How To Make the Strongest Start Possible After High School
Each year, millions of seniors graduate high school and start a new chapter.
Many don’t know what they want to do, let alone what’s possible. (If this is you, don’t fret. Read on.)
Most are encouraged to pursue college. Even if that means taking on significant student debt. Some are encouraged to pursue trades. Some enter the workforce as soon as possible.
Many young adults feel pressured to have a plan all worked out. Even when they’re not yet sure what they want to do, what they’re good at, or what options they have.
That’s a tough way to enter the real world. Today’s issue of The Playbook offers some suggestions.
Tips on Starting Strong After High School
First tip — your career is a discovery process. It’s messy. Non-linear. And takes time. There is no “one perfect job.” Don’t stress yourself out over the perfect plan. Instead, find a starting point for your discovery process. That may mean a job, or a program, or college, or whatever. Just choose a starting point that excites you.
Tip Two — iterate quickly. Whether you start a job or a program or college (or something else) though, you owe it to yourself to make the most of your invested time, energy, and money. Learn as much as you can. Work hard. And see the experiment through until something else excites you more. If you find yourself on a path you hate, change course. Quickly. Don’t suffer through four years of college. Don’t stay in a deadbeat job that makes you feel dead inside. Push yourself to try new things, to put yourself in opportunity’s path.
Tip Three — useful and transferrable skills. In the opportunities you do choose to pursue, focus on developing actual useful skills. Don’t just mark time. Don’t just clock into a job. Or sit through class bored. Ask yourself what you could learn from the situation, how this particular experience could help you level up, etc. Then take advantage of that. If it’s a job, perform it to the best of your ability; then take on extra responsibility, and perform well in that, too. Be sure you’re putting yourself in situations that are enabling you to improve over time.
Tip Three — avoid money traps. You don’t have to figure out everything about personal finance right away. But you’ll do yourself a huge service to avoid stuff that wipes you out, eliminates options, or forces you into a path you’re not excited about. If you’re unsure about college, for instance, best avoid 6 figures of student debt while your work that out. Don’t max out credit cards and ruin your credit score. Don’t buy a new truck you can’t afford. And so on. You don’t have to be a money guru, but at least avoid decisions that will prevent you from having more options down the road while you’re still trying to find your way.
Tip four — seek out good environments. Pursue opportunities to be around people who are smarter or more experienced than you. Don’t just hang around with people your own age. Get out and experience the world. Meet people. Find ways to get involved in stuff that excites you. Even if that means volunteering or offering to work for free. You don’t necessarily have to find a formal mentor (though it can be useful, too). But seek to surround yourself with people who can challenge you to become the best version of yourself.
Tip five — find a big challenge to tackle. What’s one goal that excites you and scares you that you aren’t already pursuing? You’re not getting any younger. It’s okay to aim at the biggest, hairiest, audacious goals you can think of right now. The cost of pursuing big challenges will force you to level up. That’s sort of how goals work. You haven’t reached a particular goal because you don’t yet have what it requires. The pursuit is the journey to acquire what you need and become who you need to become, in order to attain that goal. That journey can be transformative. But it’s best when it’s a journey toward goals that actually matter to you (not someone else’s goals).
Yes, that list is somewhat broad and more focused on mindset. Because your mindset early on is equally as important as the tangible stuff.
But fear not — if it feels too vague, then let me offer some additional, specific pointers here about what I’d do right away if I was just graduating:
1. Get a job and start earning money.
2. Move away from home and start paying your own bills.
3. Read the best books you can find on whatever topic that interests you, write and publish your reviews of those books online; reach out the to authors with additional questions. Same goes for podcasts.
4. Start a blog, journal, YouTube channel, or some medium of documenting your own personal and professional journey. Post regular updates. Think of it like a digital garden for your own growth. Or a living portfolio.
5. Focus on building 1–2 new skills.
How’s that for more practical?
If you’re a senior in high school (or homeschool) and beginning to worry about what comes next, don’t stress yourself out too much about having the perfect plan. Just pick a starting point that excites you. Then give it everything you’ve got.
It’s all going to work out. Best of luck as you consider what comes next in your journey.
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PS — if you need help or advice about how to start your career as strong as possible, feel free to grab some time on my calendar here. I’d be happy to offer some pointers.
