What to do After Graduation

         Finishing high school opens the floodgates of opportunity for teens beginning to pursue new paths in life. For some, this includes furthering their education and gaining a wealth of new knowledge that they can use to enter the working world. For others, it is a time to jump straight into work and begin finding out how they want to spend their lives. Either way, life can be fulfilling, bringing happiness and success as long as they are dedicated to the future they chose.

           In contemporary America there is an immense focus on high school graduates enrolling in college. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 66.2% of all graduates applied and attended colleges after finishing their high school careers in 2012. Costs of college have dramatically increased, resulting in a majority of students entering the world drowning in student loans after completing their education.

            Though for many attending a college or university after high school is important, not all students are suited to this kind of future. Many wish to attend vocational or technical schools, or strive to begin a career and life after schooling. The overwhelming emphasis for students to continue their education is an unfair standard to hold every person to.

            Many people feel that without a college education, one cannot find acceptable jobs that will support a family or bring in enough income for a modest lifestyle. However, many students find success in carpentry, plumbing and electrical occupations.  

            At Swampscott High School, there are very few programs that enhance students’ hands-on skills. Though the school has recently funded a robotics program, we have few other classes or elective choices that support a future in a technical career. As an alternative to college, a great deal of students find that a vocational or technical school would be fitting to their needs and hopes. High school should be the starting block for the kind of future that supports students who decide either to attend college or pursue the job path.

            If all people are different, then all students are as well. Trying to force every family to make the serious decision to commit the time and money to a more demanding education is an unfair expectation to set. The implications about success without attending college are often negative; this common idea is not only imbalanced but also untrue. With the same amount of dedication and interest in an area of work, a person could be equally or more successful than if that same person had decided to attend college instead.

            To assume every SHS student aims to go to college means that those who are looking towards something different are often shortchanged. Because most classes are aimed at a future in college, there is little emphasis on interactive learning that may interest other students. The lack of options leaves areas of study that are important to many students unavailable and favors those who will choose to pursue college in the future.