High School.

[dennis08]

What did you do when you got out of high school ? Please any information at all.

[Zukin]

For the summer after high school, I just played video games and watched reruns of 80's sitcoms. After the summer, I started college. In retrospect, I probably should have spent that time to study more since I nearly flunked out when I got to college.

Or I could have started my own business. I can think of lots of things that would have been better than watching "Who's the Boss" every day. Unless you really like Tony Danza.

[dennis08]

LOL ! Nice 1. Where you living with your parents ?

[Zukin]

I lived with my parents during high school and during the summer, then I lived in the dorms when I got to college.

[dennis08]

How was that ? Did you live with a roomate ? I dont think I could survive with someone around all the time.

[Zukin]

I lived with a roommate. It wasn't too bad since I had a good roommate, but I've heard that roommate compatibility is one of the most important criteria for success in college if you live in the dorms.

Does anybody else have input on what they did after high school, so this doesn't just turn into the dennis/Zukin conversation thread - not that I mind, since I have a big ego anyway

[ericwordelman]

I think the most important thing to do is figure out a purpose for your life if you have not already. Because once you do this your life is completely different and more empowering in each area. Try and find your passion too.

Once you sort out your passion and purpose you'll be able to make decisions a lot easier. If you don't know what your purpose is and you're trying to decide on what to do after high school it's like trying to pick between two different colored shirts when you have an orange filter on both of your eyes. They all look orange. But once you find your purpose (then your passion follows) a whole broader context along with clarity comes into your life which carves a much deeper path for you to follow.

Purpose is one of the most important things in my eyes, and the earlier you figure this out the better your life will be.

If you're not living on purpose currently then all your decisions will be based out of what you need to do, or fulfilling someone elses purpose, and that doesn't help you at all.

It took me 30 days to figure out my purpose by thinking about it all day from when I woke up to when I went to sleep. "I intend to know my purpose by the end of may". I said that all day everyday for the entire month of may. I never took my mind off of it. And come the first week in April I got it.

[dennis08]

I agree with you Eric and it’s true that no one can decide your purpose and it will help you. When you found yours did you pursue it right away?

[NotesMaeve]

Missed high school out of fear, since my dad was a teacher, so I got out at 15 and went to college. First two years, perfect angel. Moonlighted as a bad girl for a couple until graduation.

[Matthew Shea]

I worked over the summer part time, about 30 hrs/week, then started college in the fall. I lived with my parents the whole time (school was only about 20 mins away). In retrospect, I may have been a little too comfortable that way.

[The David]

Immediately after graduating, I moved out of my parent's house in the country, and in with my sister in the 'city' (I say 'city' with great sarcasm; the downtown is just a slightly larger suburb). I spent a lot of time reading, but also a lot of time playing video games. In the Fall, I went to a college that I didn't really want to be at and ended up leaving after the first semester. I tried to get a job but that didn't work until the next Summer. Now I'm back in school and I actually know what I want out of life.

Listen to Eric. A sense of purpose is mandatory.

[dacanay]

after high school (a year and a half ago) i just basically chiiled around the house.. being a "bum" at first it was cool not worrying about anything, watching tv the whole day and eating all day not worrying about the next morning but if you've got future plans, passions and goals you wish to achieve, that is not the way to go.. I basically got involved with self improvement and been working on myself ever since. I believe that going into college with no particular reason or just coz your parents want you to go will not be very helpful to you at all, If you believe that college would just be a hindrance or a distraction to your future plans then you will not be interested in it and would just be goofing around..

[Kaspian]

After high school, I spent a year working two jobs, one full-time and one part-time, and saved up money for college. I also took horn lessons. A year later, I moved to Jackson Hole, WY with a friend to work for the summer, and in the fall, I started school. Music scholarships (and later academic scholarships, too) paid tuition, even though I had chosen not to graduate from high school.

I never lived in the dorms. For the first 2.5 years, I lived either in a house or apartment near campus with 2-6 other people. After that, I moved to another state to live with a guy I had met at a horn workshop, took a year and a half off school to work and establish in-state residency, and then started up at the new university. (I later married the guy, and I like the city, so it was a good move!)

[Razo]

After high school I spent much of the holidays playing video games and seeing my girlfriend, but mostly ignoring what I was going to be doing at uni. I retrospect I really can't believe I was ready to jump into just any career without much thought, decided I didn't want to do what I was doing and freaked out because I was (and still kind of am) interested in quite a lot of things but can't decide on one... so because I was doing courses that didn't feel important to me i didn't do so good in them.

spend as much time as you can figuring out what u want out of college, you want to know that all your work is actually going into something you really want to do.

[dennis08]

Razo that is becoming an impossible task and I understand where your coming from. The more someone tells me this the more it doesn’t make sense whatsoever. Right now my best bet is to live under a bridge