College is not for everyone. Education is critical, just not college. There are numerous careers that do not require a four-year degree. Personally, if I had to go through high school again, I’d treat it like a day job. I would not allow myself to be defined by it. I mean I wouldn’t think of myself as a high school student, just as a musician with a day job as a waiter doesn’t think of himself as a waiter. And when I wasn’t working at my day job I’d start trying to do real work. Right now most of you feel your job in life is to be a promising college applicant, passing your exams and maybe joining your friends at University. But that means you’re designing your life to satisfy a process so mindless that there’s a whole industry devoted to subverting it. Truth is that’s how life is, we can’t all be Presidents. The important thing is to get out there and do stuff. Instead of waiting to be taught, go out and learn. Here is a list of other things you can do after your high school let down;
Work a real Job
Go out and see what the working world is really like. Take a year to work full-time and earn real money. By working full-time at a fast food joint, or as a waiter, or doing landscaping, you’ll learn invaluable life lessons. You’ll learn about customer service, about bucking up and working even when you don’t want to, about budgeting your income, about balancing life and work. Those are things that many men don’t learn until they’re out of college. Once you’ve had a taste of it, you’ll appreciate life more than college.
Join the Military
While not always a popular — or safe choice — joining the military is often a great way to learn more about yourself. Joining the military offers you a chance to serve your country, make a career in the service, and/or earn money toward a future college education. You’ll also earn valuable work experience that can you can apply to civilian jobs once you get discharged.
Volunteer
These days’ volunteering is something for people to put on a college application or a resume; it’s always a means, never an end. So maybe spend a year volunteering out of high school, you’ll probably become a much better, more understanding person for it. Places to volunteer at locally include, The Red Cross, SOS, Non-Governmental organisations, Botswana National youth council etc.
Travel
Protests about money aside, traveling allows you to experience the world. You could fall in love with another culture and decide you want to move there. If all you can think about is getting out of your town and exploring some other part of the world, then traveling may be for you. Traveling to one or more foreign countries is a great way to experience other cultures, learn more about yourself, and equip yourself with cultural knowledge to apply in the global economy. If you don’t have the money, look into student exchange programs like AIESEC, employment on cruise ships, or becoming an au pair or nanny for a family in another country.
Try the arts
If art is your passion – be it music, painting, dancing, sculpting, etc. – you should strongly consider not attending a 4-year college. Getting an associate’s degree as a backup plan is a good idea, but then just put everything you have into your craft through deliberate practice, and consider moving to an art-friendly city, or one of these other top cities for artists, where you can find peers and mentors that can help critique and improve your work. After getting a degree, you’ll be strapped with debt, and will you have really advanced your craft beyond what you would have anyway?
Learn a trade
Even if you don’t pursue your chosen trade later in life, knowledge accrued during a year of learning massage therapy at a beauty school tricks or some book keeping skills will always be helpful and can save you quite a bit of money in the long run.
Start a business
Some of the most successful men of the 20th and 21st centuries were entrepreneurs without a college degree; Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs. All of these men took the initiative and started businesses they were passionate about, and were sure would change the world. All you need is the passion, the drive, and confidence to make it all happen. While it’s certainly true that more small businesses fail than succeed, you’d be hard-pressed to find an entrepreneur who didn’t learn invaluable lessons even amidst their failures. Do you have zeal for something you created as well as good people skills? If so, perhaps taking the steps to start your own business is a better idea than spending four years in college.
Learn how to play and instrument
Music can be very healthy for your emotional life. In a recent research where people where asked how they think playing their instrument plays a part in how they feel. Based on the answers we received, it looks like there may be some truth to this belief. Let’s take a look:
- 9 people believe that playing their instrument provides an outlet to express their feelings.
- 5 people see it as a way to let loose their creative impulses.
- 20 think playing their instrument cheers them up when they’re in a bad mood.
- 20 people see it as a calming influence on their emotional lives.
- 25 people think it has an effect but not one listed above.
- On the flip side, 3 people see it just as a hobby and 23 don’t think it has an effect on their emotional lives at all. So the four year varsity seems a lot less interesting huh!!
Join a sport
Sports are good for learning accountability, dedication, and leadership, among many other traits. Putting it all together by playing a sport is a winning combination. Nigel Amos only had to run so much and became faster than those who ran with. Watching your hard work pay off and achieving your dreams brings about tons of self-confidence. Also, sports will improve your fitness and weight goals. However, they also encourage healthy decisions such as not smoking or drinking and offer hidden health benefits.
