Words of Wisdom: He Who Fails to Plan, Plans to Fail

"Post secondary" - a term you have heard from the moment you set foot in your high school. It usually connotes the thought of ivory towers and university degrees. Where are you going after high school?

Students often get trapped, through parents' expectations, through sexy university recruiting posters and through peer pressure, into the belief that they must go to university. I'm telling you that it is not so! While it is absolutely true that in our economy, at some point in your future, further education is a must, keep your mind open to other immediate choices.

Academic Post Secondary
This is the easy option. All you have to do is write a cheque and you have the honour of sitting in a classroom and having wisdom imparted on you. Many students see this as a way of keeping their parents happy while figuring out what they want to do with their lives. If I had a loonie for every student who took this route in order to delay making a decision, I would be a rich man!

Vocational/Career Training
A little tougher decision for many. Not so sexy? Maybe. While traditionally thought of as being the option that the less academically inclined choose, it is quickly becoming extremely popular as our job market shifts and the demand for skilled workers increases. Many vocational programs now have prerequisites that rival university programs. As the level of technical expertise required increases, so do the requirements for admission. But more attractive to many, so does the salary!

Work
Many students feel burned out by the grind of 13 years of formal education. They want a break. Your generation has absolutely no problem finding jobs that pay $10 to $14 an hour. Do the math. (160 hours per month x $12 per hour = $1,920 per month!!!) Sounds pretty alluring at first blush. While it is alluring to have an income, the expenses quickly dominate the income. However, working right out of high school is a short-term option and allows many young people the opportunity to mature, take a breath and figure out what is next.

Travel
Cool. I'm going to Europe! Travelling is, in my opinion, a must do. At some point in your near future plan to take off. Expand your horizons. See how the rest of the world lives, experience culture. But don't do it right out of high school. Work for a bit, go to school and plan a "gap year," take a break. You can travel on your own, or you can enlist with a volunteer agency such as Canada World Youth, who will assist you in finding a development project in third-world countries, combining the experience of travel with the inner satisfaction that comes with volunteerism and humanitarian work.

As you plan for life after high school keep all the options in mind. Listen to the advice and weigh your thoughts against the practical considerations: money, time, living situation and future plans. Then develop a plan. It is less important what the plan is than it is to spend the time and thought to develop a plan. Remember: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.