I was like you and probably even a little more… The best advice I would have for myself at that age is to not worry about it and just put all your effort into the grade that you are in. Don’t be afraid to dream because, if you are willing to put in the sweat, anything is possible. And about occupations, listen to your heart. Even when I was a junior in high school, I kept on trying to listen to my parents and become a doctor. But now I’m going to follow my heart and pursue a career in journalism, and I’ll see where that takes me. Be happy that you still have time to be a kid. I’m sure you are like I was and are way mature beyond your years. Just take a deep breath and find comfort in the fact that you have your whole life ahead of you and that you are already in the right direction by thinking about your future. Get good grades and read a lot. But don’t forget to laugh and love and enjoy everyday. Good luck!

To be a mechanic, I think you just go to a technical school (which you may be able to do while you are at high school, if your county has any technical programs for its high school students) or a community college to get the training you need. I think you will get some kind of certificate, or maybe even an Associate’s degree (which is a two-year college degree), if you go to community college to study to become a mechanic.

To become a nurse–you don’t specify what kind of nurse you want to be. If you want to be an LPN, again, you go to a technical school or to a community college to get the skills that you need. You’ll get some kind of certificate when you are done. To become an RN, you don’t necessarily have to go to a four year college to get qualified. You might be able to do a program through a hospital that trains you to be an RN. However, RNs with bachelor’s degrees (which is a degree in nursing from a four year college) are more hire-able, and they will have more opportunities in the long run. So I would suggest that if you want to become a nurse, become an RN with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Not all four year colleges have nursing programs, so you will have to do some research on which colleges have such programs.

To be a mechanic, go to trade school. To be a nurse, you can learn that in community college. For a lot of things, however, you need to be in school for four years to fully grasp everything encompassed by that profession.

I’m a 17-year-old college student working to become an animator, but I’m not the studious type (since in high school we only learned history and math and whatnot, and it bored me), therefore I started in community college first, which is a two-year Associates degree program. Community college is not as expensive as four-year, Bachelors/Masters colleges, and you can get the same high-quality education if you pick the right one.

From there you can go to a four-year–or if you have good grades and money, go straight to a four-year from high school. There’s where you start learning the REALLY important stuff, the stuff your profession is made of. But all of this learning is USELESS if you don’t persevere and get your Bachelors, since that’s what employers look at.

In the arts, maybe not so much, because then (good) employers will focus more on talent than whether you have a fancy piece of paper or not.

After that is Masters. If you get your Masters, you’ll be a step above the Bachelors since you’ll know two years more about your profession that them. Also you’re more likely to get hired somewhere

For some, college is a job factory where, just like high school, you do as your told to get a degree and hence a better job. For others (whom enjoy fuller and happier lives) see college as an experience where they can spend 4+ years learning and doing what they love.

DO NOT go to college just to get a better job! You’ll earn a degree, get a high-paying job you don’t like, spend years complaining about it, and perhaps go back to college all over again at 40 years old trying to get back on track.

That’s all from me.

Trade school.