Choosing a Career After High School: College, Trade School, or Military?

This report discusses the options of choosing a career after high school - college, trade school, or military. It compares and contrasts the pros and cons of each option and provides insights for making an informed decision. The report emphasizes the importance of continuous education, the benefits of vocational training, and the opportunities and challenges of military service. It concludes by highlighting the need for careful consideration and guidance in choosing a career path.

Running Head: ENGLISH 0
LIFE AFTER HIGH-SCHOOL
UNITED STATES

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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................2
Choosing up of career....................................................................................................................2
College life......................................................................................................................................3
The Trades......................................................................................................................................4
The Military...................................................................................................................................6
Comparison and contrast..............................................................................................................8
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................9
References.....................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Choosing a career is a very big challenge faced by every child after and during the
completion of its high school life. The ending period in high school is a tough time where every
student is required to get serious and take diverse decisions in the relation of opting up for their
career. Mostly all the students like to opt for those ways which can take them towards the path
where they can continue with their studies. But few students may also lose their ways and get
completely wrong in the eyes of the other students.
There are several overwhelming career options which a child may go through such as he
may do some kind of jobs, take a year gap for thinking that what must be done and what not and
also can go for further studies. But once if a child is assured that he wants to peruse with further
educations then also he/ she is surrounded by many questions such as what is the correct option
for them? Why they must take it up as a career? Which degree they must get associated with?
Etc.
So in this report, the comparison and contradictions will be made about choosing up of
different careers i.e. military, trade school or the college immediately after the completion of the
high school along with the pros and cons of each of the opted options.
Choosing up of career
Life doesn't end after high school infects it is the beginning when there are no gym
classes or the teachers running and shouting behind a student for homework. So once a child gets
converted into an adult, it becomes really important for them to take up good and healthy
decisions so that they may have a bright future which can only become possible of they take up
correct paths for themselves. In taking the major decisions of the child’s life it is the parents and
the teachers and sometimes even the peer group who may lend a helping hand (UTI, 2018).

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College life
The college life tends to prepare the child for a wide range of professional career options.
College life aids the child to get prepared for facing all the upcoming challenges which they had
not faced in their high school life where they were highly supervised and guided by their teachers
at every step. College life requires the child to work very hard and that too without any sufficient
supervision. There would be no IEP (Individualized Educational Programs) for helping the child
to remain on the correct path (Stefanakos, 2018).
College life is that time which grooms and strengthens the skills and overcomes the
weaknesses of the child and prepares him for dealing up with the real-life situations of the outer
world at large. College is considered an educational institution or an essential part of one's life
which may provide a degree or tertiary education and sometimes they may also become an
essential part of federal universities. It is also considered as an institution which may offer the
students a vocational education. In U.S colleges are defined as that essential part of a university
or a tertiary educational institution that provides degrees (Stefanakos, 2018).
Pros and cons of opting the college life immediately after the high-school completion are
as follows:
Sl no. Pros Cons
1 Without having a long break if a
student keeps a continuous touch in
the studies and joins college then its
link will not be broken, because it is
very difficult to get back to studies if
once it is left in middle.
Here one is to be dependent on self
without the supervision of any
professional at every stage.

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2 Studding, gathering knowledge and
working habits will remain as accurate
as it was in the high-schools.
Attending all the classes will matter in
gathering the GPA and if a student is
unable to perform well then he/she would
have to face its worst consequences.
3 Workforce can be entered sooner. There may be academic as well as
financial pressures.
4 Come to know about the variety of
career options.
The classroom may not be sufficient
enough to deal with the real-life
expectations of a student.
5 Good and healthy networks can be
established here.
Sometime it may also be time-
consuming.
6 It provides an opportunity for
internships and varied job
opportunities and Its degree may
improve the earning potential of a
child.
There may be jobs that care least for the
degrees of college. It may also not assure
a 100% job guarantee.
The Trades
Trading can also be called the vocational programs which offer a straight path towards
the particular types of jobs. This way is opted by those students who face a lot of struggle in their
school Ives. There are various programs like web designing, electronics, and assistance in the
medical field, etc. which supervises the children and helps them to keep up with their work (Van
Kervel & Menkveld, 2019). Several colleges provide certificate programs and along with it the
provisions of internships and training for helping the student to move freely into the workforce.

