Hopefully folks won't run into a paywall, it's a great story.
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Military
100%, without question, if a high school student has no idea whatsoever what he or she wants to do, I always suggest looking into the military. It is absolutely incredible what the military offers.
Three vignettes.
The linked story at The Dickinson Press is of a Native American female who enlisted at the age of 17. Because she was not yet of legal age, her mother had to sign for her. Upon enlistment, she takes a test; qualifies to become a medic, i.e., an enlisted "Radar" or "Klinger" you might see on M*A*S*H. Twenty years later she is a physician in the National Guard with real-world experiences.
Our son-in-law, similar story. Enlisted in the US Navy at age 17. His mother had to sign for him for the same reason for him to enlist. He tests and scores high enough to teach nuclear weapon courses to incoming engineering officers. After a couple of years, he boot-straps himself into an ROTC engineering course at the University of Arizona. He returns to active duty officer as a nuclear submariner and after 15 years in that role, one step from commanding his own submarine, he applies to and gets accept to Harvard Business School. He is now chief information officer / chief operating officer for a Fortune 500 company based out of London. And it all started at age 17, taking a qualifying exam in the military.
For me, I was in the process of applying for my advanced degree when my mother sent me a notice that the military was offering scholarships (or "full rides") in return for four years of service. I applied, was accepted, and enjoyed it so much, I stayed 30 years and a day.
