It’s been a personal journey for me this year, seeing family members at various points of their secondary education careers.

I see the freshmen starting a new chapter and recall the mixture of excitement and trepidation that I felt when I stepped onto campus as a college student for the first time.

I see the seniors who are now savvy and experienced in what college requires, but have challenging choices on the horizon regarding post-graduation employment or further education.

I see the graduate students locking in on specialized studies as they pursue masters degrees or doctorate degrees, working hard to develop the skills needed to do well in their specific field.

And I see others taking other paths through trade schools or other course work where learning may take different forms but is no less valuable.

It’s an important time of life, full of possibilities and challenges.

Some of me envies these college students and the wide range of opportunities they have. The rest of me is glad that I’m not in the position to face the stress and uncertainty of trying to plan the rest of your life like many of them are.

Over the years, I have the chance to talk to a lot of family members, friends and acquaintances as they’ve prepared for college or talked about what they are going through.

Just as everyone in my position likely does, I have come up with a few main thoughts that I’ve shared with them in terms of advice as ways to navigate college life.

You might not be headed off to college right now, but I think these concepts are somewhat universally applicable so hopefully you’ll see some aspect that resonates with you as well.

So here they are:

1. Chase your dreams — but have backup plans.

This is by far the idea I try to share the most because I strongly believe in how applicable it is.

I cringe whenever I hear someone try to tell someone they can’t or shouldn’t do things they are passionate about because there are few jobs in a certain field or the pay isn’t very good.

In my experience, if you are smart enough, determined enough and persistent enough, you may find success in anything. If you love art or sports or science or finance or medicine or writing, give your very best to see where your dreams and abilities can take you.

But don’t focus on just one thing. Don’t completely ignore other options simply because they don’t fit your perfect roadmap for happiness and success.

If you are ready with Plan B (and Plan C, D, E, etc.), you may never need them — and you may need all of them.

And you may find that it was Plan L that was really the one that fit you best, even though you were so sure Plan A was your dream. It really if OK to adapt as your life evolves.

2. The only true failure is when you fail to learn.

Things aren’t always going to go perfectly, despite your best efforts. There will be times when your work gets a bad grade or your can’t figure out what a teacher is saying or doing.

But I’ve come to see the simple truth in the quote attributed to Thomas Edison that says: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

There is such profound personal accountability when you take it on yourself to learn from what didn’t go well. So many times in both school and my career I’ve found myself far more likely to solve a problem when I decide I’m going to figure out what I can do differently instead of taking the more common (and lazier) approach of blaming someone else.

So decide to learn. Don’t let a bad day or a bad grade or a bad relationship make you think that you failed. It often just means it is time to evaluate the processes or pieces and attempt something different.

3. If opportunity knocks, do your best to answer the door.

I see college and university education as a world of possibilities, both academic and social. Whether it is coursework or internships or participation in clubs or cultivating friendships, you will have opportunity knocking a lot as a student.

It won’t be physically possible to avail yourself of every opening, but I urge you to try to take advantage of as many as you can.

Put yourself out there. Try something different. Make more connections. Seek to avoid burning bridges.

You just never know when a moment will turn into something special for you — but you have to put yourself out there first.

So, college students, I encourage you to go make the most of the 2026-27 school year.

Who knows where it will take you?

Jared Lloyd is the managing editor of the Daily Herald and can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com/