This Article is dedicated to the youngsters. I know that many of you may be the first in your family to get an education higher than a GED or High School Diploma. Be that as it may, I have decided to take it upon myself to help you on this journey.

I will start this piece by saying that everyone's, and I mean everyone's, education is not only vital to success but also influential toward any and all goals. Without the use of words, how will we begin to address the issues that concern us in today's society. Without the use of math, how will we maintain our economy. Without the use of the sciences, how will we protect our environment for the generations that follow in our footsteps. Each and every subject is important toward the success of not only our seemingly simple goals but also the goals of our nation.

Now I agree that you may all be thinking, "Am I ever going to use Algebra after high school?". Well, I will not lie to you, in the five years that I have been out of high school the only time I have ever used Algebra is in College; however, my lovelies, do not write off Algebra or any other form of education as unnecessary. I do not need Algebra in my everyday life because I am going to be an English Teacher, but some of you (even if you are undecided) may actually end up picking a career that requires the use of Algebra everyday.

High school teaches us the fundamentals in which we need to be productive members of Society from the age of fourteen to twenty. It is up to us to decide whether or not we are going to pursue higher Education. Here is something that I will stand by for the rest of my life, if you want to go to college you will go to college, no if, ands or buts, darlings. If you want to better your life it is not going to be handed to you and you will need to put in your full and undivided attention. High school is supposed to prep you for College, although some high schools may lack the advantage of having enough 'helpful' counselors and I say 'helpful' because some counselors are not particularly helpful.

My First tip for all of you is to question yourself, don't leave your fate up to statistics or what your parents think you should or shouldn't be doing. I can feel the wheels beginning to turn in your head.

My friends, whether you love to smoke marijuana or take great pleasure In making soap, whatever it is that makes you, 'you,' make it happen. So you like to smoke marijuana or distribute it, what about taking a few pharmaceutical classes or business management courses and open your own dispensary. You like to make soap, how about a few science, cosmetology, or herbal classes to enhance your product.

My Second tip to you all is to take your time. This isn't a race and everyone learns at their own pace. You are going to want to be a nurse the first semester and in the second semester you are going to want to be a music teacher, then a psychologist and the list goes on. PREREQUISITES ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT! They help you discover what you truly want to be doing and that's why it is okay to change your mind again and again, because this is your life and at the end of it you have to be satisfied with your own results. Change your mind a hundred times and that is still okay, if you are afraid to disappoint someone, well, this isn't the time to worry about the opinions of others, this is your time and don't waste it trying to be what everyone else thinks you should be. Not one person in history stayed within the same mindset through their existence and they shouldn't, because we are supposed to grow and become wiser than we once were.

My Third tip for you is that every semester is important and that is including high school. I say this to you now because when I was in high school I never put in any effort when it came to school, I mean I graduated (barely) but I never lived up to my potential. Lucky for me I went to a high school that had the most amazing teachers, they knew my potential and they never let me forget it. They reminded me every day, and when it came down to crunch time I had lost my marbles and given up. I realized that I had most literally screwed myself. My GPA was a 2.0, if that, and I didn't even bother to study for my SAT's, which I also bombed. I did this, I couldn't blame anyone but myself. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND SHOW UP TO CLASS! Whether you are a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior, heed my warning because before long you will be looking back at my article saying, "damn that old lady was right."

Number Four kidlets, take a language. Don't be ignorant and say, "I live in America, we speak English," because let me tell you something, if you take two years of a language in high school and get a B or better you don't have to take a language in college. If you don't think your major will require it, think again, bilingual is 'in' people, and you will get paid more if you know more than one language. Also a helpful tip, toy around between languages because you may not be great at Spanish but may be fluent in French, trust me in this.

My Fifth Tip to you is to always put forth your best effort when it comes to school. I know that in some circumstances this may be difficult for some students as their at-home situations may vary, but regardless of your situation you have to continue to push yourself. Some of you are probably thinking 'sure easy for her to say,' and you are right, it is much easier for me to say it than it was for me to actually do it. It will be the same way for you as well, nothing in life is ever easy and that is why we must always try. I would never hold everyone to the ridiculous standard of a 4.0 GPA or straight A's every semester, if I did I would be setting half of you up for failure. The only fair promise that I may ask of any of you is that you try your best when it comes to school. As long as you are trying I can ask for nothing else.

Grades are incredibly important when it comes to applying to colleges/ universities, but they are also important as they determine what course levels you will be allowed to take. Now you are thinking, 'what does this mean?', well it means that if you decide Algebra isn't important in high school, so you just barely scrape by, you will be paying for a course that's credits don't count toward your actual degree. Let's use a for instance: Little Susie decides she doesn't like her algebra class, she decides she isn't going to do any homework and passes the class with a D so the next year her teacher recommends that she be put into a lower level class (Pre-Algebra). Susie continues to put minimal effort into her homework and class participation. Susie graduates from high school but didn't do very well on her SAT's so she has to take a placement test at the Community College to see what level math she needs to be placed into. Susie realizes she should have paid attention more because now she has to take Math 095. Math 095 costs $500.00 if not more and she has to take it before she can move onto to a higher math course. Math 095 does not count toward her overall GPA, it's a prep course. Susie regrets that she didn't try harder in high school.

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If you fail to try in high school you will most certainly by paying for it in the long run and I mean that most literally. This does not only apply to one subject but to all subjects.

My Sixth and Final tip to you is that even if you think you don't want or need to go to college. I want you to do it any way. Unless you are master at welding or already famous in some way shape or form in a field, get your buns to your local community college and take a couple courses. Many of you may be thinking, 'I have bills to pay' or 'I can't afford to do that,' any and all of the excuses that you can think of aren't going to change what I just said. DO IT, it is never a bad thing to learn something new or to have something to fall back on should your Instagram page eventually have less followers. I'm not saying that you have to go to college and take courses you don't like. You like to paint, draw, design, want to learn a couple new methods, take a couple of courses. Never be afraid to keep improving yourself.

I am a full time student and a full time worker, I manage both and I hope that with the following tips you all will have better luck and not have to work full time to pay for your tuition out of pocket. Getting your education isn't supposed to be that hard and I am more than willing to help if any of you ever have questions.

I am sure that there are many more tips that I could give to you but there are simply too many to write. Never allow yourself to come second to anything, strive to be better than you were yesterday or who you are today. As Scott Fitzgerald once said, "For what it's worth: It's ever too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over."

The key to success is knowledge.

-The Diligent Student