High schools and colleges across Texas and the country are graduating this year’s seniors. High school and college graduations signify major, yet different milestones. One is a general “survival” requirement marking the end of childhood, while the other is a specialized achievement and the start of adulthood.
So, what’s next? For many of the high schoolers, who choose not to pursue higher education, this will mark one of their greatest life achievements, other than the birth of a child, and possibly marriage. Reality check? It is time to go to work and find their way in the world. As my dad was fond of saying, “no free rides son. Nothing is free, and someone paid for it, even if it was free to you.”
Today more than ever, an individual who has minimal education, and is willing to work hard, can achieve financial success — as a mechanic, welder, plumber, a first responder, to name a few careers. The old proverb of “give a man a fish and you feed him for the day: teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Learn a trade and a man or woman will have the ability to achieve success. Our society has moved away from the individuals who are a “jack of all trades.” The everyday person now relies on someone else to fix and repair items our parents and grandparents fixed themselves. So, sky is the limit if you’re willing to learn a trade and work.
To the college graduate, your next steps involve leveraging your credentials through job hunting, networking, or continuing your education. Your education may open an initial door for you. Now it’s time to develop the skill and knowledge to make you and asset with your chosen profession.
It’s not uncommon for many to work in a field completely different than the degree they earned. Many of the college graduates have grandiose ideas that a high paying job is waiting on them the day they walk the stage. For some it will. However, the rest of us typically find a lower end to middle type job to begin their journey.
I remember as a young DPS trooper, having to work a second job to help pay for diapers and formula.
So congrats on your graduation. Now grit those teeth, because graduates, this is when school really begins.
Call us if you need us.
Steven Jeter is Chief of Police in Trinity.
