• Transition after graduation.young graduate girl with heap of papers image by Konstantin Sutyagin from Fotolia.com
  
  After spending 12 years to obtain a secondary education, the moment finally arrives---high school graduation. Once you have celebrated your accomplishment, and all the "pomp and circumstance" ends, you realize you have entered a new strata of life. Now is the time to begin seriously considering your future. What you do during this period of transition can set you up for success. What you neglect can set you up for failure.
  
  

Reflection & Goal Setting

• Spend time reflecting on what you want to do with your life and why. Set personal and career goals. Create a step-by-step plan of the things you are going to do to realize those goals and then put your plan into action. If you are unsure of your career, you can still enroll in college. If your major is undecided, you can focus on taking some core courses during your freshman year, such as English, History and Algebra. These types of courses are generally required for any major and, therefore, will not be "useless."
  
  

Assume Responsibility

• Get a part-time job to help cover your college expenses. That will give you a sense of independence from your parents and make you act more responsibly, since it's your money you're spending. If you like, you can get a student checking and savings account. Make a deposit every pay period and refuse to touch the money. Before you realize it, you will have considerable savings.
  
  

No Job, No Credit Cards.

• Avoid credit cards. They are easy to get after graduating high school, especially if you are a newly-enrolled college student. For that reason, it can be very tempting to get one, spend recklessly and wind up enmeshed in debt. Promise yourself that if you don't have a job to pay the bill, you won't complete the application.
  
  

Time Management

• Manage your time like it is money. Invest it in a way that will be profitable for your future, whether that means reading, volunteering or interning. Knowing how to manage your time is also crucial in college, with all the reading and assignments you will face.