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Providing adequate training at the time was the only way for enhancing young children to get
their foot over the door of their desired careers. Training and internships not only guide the
interest area of the child but also provide them with a certain level of experience to attain their
goals in the trading area. Obtaining a certificate in the area of interest can also prove to be one of
the essential tools for learning a trade (Rucker, 2019).
Trading is mostly chosen by those students for whom learning is very difficult in the
classroom so they decide to opt for the alternative which is focusing on jobs. Getting into a
trading activity is the best way for gaining that experience which is essential for building careers
(PETE & MCWHIRTER, 2019).
For example, there was a graduate of the high school who was working for a construction
organization for many years there he had learned all the business techniques, earned a license of
its own and then after a few periods got started up with its own business. Pros and cons of opting
the trading immediately after the high-school completion are as follows:
Sl no. Pros Cons
1 Trading allows the students to learn
to examine those contents which can
help them in building a relevant
career.
Only a particular type of career is offered in
these schools so it may limit the scope of
the job opportunities.
2 Trading schools are less expensive
than those of the normal schools.
They are not as cheaper as people may want
or believe it to be.
3 The course gets completed here in a
very minimal amount of time.
Getting of the job is not guaranteed here it
depends upon the acquisition of the skills by
the students.

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4 Class sizes are small i.e. number of
students is less as compared to those
of the normal schools.
Students here do not get any opportunity to
share their knowledge.
5 Teachings here are based on the job
one wants to opt-in the future.
It also discourages diversity as it gives
admission to only those students who are
interested in the same career.
6 It offers a specialized career and is
high in demand nowadays.
These schools are so limited in the number
that the students do not get more choices.
7 The high amount of experience can
be gathered here.
Students here have very limited flexibility
concerning choice and changes.
The Military
For the students who are interested in flourishing on the structural and physical activities
can go for the opting military as the best option for themselves. Its training is equipped with lots
of practice and repetition of all those practiced. Both the requirements of the college and job
education are accomplished here. Military training helps in making a child disciplined and also
creates a sense of unity and teamwork in them (Marquell, 2019).
Though opting for the military may not always prove to be the safer choice taken up, but
becoming a part of the military gives one a great opportunity to learn basics about oneself and
gives an individual a chance to serve the nation and make a strong career in this service. It is not
just the experience which is earned here but also a chance of making money is available here
(Lewis, 2019).

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Some students are interested to have further studies in college but cannot afford it, and no
doubt without any ill intention wants to serve their nations and also earn money for continuing
up with their studies, they tend to join military (Alverson, Lindstrom, & Hirano, 2019).. There
are many benefits of joining the military after high school, such as one can get a chance to serve
the nation, better career opportunities in civil services, a chance to earn and save money for
further studies. Etc. (Katzenbach & Smith, 2015).
Pros and cons of opting the military immediately after the high-school completion are as
follows:
Sl no. Pros Cons
1 It provides an opportunity to serve
the nation
This service demands physical requirements
i.e. some students want to serve the nation
but are unable to because they lack physical
efficiencies.
2 Gives a different meaning to the
career i.e. it provides extended
opportunities for education etc.
Maintaining their personal family life is not
that simple. This job requires long working
hours, months and weeks where they are
away from their families.
3 Creates a familiar bond for a
lifetime. As the soldiers work here
in teams they make builds up a sense
of unity and familiarity amongst
One does not have control over its being
posted.

