Into the New World

“What do you want to be in the future?” We’ve all heard that question before whether it be from family, teachers, and unknown strangers trying to start a conversation. We spend roughly 9 years of our lives going to school preparing to learn the skills of our future trade. Everyone questions it’s usefulness while we’re in school yet we don’t realize how much we utilize it in our jobs. Many chose to go to college or vocational school while some go straight into the workforce. This varies due to interests, finances, or general lifestyle choices. Some choose to get a head start through tech schools such as Unitech in North County or take dual credit/enrollment classes that their highschool offers.

The most common path right after graduation is college. Some stay local like Mineral Area College (MAC) and South East Missouri (SEMO) while others go to larger universities in or out of state. This can be due to preference such as how some want to stay near family or just like the area. Another reason is that local colleges are cheaper and offer the option to take college level classes while in highschool. “I’m going to take my general classes at MAC because it’s cheaper here than in larger universities like MIZZOU. I can also go ahead and get rid of classes I’ll need while I can,” states Brianna Brewer (12). Another Senior is Wyatt Hurley who has plans on going to Springfield Missouri. He’s taken college classes in highschool to get college credit so he can get a head start on his associates degree. “Taking dual-credit shaved off a few of my required credit hours. I’ve only taken two, but they help a lot towards my goal.”

Another path is going straight into the workforce. Some students such as mechanics or farm hands have the opportunity to job shadow or intern at local farms or shops which allow them to start right away. Others may also have family that owns a farm which they could have plans on inheriting or working at. As for those going into the workforce, a few took vocational classes at Unitech such as lighting, nursing, and even robotics to get them a educational requirement or skills needed to learn before they start their career. “With this class I can get a start on a RN (registered nurse) license, which lets me start working at nursing homes or medical facilities.” states Emilie Parsley who is in the nursing program at Unitech. “I’m going to work this as a side job which benefits me while I’m earning my full nursing degree in the future.”

We’ll all end up graduating eventually and we might not agree on our paths towards the future. Everything depends on personal interests or it may be situational, but we’ll all be adults in the end. There are many ways to get a head start and many ways to achieve our goals. We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know that graduation is in 22 days, so buckle up.