Many teachers have posed the question for seniors, “What are you going to do with your future?” Some seniors have everything planned out, while others are completely lost when it comes to future plans. The importance of planning is becoming more evident as the days go by because every day is one day closer to the time the seniors walk out of the Willow Springs School District and enter the real world.

There are many things a senior can do to find out what he or she desires to accomplish with the rest of his or her life.

First, making a short list of likes and dislikes can enable a person to discover special interests or ideas. With these interests or ideas, comes the time to explore the options of the workforce.

Second, choosing a field or a study to look into can give direction in the way of making a decision about college. Missouri offers a wide variety of colleges to fit everyone’s needs, but keep in mind that there are many out-of-state colleges available also. The key is to find a college that meets every need of the senior. Picking a college is a difficult process, so to help out with that, seniors can attend the College Fair on September 14th in West Plains. The College Fair will have various colleges represented from all over the state of Missouri and possibly a few from surrounding states. Hopefully, the College Fair will help students to determine where they would like to attend in fall of 2006. Visiting colleges also can help in narrowing down college searches.

Third, college is not for everyone. The military or technical schools offer many opportunities for graduates. If going to school for a long time does not seem appealing, consider other options for a career.

Last, it is important to set goals. Goals allow a person to have something to work for and strive for. Setting goals gives a person a sense of direction and will lead to a successful future.

It is an exciting time in the life of a senior; each one has many decisions to make and each decision will be life changing. Planning ahead for the future will enable each one to meet their full potential in life and make an incredible difference in the path, which they choose to follow.