America's teens really want to start their own businesses

And they can!

"Open" sign
(Image credit: InStock/Image Source/Corbis)

One of the most panic-inducing questions to ask a high school student has got to be, "What are your plans for after graduation?" And then there's this heart-stopper for the college-bound: "What do you want to major in?" Though of course, if The Graduate taught us anything, it's that even years later, you're never too old to avoid making real plans for the future.

It's okay to not know where you're headed. Still, there are quite a few high schoolers who do have ideas in mind — and those ideas often center around entrepreneurship. In fact, nearly three-quarters of high school students say they want to start their own businesses, according to a 2014 survey. And 81 percent of young adults admire those their age who start new businesses, according to a report by the educational nonprofit Junior Achievement and market research firm Ypulse.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.