So What Comes Next?: A Teen's Guide to Career and Life Planning

Is your teenager ready for life after high school?

Whether your teen plans to attend college, begin a career, join the military, start a business, or is still deciding what comes next, So What Comes Next? provides a practical roadmap for building confidence, developing essential life skills, and creating a personalized plan for the future.

Most teens graduate without ever learning how to set meaningful goals, manage money, organize their lives, evaluate career options, or create a realistic plan for adulthood. This easy-to-read guide helps fill that gap by giving teens the tools they need to make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.

Inside you'll discover how to help your teen:

- Discover personal strengths, interests, and career possibilities- Set meaningful goals and develop a practical life plan- Build organization and time-management skills- Learn the fundamentals of budgeting and financial responsibility- Develop confidence, motivation, and personal accountability- Make better decisions about college, careers, and life after high school

Unlike many books that offer only inspiration, So What Comes Next? provides a step-by-step planning system that encourages teens to actively participate in designing their own future. The included planning exercises help transform ideas into achievable goals and practical action.

Parents appreciate having a structured way to guide important conversations about the future, while educators value its practical approach to helping students prepare for adulthood.

Whether you're looking for a meaningful graduation gift, a resource to prepare your teenager for adulthood, or a practical guide to help your teen gain confidence and direction, So What Comes Next? offers skills that can benefit them for years to come.

Help your teenager answer life's biggest question with confidence: "So what comes next?"

Michael Anthony Deffina is an entrepreneur, business leader, and author with a lifelong interest in helping young people approach life with greater intention and clarity. His perspective is shaped by a diverse career spanning military service, technology, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship-much of which he navigated through experience rather than formal life planning.After graduating high school, Deffina joined the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician candidate, completing his training and rising to the rank of E-5 non-commissioned officer before leaving active service. He later worked in advanced technology roles at General Dynamics and IBM, including contributing to the guidance system for the Apollo IV mission. While working full time, he completed his college education in the evenings.Recognizing that his strengths lay in communication and leadership, Deffina transitioned into sales and marketing, where he became a member of IBM's Golden Circle, representing the top five percent of the company's national sales force. He later held senior executive roles, including Senior Vice President of Sales for HQ-Headquarters Companies, which grew rapidly and was ultimately acquired by United Technologies.Over the following years, Deffina founded and led multiple successful ventures, including a business consulting firm serving startups, local businesses, and publicly traded companies. He later co-founded Ellie Mae, a software company that became publicly traded on the NYSE and whose technology is now used in a significant portion of U.S. mortgage originations.Drawing on a lifetime of real-world experience, Deffina writes to help teens and families think more deliberately about personal strengths, interests, and future possibilities-encouraging planning by design rather than by circumstance.