There are six roads out of high school. Nobody tells you the price of each one.
Learn how the routes after graduation compare on cost, time and payoff — university, community college, trade school, military, apprenticeship and going straight to work — before you're asked to choose in the test module.
The number a college advertises is before grants and scholarships. What matters is net price — what you actually pay after aid. Every school publishes a net price calculator. Two schools with a $30,000 difference in sticker price can cost the same family the same amount.
One free federal form unlocks grants (never repaid), work-study and federal loans. Filing early matters because some aid is first-come. Grants and scholarships come before loans; federal loans come before private ones, which have fewer protections.
Apprenticeships pay you while you train and end with a credential and near-zero debt. Trade programs typically run 6 months to 2 years. Electricians, welders, HVAC and dental hygienists often out-earn four-year graduates in the first five years.
Your ASVAB score determines which jobs (MOS/rating) you can pick, and your job is written into the contract — get it in writing, never on a promise. Terms run 2–6 years active plus reserve time. The GI Bill can cover college afterward.
Borrowing $30,000 at about 6% costs roughly $333 a month for ten years. The honest test: will your starting pay in that field carry that payment plus rent? A rough rule is keeping total student debt under your expected first-year salary.
$30K STUDENT LOAN
~$333/mo
10-year repayment at about 6%
APPRENTICE DEBT
~$0
You earn while you learn
ENLISTMENT TERM
2–6 yrs
Active duty, plus reserve obligation
THE MISTAKE MOST PEOPLE MAKE
Choosing a route based on what sounds impressive instead of what the monthly payment looks like at 22.
YOU'RE PREPPED
Same subject, real scenes, your Life Ready Score™.