I’m going to start this article off with a straight head-shot:

IF YOU ARE NOT 100% SURE OF WHAT YOU WANT TO DO FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, DO NOT ENROLL IN A FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY.

AND FURTHERMORE,

If you only want to go to college for the experience of being out of your parents’ house and staying up until 4 am doing hoodrat things with your friends, then you should just go to a junior college that has dorms.

I know what everyone has always said about college, but It is not the best place to try and find yourself. In fact, it would be in your best interest if you have a clear understanding of who you are before you even step foot on a college campus.

It will save you from a lot of unnecessary stress, heartaches and breakdowns. You'd be better prepared to deal with multiple deadlines, part time jobs and inflexible professors.

While it may seem encouraging to be around several thousand other students who are in various states of identity crises, it won’t be of much help to you in the long run. At best, you’ll have a decent support system or shoulder to cry on, but no genuine suggestions or solutions because your peers are in the same boat as you.

Now, if you’re going to college on a full-ride, you can probably disregard this whole article.

But, if you are a high school senioronly receiving partial or no financial aid, and you're thinking about attending a four-year college right after graduating, then I stronglyurge you to do the following:

1. Do in-depth research on your major's department at your college.

Contact the department and ask them when the last time they held a speaking event with working professionals in your field (Don't be afraid to follow up with the 5 W's, either). Research the rate of employment that the university has for their recent graduations.

How soon are graduates of XYZ College getting jobs in their respective fields?

2. Find out how recent the course catalog is.

Course catalogs will tell you the classes that you'll have to take for a specific major. After you find the catalog, find out how many students are allowed in the class each semester.

This is a big one because your graduation could be delayed if a required class fills up too soon. That’s one of the ways a four-year degree can turn into a five or even six year degree plan, if your professor/university is unyielding about allowing extra students in the class.

Also, you might be thinking you’re taking a class that sounds really interesting and potentially helpful to your career, only to find out the course hasn’t been offered or taught in five years.

3. Try and talk to students who are within a year of graduating or that have already graduated

Ask them if they believe their school has a solid program in whatever you may be interested in. Be as specific as you can. It's your future, after all.

4. Last, but not least, consider going to a trade school!

I feel that trade school is not promoted as much as it should be, in general, but especially to high school students. In my opinion, if someone has a trade skill, (such as plumbing, welding, operating cranes, fixing cars, or even styling and cutting hair) that person will almost always have a job.

If you still insist on going to a four-year school:

Your best bet to find one that checks as many of your boxes as possible and invest in that one. If you are in college now, feeling stuck and like your major is not what you will be doing for the rest of your life, my suggestion for you is to start building a network where your passion truly lies.

Talk to professors and students from different departments if you need to, and reach out to people who are working in the field you are truly interested in. In general, it can be very difficult to decide what you want to with the rest of your life. But don't be discouraged and don't give up!