Never went to college, graduated high school and want to go back to school, Now what?!?

I graduated 3 years ago & today I went looking for a job & UGH i am server but now I KNOW i dont want to do that for the rest of my life so now what I was allways kinda nervous about the whole thing even when i was in high school my parents never went to college so they never really helped me in that department & no one i knows went either so I dont know who else to turn to besides yahoo answers my best friend..LOL anyway so I want to be able to get a pretty good job I dont even know if i want to get a degree or what i just want to get some kinda skills. SO my question is what PATH should i go down, what kinda classes should i start with. I have no IDEA what i want to do so I ANY kinda direction would be great I've thought about the whole nursing thing & I had to take care of my mom when she got her back sugaries with her Pick line & stuff and I just cant really Imagine the whole blood thing, I know that would be a great caree but, UGH i dont know, like i said ANY help would be GREAT!

I'm not trying to be a whiner or anything I'm just looking for some help, and ussualy i get some really good answers here and I did and am thankfull for all the great answers that I did get if there are anymore I'd love to here of them Thanks to all the great people who answer the sometimes meaninless questions out there (they really help me ALOT!!)

Here is some advice, this is what I would do.... but I dont know what do you think?

First, to figure out what you might like to do, try taking the meyers briggs personality test..... tells you a lot about yourself and some careers that may get you excited... not a career test, a personality test... but lists some typical careers people with your personality get into...

Next, Community College..

What county do you live in? Every county has a community college. A community college is a two year college for people in the community and many people who graduated high school but never went to college start their college education and career switch search here. Once you graduate from this 2 year community college, also known as a junior college, you can apply and transfer to a 4 year college and get your college degree.

The good news is you don't even have to know what you want to do to go to community college. All college programs require students to take a few of the same classes. These classes are called core classes. For example every degree (nursing, business, communications, marketing, etc.) have a few classes that they all take.. some writing, some english, some math, some science., etc. so you could start here, get to know the people in the school and learn a bunch about what other folks are doing and see if anything sparks your interest.

If you were good at school through grade 4 or 5 you will have no problem in the transition... i promise.... i know i did it, I went to a community college and then transfered to Emory University a top school!

So where to start, goto google.com, type in your county name and the words community college (e.g., Northampton Community College) and whala, your college will appear. Next, find out where the college is and if they have any tours of the campus for people interested i learning more before applying, go to the college then or just drive yourself down and ask for the Admissions office, ask for some information and if you could set up a time to talk to someone, get more information...

This is a great place to start... Enjoy!

Make sure when you are at community college (enrolled as a student) to get involved! Take advantage of clubs (i know in high school may have been silly, but this will help you get to know people) like a social activities planning club or radio club whatever interests you and the amazing free resources, e.g., free tutoring, math lab, writing labs, etc....

you can and will do it... it might not be easy, but nothing worth it at the end usually is.. . go for it! give it your all and live the life you imagine... Report It

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What do you like to do? What do you enjoy doing? Do you have any talents or skills?

Play off those and go from there. You can also ask the admissions counselors at the college you know; they aren't just for students.

I suggest the local community college. Make an appointment with a counselor. Bring your high school transcripts with you. The counselor will tell you how to apply and what classes you need to take for your goal. You may wish to purchase a categue from the community college bookstore, or maybe on line or read it in the library. It will tell you when to apply, how much tuition is, what the majors (areas of concentrated study) and much of anything else you may wish to know. Learning is fun and education is something nobody can ever take away from you.

You've just taken a big step forward by recognizing that you don't want to be a server all your life, and that there are better career paths available.
It doesn't matter how old you are now (and if you graduated three years ago, you aren't really that old at all) there are any number of mature adults, middle aged adults, and even seniors attending college. So you certainly won't be exceptional in whatever class you choose.
As for what to take -- there are two routes available to you.One is college or university, the other is trades or technical school, where you get the practical learning along with the 'book learning' that will qualify you for a wide range of careers.
At this point, you should get some career counselling. You can take aptitude tests, to establish what you would be good at, and talk with counsellors to decide what you would like to do.
Good luck to you, and I hope you find a career that is both satisfying and gives you a good standard of living.

i think its much better if u will go back to school again..follow the path where u can really sure to enjoy..

Well, the nursing option is a great one! There are tons of other possibilities also. What are you interested in? What are you good at? Do you work well with people? Or are you better at sitting down at a desk and being left alone? Do you like to travel? or work outside? are you very organized? There are so many questions. I am so excited that you are ready to do more.

Here is what I suggest. Make a list of any local Colleges or Technical Schools in your area. These should be listed in your phone book or you can do a search online.
Then look over their lists of majors. If you see a few you may be interested in, then make an appointment with a campus counselor to discuss your possibilities. If there isn't one available you may be able to talk to some of the teachers in those areas. Either way there should be people who can help you decide something at least to start with.
After that you can talk with financial aid counselors if you need to apply for that. It is not difficult to sign up.

Good luck with everything! I too had little help when I first began. I was discouraged from going to college because my grandparents who raised me didnt' know how to help me get started. I went and it was the best experience! I have a degree in Graphic Design and I loved every minute of it!

I agree with the person who suggested you talk with the admissions counselor at your closest community college. You might also consider a vocational-technical school. Also, be sure to ask the counselor about financial aid. There are all kinds of programs available.

Consider what you like to do--I mean, if you enjoy being on the computer, you might consider some type of career working with computers; if you like fixing your hair, you might consider barber or beauty school, etc. Check the website for the US Department of Labor for possible careers and the job outlook for those careers. Good luck.