The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be a daunting, arduous journey. However, the completion of high school is an important milestone that presents a period in your life filled with opportunity, when the world is your oyster. There are many, many options to pursue after high school, but three of the most popular ones include higher education, travel, and the military.
1. Higher Education
It is, of course, quite common for young people to continue their education after high school so that they may receive a bachelor’s degree or even go on to a graduate program. Picking the right college or university is the first step.
A lot of factors can influence one’s degree program. A degree program in information technology, computer engineering, or network engineering can lead to a great job that can be quite lucrative. Finding the right network engineer program at the right network engineer school can be quite challenging, especially if you choose to study a long distance from home.
If the long distance is an issue, it would be wise to select a good moving company. There are some great movers in Scottsdale, for instance, that follow all of the best practices for professional movers in the moving industry.
2. Travel
Some people know what they want to do with their lives before they leave high school. Other people do not have that level of certainty regarding career paths at age 18, and that is OK. To be honest, acquiring educational debt before you know what course material you want to study can be a very expensive mistake. For such people, travelling abroad and learning about other cultures can be a great experience.
Of course, if your sojourn takes more than a couple of months, your travel is not a holiday: it is a relocation. Relocation can become a lot more complicated than bouncing around interesting places with a rucksack and your fellow hipsters.
For international travel, passports need to be in order. Most countries allow American citizens at least 90 days of visa-free travel, but after that, some type of work visa, student visa, or residency permit is required.
You might be tempted to make “a border run” to some neighboring country when your 90 days run out. However, travelers within EU countries should understand that the 90-day rule applies to the entire Schengen zone of 26 countries. For example, if your 90 days run out in Spain, you cannot simply run to Portugal and wait for your 90 days to be renewed, because both Spain and Portugal are part of the Schengen zone. Rather, you would have to exit the entire Schengen zone for 90 days to renew your expired 90 days, which can be pretty inconvenient when traveling by train.
3. The Military
Not everybody is cut out to be a hipster. Maybe you are not ready for an undergraduate program, but maybe you are also not ready to spend a lot of money on airfare and youth hostels while contemplating your next move. Maybe you want to see the world, make some money, and develop an excellent skill set all at the same time.
For some people, not all, the military is a great way to perform quality service for one’s country while acquiring a great skill set, including technical skills. The key to such an adventure being profitable is to do all of your research before your enlistment and verify everything before you sign your contract. If you are having second thoughts, there is usually some time to back out without severe consequences even after you sign your contract, but not before you “ship out” for training. If you go AWOL or, even worse, desert, there can be serious repercussions, both legally and to your future career success.
Just like being a vagabond hipster, the military is not for everybody. It can actually be quite a dangerous internship in the school of hard knocks, However, many service members come out with a great attitude and a great skill set, including technical skills, that is in high demand.
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