US: After high school · 5 min read
What should I do after high school?
Your options after high school in the US: college, community college, trade school, apprenticeship, work, military or a gap year, what each costs and how to choose.
The short answer
After high school in the US you have six real routes: a four-year college, a community college with a transfer plan or a two-year degree, a trade or technical school, a registered apprenticeship that pays you to train, straight into work, the military, or a structured gap year before one of the others. None is the default. Bachelor's degree holders earned a median of $1,740 a week in 2025 against $966 for high school graduates, but that average hides enormous variation by major and by debt, and electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians earned medians above $60,000 in 2024 with no tuition at all. The right question isn't which route is best; it's which one you can test cheaply before committing years and money to it.
Key takeaways
- Six routes: four-year college, community college, trade school, apprenticeship, work, military, with a gap year as a pause before any of them.
- The degree premium is real on average: $1,740 against $966 a week in 2025. The spread inside each route is bigger than the gap between them.
- Community college at $4,150 a year and a registered apprenticeship at zero are the two cheapest ways to find out what you want.
- Decide by cost, by what you've actually tried, and by what you'd do on a Tuesday in year three, not by what your friends chose.
On this pageThe six routes compared
The six routes compared
| Route | Time | Typical cost to you | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-year college | 4 to 6 years | $11,950 a year in-state tuition at a public college; about $45,000 at a private one, before aid | Bachelor's degree; median $1,740 a week by age 25 |
| Community college | 2 years, or transfer | $4,150 a year tuition on average | Associate degree, certificate or transfer to a four-year college |
| Trade or technical school | 6 months to 2 years | $5,000 to $30,000 depending on program | Certificate or license in a skilled trade or health role |
| Registered apprenticeship | 1 to 5 years | Usually nothing; you're paid from day one | Journey-level credential; electricians and plumbers median over $60,000 |
| Work | Now | Nothing | Income, experience, and a clearer idea of what next |
| Military | 4 to 6 year contract | Nothing; you're paid and housed | Training, benefits, GI Bill for college later |
What the earnings data say, and what they don't
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts 2025 median weekly earnings at $1,740 for bachelor's holders and $966 for people with only a high school diploma. That's the case for college. The case against treating it as automatic: the New York Fed finds about 42% of recent graduates in jobs that don't require a degree, their unemployment has run above the national rate since 2025, and outcomes by major range from engineering graduates out-earning most master's holders to majors that earn less than skilled tradespeople. The degree pays on average. Your result depends on which degree, at what price, and what you do with it.
Cheap ways to test before you commit
- Shadow someone for a day in a job you're curious about.
- Take one community college class in the field the summer after senior year, for a few hundred dollars.
- Apply to a pre-apprenticeship or a trades summer program; many are free and some pay.
- Work a summer in the industry at any level. A hospital transport job tells you more about healthcare than a brochure.
- Ask three people five years into each route what they'd do differently.
How to choose
Write down what each route would cost in money and years, what you'd be doing on a Tuesday in year three, and what evidence you have that you'd want that. Most seniors have evidence for none of them, which is itself the answer: spend six months getting some. A gap year with a job and three of the tests above costs $0; an undeclared year at a private college costs $45,000.
Illustrative example: the year that chose the major
A senior with good grades and no idea what to study defers her admission to a state university for a year. She works at an animal hospital, takes a biology class at community college in the spring, and shadows a physical therapist for a week. She arrives at the university the next fall declared in kinesiology, and finishes in four years instead of the five her two undeclared cousins took.
Questions people ask
- Is it OK not to go to college right after high school?
- Yes, and it's common. Roughly six in ten recent high school graduates enroll in college the fall after finishing, which means about four in ten don't. Community college, working first or an apprenticeship all lead to good outcomes for people who use them deliberately. What goes badly is drifting with no plan.
- What's the best option if I don't know what I want to do?
- The cheapest one that lets you try real things. Community college lets you take classes across fields for a few thousand dollars a year while you work. A gap year with a job and some structured exploration costs little. A four-year college at $45,000 a year is an expensive place to be undecided, though many people do fine there if they use the first year to test majors.
- Can I go to college later if I work first?
- Yes. Colleges admit students at every age, community colleges have open enrollment, and many employers pay for part-time degrees. The FAFSA is available every year. Working first often makes you a better student and a clearer chooser of major. Be aware that going back gets harder as rent, relationships and kids arrive, so if you plan to return, set a date.
- Is the military a good option after high school?
- For some people. It offers paid training, housing, healthcare, the GI Bill for college later, and a structured first few years. It also means a multi-year commitment, deployment and a lifestyle not everyone wants. Talk to people who served recently in the branch you're considering, not only recruiters, and understand the contract length before you sign.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Education pays, 2025 · US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career Outlook
- Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025 · College Board
- Construction and extraction occupations · US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Apprenticeship.gov · US Department of Labor
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.