Their Next Chapter is a site for parents and teens working out what comes after high school. If you're new here, start with how it works.
What the paths actually lead to
Before your teen picks a path, it helps to know what each one is like day to day, and pay is only part of that.
The short version
All fourteen paths get the same depth on their own pages, and none is the default.
Each one leads somewhere real and has a first step that's small, cheap and reversible, like a class or a shadow day.
Your teen doesn't have to pick a whole future this month, only spot the one or two paths worth a closer look and take one small step.
Every path also has its own page, including what to do if your teen changes their mind.
Each path's own page covers what it's like day to day, and the list below links to all fourteen.
One idea about pay comes up often: more education goes with higher pay (NCES) and lower unemployment (NCES), and that pattern is real. But the pay ranges overlap a lot, the pattern doesn't subtract the cost of getting there, and some people with less schooling out-earn people with more. It describes a tendency across large groups and doesn't predict what any one person will earn. The next chapter takes up money on its own, and here it stays one factor among several.
If you're the teen reading this: you don't need to feel a spark for any of these. You're looking for the one or two that make you think "I could see myself there," then checking whether that holds up in real life. Not knowing yet is a normal place to start.
The fourteen paths
- Community college: Starting at a two-year school for an associate degree, a certificate, or credits to transfer.
- University: Earning a bachelor's degree at a four-year college or university, on campus or online.
- Skilled trades: Learning a hands-on trade, often while getting paid to train.
- Skills and certificates: Building a specific skill through a short program or self-study, with no degree required.
- Free job training: Training-to-job programs, some with no tuition and some that cover housing or pay a stipend.
- Healthcare and first responders: Short training toward a licensed job in health, wellness, or public safety.
- Trucks, planes, and ships: Licensed training to drive a truck, fly, fix aircraft, or work on ships.
- Paid work: Going straight into a paycheck, from entry roles to jobs that help pay for school.
- Their own business: Building a business, product, or creative practice of their own.
- Military service: Serving in one of the armed forces, with pay while you train.
- Gap year: A planned year between high school and the next step, spent serving, traveling, or exploring closer to home.
- Service year: A term of paid or volunteer service with a community or national program.
- Time abroad: Spending time in another country, sometimes working or volunteering to help pay for it.
- Time to decide: Taking planned time to explore and choose before committing to a next step.
- Arts and sports: Training in art, music, theater, dance, or sport, where they get in by audition, portfolio, or tryout.
- Paths with more support: Programs that add funding, coaching, or a bridge into work, school, or living on their own for a teen who needs one.
- Caring for family: Caring for family, or their own health, as the main focus for now.
How to read all this together
Every path leads somewhere real, and every one has a first step that's small, cheap, and reversible: a class, a shadow day, a summer, a one-page plan, a single customer. Your teen doesn't have to pick a whole future this month. They have to spot the one or two paths worth a closer look, take one small step, and see how it feels. Taking no step is a choice too, and it keeps your teen where they are. Start with the small moves on Getting unstuck. Each path also has its own page, with an "If you change your mind" section. The next chapter puts the money in its place, and the one after lays out a way to weigh options side by side. The tool at /start walks your family through it one question at a time.
Where these facts come from (2 sources)
Every figure is dated and linked so you can check it at the source. Last reviewed October 2026.
- NCES, Condition of Education, Annual Earnings by Educational Attainment (2022 data; accessed 2026-09-18)
- NCES, Condition of Education, Employment and Unemployment Rates by Educational Attainment (accessed 2026-09-26)