Guides
The reads that don't fit in the tool
Longer reads, in plain language, for the questions that come up around this decision. No account needed, and they're written the same way as everything else here: we don't push a path, and we're honest about what we know.
New here? Parents, start with How it works. Teens, start with For teens.
If your teen is stuck
Getting unstuck
Small moves when everything feels stuck. Making no decision is still a decision.
What you might be hearing
When your teen says "I don't care" or "My plan fell through": what can be under it, words to try, and what to avoid.
Plan a think weekend
A walk, an afternoon, or a weekend set aside on purpose, so your teen can think with the pressure turned down. You get the ground rules and a light plan, for whichever size fits.
Another sounding board for your teen
An adult your teen picks to think this through with, like a grandparent, a coach, or a boss. Who it might be, the heads-up to send, and why you don't ask what they talked about.
Talking about it
Talking about it without breaking the relationship
Why the usual questions shut a teen down, and a calmer way in. How to open the first talk, what to do when a talk goes badly, and the one thing worth holding firm on.
Five families
Five families, one of them with two homes, each told by the parent and the teen: how they got stuck, the talk that went wrong, and the plan they made for now. The fifth maps out several problems at once.
Looking at the paths
Paths
All 14 paths, side by side, each with its own page.
People who changed course
Twenty-three real people who left college or got stuck after high school, and what changed for them, plus one made-up example we label as one. Every real story links to its sources.
Money and paperwork
The money question, kept in its place
How to find the price your family would actually pay, with free official tools, and how to weigh cost next to everything else.
Turning 18: the adult-to-adult shift
The day your teen becomes a legal adult, some doors close. A short list of forms keeps you in the loop, if your teen wants you there.
Different situations
If your teen has an IEP (Individualized Education Program), start here.
The long reads
The complete guide
After high school: the complete guide
The long read, in nine chapters: what's actually happening and why you're not behind, all the paths and what they really lead to, the money question, how to decide, how to talk about it, the turning-18 paperwork, and what to do when it's not going smoothly. Sources dated and linked at the end of every chapter, no path pushed.
The plan, step by step
Each stage of helping your teen decide, who leads it, and the nearest research behind it, on one page.