Decisions, Decisions

Within the odd, fogged over twilight years just before adulthood, the average student is at a crossroads. The life that has been predominantly led by their parents rather than them, under the safety net of those parents’ finances, is largely and very quickly altered. Primary education draws to a close, job opportunities open up, and the great rush of mobility is achieved with a simple standardized driving test. Diploma, Money, Car.

What’s next?

Well, for many, the future is dependent on the past. The stability of life for the young adult in earlier years of life is critically important in the decisions they make in the future. If they spent high school studying, saving, and preparing adequately for college, then the next step may be a simple one: grab a higher education at whatever place they can afford with whatever financial aids and benefits they were able to gather by the time of their high school graduation. Assuming these precautions were made, this type of student probably understands what their interests are, what they excel at, and under what practice they’d like to pursue a degree. Even if someone didn’t put great efforts into these preparations, it likely isn’t too late to apply for government help or loans and chase a career even years after the fact.

For many others, though, the same path might not be so simple or so accessible. Life, the whirl of responsibility and side stories that it is, can complicate the process of a higher education. On top of that, college simply isn’t for everyone, is not accessible to all, and is not what all might desire in the first place. In this instance, the most profitable (and certainly the most inclusive job market) is trade: plumbing, electrical work, general and home construction, and mechanics, to name the most common types. For whatever reason, there’s a general consensus that these jobs are more robotic and less mentally demanding, and not worth the effort required. The result of this thought process is an absence of workers in the trade field and more desperate, more willing employers. Trade is simply in demand, and will always be. As a simple rule of human society, things must be built. Because humans are all that we are, those things will break. A good tradesman who pays the right attention, uses the right kind of common sense, and performs their tasks well can become influential in their field, and make terrific amounts of money from it. Few

people, if anyone, goes into debt to learn a trade, and the skills learned are practical, always needed, and open to those without much experience. If someone is physically able, it isn’t too late.

If passion and risk-taking are more the forte of our hypothetical young adult, entrepreneurship is a high risk, high payout option. Creating a thriving business is not only profitable but also establishes a legacy, and can offer similar paths for future generations of family to follow. In the extreme of these cases, local businesses can become more than that, statewide, regional or nationwide, or even international. Granted, starting a small business with goals that large in mind can be premature and unrealistic, but the possibility to excel is always there. With the advent of the Internet, online marketing options can allow what would otherwise be a small operation into a worldwide phenomenon. It’s not all mom-n-pop shops in the business world, and if you’ve got the right skills for the right people, no matter where they are, money is there to be made. Writing, coding, and other information services are marketable from anywhere, to anywhere. Like trade, these services can be taught and learned for cheap, but might require a degree before entering a less freelance and more professional field.

The problem isn’t getting options, though, it’s picking the right one. One choice may look as endearing as the other, only to fall through when things go awry, either due to poor decisions or poor timing. How will we know that the choices we make today on the path we think is best are choices that we won’t regret twenty years from now? If student loans are the only choice for the degree we’re convinced we need, are they worth paying off for a decade or two? For this, the only advice to offer is to trust yourself to do what you believe is right. Talking with professionals in fields of interest, comparing job demand and annual salary online, and simple discussions with family and friends before major decisions are all necessary. Some believe that there is no reward without risk, but what risk there is should be minimized as much as possible.

Whatever is in question, recklessness is never the answer.