Advice for Highschool Grads

High School graduation is here. High schoolers all over the country are filing into a gym or aditorium and saying goodbye to adolescence. Graduating from not just mandatory education but also from childhood. There are a few things I wish someone had told me or talked to me about when I graduated highschool. You may not be a highschool graduate but you may know someone who is and who you could share this with. Or maybe you could just benefit from this advice. 

First of all congratulations graduates. Take it all in. Feel that sigh of relief that and release that tension that is highschool, you did it! Now what. I have 3 tips after high school. 

1.) Move forward with ambition. 

You are now a young adult. You are responsible for your actions and expected to have some sort of direction. Expect a sea of "so what are you going to do now" questions. Whether you are going to college or straight into work, find that ambition to be an independent adult and move forward. It seems, too often people graduate from high school and have no idea what should happens next. They find them selves not doing what they want or not being where they want. It may sound cliche but you really do have the rest of your life ahead of you. You are going to have crappy jobs and terrible classes. But move forward knowing you are doing whatever you are doing to better yourself.  Don't loose you're ambition when you realize growing up sometimes sucks. Trust me, sometimes it really does. But work hard put your best in whatever it is you're doing and move forward with ambition.

2.) Talk about money and bills. 

I wish I talked to my parents or anyone living on their own about bills and money before I moved out. When I graduated I was so focused on going to school and being "free", that I didn't think about all of the repercussions. When I moved out of student housing I didn't really know anythig about water bills, electric bills and I definitely didn't think about my accumulating student loans. If you are going out on your own, I suggest talking to someone who already is. Figure out how much they pay for rent and other bills. Maybe they have some money saving tips or tips on living on a budget. If you don't know anyone who is on their own, dare I say it, talk to your parents. Since they have been paying bills for you to live with them for the past 18 years they probably know a thing or too. And whether you want to believe it or not they were once your age and taking on the world after highschool. 

3.) Last but not least, make the best and enjoy your life. 

This is your one shot at life, so make the best of it and enough it. Adulthood is not easy and it can be stressful. Majority of the time as much advice that you can get, you don't know until you learn for yourself. Sometimes that means falling on your face just to pick yourself back up again. You made it through high school. You passed your classes and you did your homework. You dealt with the high school drama and heart breaks. You pushed passed the annoying teachers, overbearing parents, and fairweather friends. You did what you needed to get through it all and now you are a high school graduate. I'm not telling you that the rest or whatever comes next is going to be easy, but from here on out your life will be whatever you want it to be. Your life will be what you make it, so make it a good one. 

"Good luck exploring the infinite abyss"