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them.
4 Numerous opportunities are
provided to visit different places and
explore them.
May also face some kinds of conflicts.
5 It provides very good payments and
plenty of benefits.
They are been prepared for plenty of
disciplinary activities which can also become
a burden for some of the newcomers.
Comparison and contrast
Every year millions of students after and during passing the high schools faces this
dilemmas that what step must be taken b them whether they must continue with the education i.e.
go to college or could opt for the other career opportunities and join the trade college and create
in themselves the potentials of becoming financially sound (Katie, 2019).
From the report made above it is very obvious that every chosen career may have its
benefits and also certain loses it dependent upon the potentials and capabilities of the individual
student the way it takes it i.e. whether in a positive way or the negative side should be taken into
consideration. If a student decides to go for pursuing education then it must be done without any
interruption or break (Wasserman, Bazarian, Mapstone, & Block, 2016). It must directly go for
choosing college or university as once the link is broken the interest in the studies is lost. But for
the students who are not financially capable enough then he would always try to give preference
to the jobs. Joining vocational schools or military or the colleges all are good and very different

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from each other but the ultimate goal of all the fields is to provide satisfaction to the student and
help them to reach closer to their goals (Hamm, 2019).
Conclusion
Hence to conclude the above study it can be said that the college life gives exposure to
the students to continue with their studies whereas trade gives them an opportunity to earn and
the military gives them to serve the country and in this while they also get the exposure to the
world at large but with these benefits there are also many loses like the ultimate goal of studying
is to make a strong base for fulfilling the goals so the student if gets an opportunity then would
like to go and earn first. Where trading schools provide limited opportunities for careers. Military
life is really good here the students get exposure to many of the physical activities but loses their
personal family life completely. The students are needed to be very careful while choosing their
careers and the parents and professionals must also help them in this while.

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References
Alverson, C. V., Lindstrom, L. E., & Hirano, K. A. (2019). High school to college: Transition
experiences of young adults with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental
Disabilities, 34(1), 52-64.
Hamm, T. (2019, January 24). Why You Should Consider Trade School Instead of College.
Retrieved from The Simple Dollar: https://www.thesimpledollar.com/why-you-should-
consider-trade-school-instead-of-college/
Katie, B. (2019, April 23). Joining The Military After College. Retrieved from OMK:
https://www.operationmilitarykids.org/joining-the-military-after-college/
Katzenbach, J. R., & Smith, D. K. (2015). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance
organization. Harvard Business Review Press.
Lewis, M. (2019). Joining the Military After High School – Benefits & Risks. Retrieved from
Military: https://www.moneycrashers.com/joining-military-benefits-risks/
Marquell, T. (2019). The Military or College? Insight from a Veteran. Retrieved from best-fit
school, military, pick schools, college plan:
https://americanhonors.org/blog/article/military-or-college-insight-veteran
PETE, A. E., & MCWHIRTER, K. (2019). Joining the Military after College. Retrieved from
Benefits, Steps, & Expert Advice: https://www.learnhowtobecome.org/career-resource-
center/joining-military-after-college/
Rucker, M. (2019). Students’ Guide to Trade School vs. Traditional College. Retrieved from
Busting the Myth That Vocational Schools Are Less Than Their Four-Year Counterparts:
https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/trade-school-vs-college/

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Stefanakos, V. S. (2018). After High School: Different Paths to Success. Retrieved from
Understood: https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/choosing-starting-school/
leaving-high-school/after-high-school-different-paths-to-success
UTI. (2018, May 8). THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COLLEGE, TRADE SCHOOL &
UNIVERSAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE. Retrieved from Universal Technical Institute:
https://www.uti.edu/blog/education/difference-between-college-trade-school-universal-
technical-institute
Van Kervel, V., & Menkveld, A. J. (2019). High‐frequency trading around large institutional
orders. The Journal of Finance, 74(3), 1091-1137.
Wasserman, E. B., Bazarian, J. J., Mapstone, M., & Block, R. (2016). Academic dysfunction
after a concussion among US high school and college students. American journal of
public health, 106(7), 1247-1253.