very valuable today. Start interacting with people in places like Reddit and Quora to find out about careers. Often there are people online willing to offer advice about their own experience doing a job. Ask me anything forums are a great start (AMA). Like this one on being an Electrical Engineer – Reddit
College
The college will give you a lot of options. Mainly, college gives you time. Granted, you'll pay dearly in for the time because most colleges can be expensive. But going to college lets you experiment and learn about different careers.
The college will also give you exposure to professionals in the industry. Many of your professors will either have experience or be well connected with the industry they are teaching. For me, this was pivotal. I wasn't the best student. Heck, I wasn't even that talented. But I worked really hard, and my professor saw that.
Maybe it was out of pity, but he hooked me up with an internship after college. And that break put me in motion.
Military
The military is an amazing way to jump-start your life if you don't know what you want to do. Really! You need to take it seriously though. When you talk to the recruiter, make sure they understand your aspirations. Maybe it's technology.
Or maybe you have an interest in communication. They can work with you to come up with a plan. And possibly deploying you into a situation that lets you learn these trades.
For example, I have a friend who had to drop out of college upon receiving a concussion playing sports. He lost some of his short-term memory, which in turn really hampered his ability to study.
Terrible, right?
So he joined the marines. At first, he wasn't having the best time acclimating to his newfound military career.
But after a while, he came up with a plan. He moved his way into working for the postal team there delivering mail. This plan leads somewhere. With each new postal job he got, he gained more and more clearance to handle confidential documents.
After about 10 years, he had top-level clearance. This clearance led him to work at the White House delivering mail to the president. Then the pentagon. And after that, with some night schooling acquiring his IT degree, he parlayed it into a job doing IT security.
Now he has a great paying job and is doing quite well. There are countless stories of the military launching someone's career. Just go into it with a plan and be serious about following it.
Volunteer or Intern
It sucks to work for free. I mean, who wants to do free work? I dread the thought of that. But the reality is, it's often the easiest way to get your foot in the door to learn a career or trade.
If you're having trouble getting your first job, offering yourself for free will often do the trick. Additionally, it will also let you find out if a job is for you.
Make sure you have a plan and make sure you're not taken advantage of. An internship shouldn't last more than a few months or so. After that time, the employer should probably offer you paid work.
Slow down. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
As I said before, "slow down". I personally rushed into my career. Everything I did was a rush. That can be a big mistake.
First of all, you're only young once. Take the time while you are young to enjoy things. Find out what life is about.
The Europeans and Australians are on to something with the gap year. Take a few months off after high school to relax. At the very least take the summer off before you go to college.
And after college, there isn't a rule that you need to start your profession right away. It's okay to take a bit to decompress.
A gap year is a semester or full year of experiential learning typically taken between high school graduation and college enrollment. Gap years are intended to give students a break from academics to discover themselves and consider what kind of education and career they want to pursue.
Bestcolleges.com
Take a break, relax, and travel
Traveling has become more accessible. It's not as expensive to travel and see the world anymore.
If you get a chance before or after college, take some time and travel. Backpack. Become a digital nomad. Just get out there.
It's important to see the world. A lot of us get stuck in our small town, and we don't interact with too many people outside of our small social circle.
Taking some time to travel will give you a better perspective of the world. You'll get a chance to experience an adventure, make new friends, and see how other cultures live.
Exposure to people and poverty will enlighten you. It will give you perspective, and it will make you a better person. And this will ultimately make you happier when you enter the rat race later.
So if you get the chance to travel, do it. It doesn't need to be glamorous. And it can be done quite cheaply. Especially when you're young.
Continue to learn
No matter what you choose, it's important to continue to learn. Read as much as you can. Aspire to be something greater. You'll find motivation through others. To read about people you look up to. Many of these people have had their own challenges in finding success, and you can gain motivation through their stories.
If you're interested in something, start to practice it. Look into it. Research it. If it's a skill, then take a few classes in it. It doesn't hurt to quit something after you've tried it. The important thing is to try.
Don't be the type of person that just daydreams or stays in the research phase. Make sure to take a risk and try something out. It's the only way you'll find if you're passionate about something.
And this is a great way to find your career eventually. And if you're lost, and you don't know what you want to do – keep your eyes open. Pay attention to the world. Look at what others are doing around you and ask questions.
Be inquisitive. There are 1,000's of careers out there. And because there is such an abundance of career options, you don't have to stick to the obvious ones. Half the battle will be finding out what you're capable of and if you can get paid doing it.
Summary
Once again, it's okay to not know what you want to do. Most high school graduates don't know what they want to do in life. And they probably won't know until halfway through college.
The important thing is to be curious. Don't be lazy. Make sure to pursue your interests and see if any of them align with a career. Additionally, pursue careers you have a chance of succeeding in. We aren't all born with the musical talent of a rockstar. Or the arm of a pitcher. If you pursue something that is outside of your skillset, you'll often be faced with a lot of failures.
Make sure you accept this and be open to potentially never making it. Some careers, like a rockstar, aren't a guarantee. There's no degree that will get you there.
Even if you don't know what you want to do, keep moving forward. Eventually, you'll figure it out, so don't stress too much. The important thing is to be motivated and to work hard. Perseverance will overcome any obstacles in front of you. So just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Once you find you're career path, set some goals and chase them down.
Source: https://wheretheroostercrows.com/what-to-do-after-high-school-if-you-dont-know-what-to-do/
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