Non Four-Year Options
College is a great option - but not the only option post-high school. Everyone needs something after graduating from high school: college, gap year, job training - something. If college is not for you (or not for you right after high school), here are some other options:
Gap Year -
If you think a year between high school and college to explore your interests, to work, to do community service, to mature and figure out what you want to do sounds like a good idea, a gap year could be just the thing for you. A gap year is not a year of sitting on a couch and watching Sponge Bob reruns - it is an intentional, planned experience. Here are some websites with Gap Year options:
Go Overseas - https://www.gooverseas.com/
Explore their listings of hundreds of programs covering every subject and interest imaginable.
Go Abroad - https://www.goabroad.com/
Similar to Go Overseas, their website catalogs a wide array of gap year choices.
Not all Gap Year programs involve travel or leaving the US. There are many options closer to home:
Dynamy - https://dynamy.org/
Teen Life (a great resource for information on teen programs, including this one on domestic gap year programs): https://www.teenlife.com/category/gap-year/gap-year-in-the-united-states/
Apprenticeships/Job Training
Department of Labor - https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/training/apprenticeship
California Department of Industrial Relations - https://www.dir.ca.gov/databases/das/aigstart.asp
San Diego Mesa College Career Education - https://www.sdmesa.edu/academics/career-technical-education
San Diego City College - http://sdcity.edu/academics/schools-programs/business-it-cosmo/apprenticeships.aspx
San Diego and Imperial Counties Community College Career Education- https://careered.org/colleges/
San Diego College Of Continuing Education - https://sdcce.edu/free
The Associated General Contractors - San Diego Chapter - https://www.agcsdatt.org/
Apply to Trade School (a website owned by College Fairs Online) - https://applytotradeschool.com/
Community Colleges
There are seven community colleges in San Diego County (four in the city of San Diego) and 116 in the state of California. They all offer a variety of academic and certificate programs, allowing students to earn job certificates of training, Associate's Degrees and transfer options for four-year colleges.
San Diego Community College District - https://www.sdccd.edu/
California Community Colleges - https://www.cccco.edu/
Military Enlistment
Students wishing to enlist in the military out of high school need to do their research! There are opportunities in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.
Start your research here: https://www.usa.gov/join-military