Once you are in college, you'll be embarking on the next stage of your life, leaving the security of high school behind. What is the next step, and how will it contribute to your long-term goals? Students facing an uncertain future can boost their odds of success by taking some time to make long-term plans.

It's easy to overlook the importance of planning when you're young and you feel your whole life is ahead of you. After all, only about three percent of the American workforce has thought through a career plan and has actually written out some career and life goals. This aversion to planning is negatively affecting college students and their families.

Students Without a Plan

The majority of today's college students switch majors at least once during their academic tenure. Each change adds about one additional year in school -- and that costs the student and their family an average of $32,000 in lost salary plus additional tuition and expenses.

Over half of the freshmen who entered college last fall will take over four years to complete a bachelor's degree. If a college student reaches their sophomore year without declaring an academic major, their odds of dropping out of school double.

The Importance of Planning

Goals give structure and meaning to time. They focus our energies so that we make the best use of our time and resources. With the road laid out before us, we can begin to take action toward achieving what we want.

As you begin to experience this achievement, you learn a lot about what works for you and what doesn't. You gain a body of information by which you can set standards. This establishes the foundation for future planning and achievement.

It's important for young planners to know that not all plans hold up under the test of reality. There is no failure in planning if something is learned from the attempt. Plans can and should be adjusted over time and it is always wise to have a plan B on the back burner in our rapidly changing world -- just in case!

Planning and College

Starting college is often an important step towards a person's eventual career. Choosing a major requires lots of self-awareness and self-assessment.

"You really have to pick something that you enjoy doing," says Christina Miranda. She is a human resources professional in New York. "That's something a lot of people forget when they are picking a career path."

Many students find it helpful to have a plan for what they'll do immediately after graduation, another for five years down the line, and a 10-year plan. Sitting down and imagining what life will look like in 10 years can be a big reality check for many students. What will it take to get there? Breaking down that plan into achievable steps can give you a big boost of confidence.

A career and education plan is all about taking baby steps toward an ultimate goal or dream. For example, if you want to become the CEO of a major department store, you may have to work in all the company's departments first, explains Miranda. She warns that recent college grad and current college students should not reach for the stars when starting out on their career paths.

"You're definitely not going to be the CEO of anything as soon as you graduate," she laughs. "Students who are coming out of school now want much higher salaries and they want a lot of responsibility. Companies are getting tired of this 'I want to run the company' attitude from college students."

Moving up and onward towards the goals you set is fantastic. However, you should be prepared to review your plans every year to make sure those goals are still important to you.

Our interests change as we age, so you might have to adjust or rearrange your goals.

"A career path often has a lot of forks in the road and a lot of U-turns," says Miranda. "It is not necessarily a straight path. There will always be changes."

Experts agree: To get where you want to go, you must first stop and do some planning. Know where you are (assess yourself), know where you want to go (set goals) and know how you are going to get there (make a plan). This is something that you should keep doing throughout your life so you don't get lost.