Graduating from high school provides exceptional independence; everything you do from now on is entirely up to you. This can be exciting and worrisome, especially if you haven’t decided what you want to pursue.
Students without a career plan for after graduation are frequently referred to as “late bloomers.” But this is not the case. If anything, those who do have plans are “early bloomers,” meaning they figured out what they wanted to do before the average person.
For those who are still debating their options, we’ve compiled a handpicked list of 16 things to do after high school. There will undoubtedly be something that piques your interest, whether it be higher education, professional experience, or travel throughout the world.
Things to do After High School
1. Start a business
For those with an entrepreneurial flair, launching a business right out of high school can be a rewarding experience. This road necessitates imagination, commitment, and a willingness to take chances.
Entrepreneurship provides an opportunity to master practical skills such as financial management, marketing, and problem-solving. Running a business may teach you about leadership, teamwork, and the difficulties of the professional world.
2. Follow your passion
Whether your passion is in the arts, sciences, sports, or another sector, devoting time and effort to something you enjoy might lead to unexpected chances.
This could include taking specialist classes, joining related communities, or even pursuing your love as a career. While it may take some time to identify your route, pursuing your passion can lead to personal growth and a sense of purpose.
3. Pick a Trade School
Trade schools provide specialized training in a variety of occupational sectors as an alternative to standard college education. Whether you want to be a plumber, electrician, hairstylist, or computer technician, trade schools provide hands-on training and industry-specific skills that prepare graduates for in-demand jobs. With targeted training and apprenticeship possibilities, trade school graduates can enter the job market with confidence and knowledge.
4. Take a gap year
Taking a gap year is a great way to explore yourself, grow personally, and learn via experience. A gap year, whether spent traveling, volunteering, working, or pursuing passion projects, allows you to discover your interests and obtain real-world experience before committing to higher education or a profession. By taking time to reflect and recharge, you can return with clarity and purpose, ready to tackle the next chapter with fresh vigor.
5. Pursue apprenticeship programs
Apprenticeship programs combine on-the-job training with classroom education, allowing students to learn a skill while earning money. Apprenticeships, whether in construction, manufacturing, healthcare, or culinary arts, offer a way to earn essential skills, industry certifications, and long-term work prospects.
6. Participate in skill development workshops
Skill development workshops are short-term training sessions aimed at improving existing abilities or learning new ones. Participating in workshops, whether you’re learning coding, graphic design, public speaking, or financial literacy, can help you improve your skill set, increase your employability, and open up new employment prospects.
7. Explore Creative Pursuits
For people who enjoy the arts, following creative interests after high school can lead to rewarding employment in sectors such as music, literature, visual arts, and performing arts. Following your artistic passions can lead to a successful and fulfilling career path, whether through formal schooling at an arts academy, participation in community theatre performances, or freelancing as a creative professional.
8. Get fit
Investing time in physical fitness not only promotes a healthier lifestyle, but it can also improve your mental health. After high school, try joining a gym, taking up a sport, or participating in outdoor activities.
Regular exercise not only benefits your physical health, but it also helps you focus, discipline, and handle stress. Developing a consistent physical regimen from an early age sets a favorable tone for lifelong well-being, providing you with the energy and resilience required to confront adult problems.
9. Study or work abroad through an exchange program
Working or studying abroad provides an engaging opportunity to mix education and cultural experiences. Many universities provide exchange programs or whole-degree courses in foreign nations. This opportunity allows you to obtain an international perspective on your chosen subject of study, try out alternative teaching approaches, and create worldwide relationships.
Living in a new culture also promotes personal development, adaptability, and a more comprehensive view of the world.
10. Join the Military
Joining the military provides high school graduates with an opportunity to serve, adventure, and develop their skills. Whether you join the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard, military service offers leadership training, job growth, and educational perks. Serving in the military may teach discipline, collaboration, and resilience while also providing access to higher education through tuition help and scholarships.
11. See the world
Traveling is one of the most common ways to spend a gap year, and it is an exciting and enlightening experience regardless of the conditions. Your financial status may limit how far, how long, and under what conditions you may travel, but there are various methods to stretch even a tiny budget, such as working while traveling.
You must also determine whether you want to visit as many destinations as possible or spend more time at a few. So many options! Try to use your travels to accomplish other goals, such as learning a language, taking photography, or writing a blog. Not necessarily with the idea of monetizing them, but just to test things out and explore what you enjoy doing.
12. Volunteer
Another excellent approach to spending a gap year is to give your time and effort to help make the world a better place. Of course, because volunteering, unlike travel, is not compensated, your capacity to pursue it may be limited by your financial constraints. Look into non-profits like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, or VSO in the United Kingdom.
13. Build an online audience and brand
This requires time and effort before you can begin to profit from it, but the opportunities are limitless. Nowadays, you can write, shoot photos and films, sing, dance, and create other types of material to share online across several platforms. This does not imply being an influencer, though some may consider doing so.
This is about providing fascinating and engaging material in order to establish an audience eager to subscribe and even pay for regular access to your content. Writing online is one possibility, with services such as Medium and Substack. Other options include beginning a YouTube channel or launching a podcast, among many others.
14. Build a Portfolio
Employers are increasingly focusing on candidates’ portfolios or past bodies of work. In some areas, your portfolio might have a greater impact on your future prospects than your CV and work experience. If you are interested in software development, consider contributing to open-source projects or creating, building, and sharing code on public platforms such as GitHub. If you enjoy graphic design, share your work on Dribbble. If you enjoy data science, complete challenges on Kaggle.
If you have a wide range of interests, spend some time answering questions on Quora. Whatever your passions or sector, create something for yourself or others, find the best way to promote it, and share it with the world. You can prepare for or supplement this by taking one of the many free online courses available on many topics and sectors.
15. Freelance
The democratization of the internet and home WiFi has lowered the hurdles to accessing a prospective client base. Anyone may now establish an Etsy shop and sell handmade jewelry, art, clothing, toys, books, and furniture. Fiverr allows anyone to build a profile and get gigs for writing, translating, drawing, designing, editing, animation, programming, and other services.
Anyone willing to do more hands-on work can sign up on TaskRabbit and get paid to assist customers move houses, clean, garden, assemble furniture, or deliver things. Take something you enjoy doing and be paid for it.
Begin with a low beginning price and increase it as you gain experience and satisfied consumers. You don’t have to devote to these things for years; just a few months will suffice to establish a reputation and a strong profile on your preferred site.
16. Go to community college
Unlike traditional universities, obtaining a degree from a community college often takes two years, with cheaper overall fees and admission criteria, as well as smaller classrooms that focus on local areas. After these two years, some students may choose to transfer their credits to a four-year institution or graduate and pursue more vocational programs that lead to certification, diplomas, and associate degrees.
Closing thoughts
We hope this post has given you some food for thought as you consider things to do after high school. Whether it’s school, a job, or an introspective path of discovery, there is no definite solution to this issue. Openness, eagerness, and a willingness to collaborate and learn will go a long way in many areas of life. We wish you all the best for your next steps.
