Raising Kids What Does Success Even Look Like for High School Grads in 2023? When it comes to life after high school, Gen Z is making its own rules. A Parents' guide to helping your teen plan their next steps, whether it's college or beyond. By Parents Editors Published on April 26, 2023 Grace Bastidas, Parents Editor-in-Chief Just because Gen Z kids choose their own paths isn’t any indication that they lack direction. Far from floundering, they are proving themselves to be flexible, agile thinkers not constrained by rules. — Grace Bastidas, Parents Editor-in-Chief A Note From Parents' Editor-In-Chief When I think about the American Dream that propelled my immigrant parents forward in the United States, I know they were motivated by the desire to give our family a better life. That meant working hard, sometimes two jobs at a time, to get my sister and I to college so that we could create good careers and do even better by our own children. It’s a narrative familiar to many first-generation immigrants, who dutifully followed through, pursuing higher education, landing the requisite 9-to-5 jobs, and signing up for 529 plans to set their kids up for the same. But Gen Zs—those born between 1996 and 2012—are not entirely convinced that the path to success is necessarily a linear one that begins with a traditional university education. And they’re making it known. According to a 2022 survey, only 51 percent of Gen Zs want to pursue a four-year college degree, down from 71 percent two years prior. And nearly half of parents agree that the cost of a university education may outweigh the benefits. Often described as the most ethnically and racially diverse generation, Gen Z has a more expansive view of the world, having grown up in the digital era. They don’t see the four walls of traditional learning institutions as the only way to open doors—especially if it means incurring student loan debt that could follow them into their 40s. (Raise your hand if you’re still paying off Sallie Mae.) As a Latina, I felt that I needed that degree to widen my network and have access to the kind of white-collar jobs usually reserved for those with connections. Not today’s high school grads. While some are still visiting campuses, submitting applications, and researching scholarships, like I did, others are hacking the system. They know they can study anything online for cheap or free while pursuing alternative opportunities (gap years, apprenticeships, trade schools, on-the-job training) that can prepare them for the workforce. Just because Gen Z kids choose their own paths isn’t any indication that they lack direction. Far from floundering, they are proving themselves to be flexible, agile thinkers not constrained by rules. As I read the interviews we conducted with recent high school graduates and other young adults, I was struck by how self-possessed and confident they are in their choices. An impressive bunch, they give me hope for the future. No matter how they get there, one thing’s for sure, I’ll be rooting for them. —Grace Bastidas, Editor-in-Chief Life After High School: Redefining Success for Today’s Teens Kindred: Making Our Own Way This Is How I Want My Daughters to Find Their Own Path to Success Skipping College Is a Luxury Most Black and Brown Kids Can’t Afford Finding the Right Path Forward 8 Awesome Opportunities Your Teen Needs to Know About What's a Gap Year—And Should Your Kid Take One? How Parents Can Help Their Teens Plan For The Future Trade School, College, or Military? How to Help Teens Choose What's Next How to Make College More Affordable for Families