We’ve all been there. One week, you’re sitting in class counting down to graduation; the next, you’re at dinner with the family trying to answer the question, “What’s next?” Will you be completing college application forms, or do you want to get a job and gain some experience first?
Here’s the truth: both paths are very valid. Your close friends might have their eyes set on college, but you? You’d rather get a job first.
Your choice is not only perfectly fine, but a lot of high-school graduates are also doing the same thing. According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), up to 41.2 percent of 2024 high school graduates in the country are either working or looking for work.1 So, you see, your choice is not peculiar.
But before you make any firm commitment, it’s important that you know where these two doors lead. That’s what this article will break down for you.
The Case For Working After School
Not everyone wants to sit in a classroom for an extra four years, earning a degree. Not because it isn’t a good idea (it’s actually a great one), but because of personal reasons that make sense when you actually think about it.
Financial Reasons
Let’s start with the reason not many people want to talk about: finances. Not every family in the country can afford tuition and the other costs of college immediately.
According to Experian, college tuition and fees, plus other basic expenses, can fall between $29,910 and $62,990 per year for in-state public colleges and private non-profit colleges, respectively.2 That’s really huge, and not many people fancy the alternative, which is student debt.
Starting work and getting a paycheck means financial freedom, a big deal for many people.
Gain Real-World Experience
True life story.
A friend joined her dad’s retail store immediately after high school. According to her, she gained more soft skills in six months than she learnt in all her years in school.
That’s one advantage of working young: gain real-world experience that’ll help you in the future.
Working also gives you perspective. You might spend a year interning in a newspaper and realize that you love journalism and want to make it a career. Plenty of people explore their interests this way first.
Build a Winning Resume
And finally, working full-time as a high school graduate gives you the opportunity to build a winning resume that might come in handy when doing your college application.
According to a recent report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), positive character attributes can have a moderate influence on college admission decisions.3
Now, guess what? People who work in some form of structured environment tend to have these positive attributes (work ethic, time management, reliability) in a really big way.
The Case For College
Going straight to college after high school has its benefits, too. More importantly, if you have your career path all planned out, and you know it’ll need a university degree, why wait?
So, what are these benefits exactly?
Access to Better Work Opportunities
There are careers where you can’t get a foot in the door without at least a Bachelor’s degree. That’s just the plain truth. Healthcare, engineering, education, accounting, the list is long.
But it’s not just about getting in the door. A degree makes it easy to switch careers when your interests change.
Take nursing as an example. If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) or something similar, and later discover you want to become a registered nurse, you don’t need to start from scratch. An online accelerated BSN degree makes this possible.4 But no bachelor’s degree means no way to live your dreams of being a nurse without going the whole way.
Programs like these typically take 16 months or four semesters, instead of the usual three or four years, according to Cleveland State University.
That’s part of the opportunities we’re talking about.
Social Networking Opportunities
Let’s not forget the social and networking opportunities in college. You’ll meet a lot of people in four years of college. Some of these individuals could end up playing pivotal roles in your future.
Take Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, for example. They were college mates first before going on to found the search giant in 1998.
HP founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard also met at the university. Both men then went on to found the Hewlett-Packard Company in 1938. That’s the kind of networking opportunity college brings.
Higher Earning Potential
Finally, a university degree equals higher earning power. The data on this couldn’t be any clearer. People with a bachelor’s degree earn at least 68 percent more than people with just a high school diploma.5
According to another source, by 2030, about 58.1 percent of high-paying jobs in Wisconsin will require at least a higher degree.6 This number can’t be much different in other parts of the country.
True, if you start working immediately as a high school graduate, you’ll probably start earning sooner than your friends who go to college. But here’s the thing: you may never earn as high as they do in the long run.
It’s that simple.
The Bottom Line
So, should you jump straight into college or do a bit of work first? The truth is that there’s no universal right answer to that question.
The best post-high school path is the one that fits your finances and your short-term goals, and where you want to be in the future.
Whether you choose to work first, study, or blend both paths (working and studying online), as long as you’re moving forward with your life, you’re alright.
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2025. College Enrollment and Work Activity of High School Graduates News Release. Economic News Release, April 22, 2025. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.htm
- Experian. 2025. Average College Tuition for the 2024-2025 School Year. August 8, 2025. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/average-college-tuition
- National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). 2023. Factors in the Admission Decision. Percentage Of Colleges Attributing Different Levels Of Importance To Factors In Admission Decisions: First-Time Freshmen, Fall 2023. https://www.nacacnet.org/factors-in-the-admission-decision
- Cleveland State University. 2025. Online Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing. https://onlinelearning.csuohio.edu/programs/online-accelerated-bsn-program
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 2025. 10 Iconic Business Partnerships and Why They Worked. Thrive, January 13, 2025. https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/thrive/iconic-business-partnerships
- USAFacts. 2024. What are the average salaries for four-year college graduates? Economy, January 19, 2024. https://usafacts.org/articles/what-are-the-average-salaries-for-four-year-college-graduates
