When I was in my junior and senior years of high school, there was a lot of talk about college and careers.  Guidance counselors, teachers, parents — they were all on your case to make a decision.

However, they didn’t want you to make just ANY decision.  There was an unspoken stigma about deciding to go to anything other than a 4-year college or university.  It was almost a class issue, and I just knew that the proverbial you-know-what would hit the fan if I decided to go to an "alternative" school.

But I don’t do well under pressure, so I decided not to go to college right out of high school.  So the you-know-what hit the fan anyway.

Eventually, I did go back and get the education my parents had always dreamed I’d get.  But I am now much more of a believer in making ALL options available to high school kids.  Trying to force them into degrees and careers that just aren’t right for them isn’t going to get very far.

If you have a kid that wants to be a mechanic, encourage him or her to explore his strengths and look into automotive schools.  A kid who likes to cook could enroll in an Atlanta culinary school.  There are also many PA culinary arts programs to choose from.

The point is, let your kids be who they really are.  Don’t try to force them into a degree or a career because you think it would be better for them, either because of economic or class issues.  Even if they don’t become the lawyer or the doctor you always hoped they’d be, they’ll be more successful if they get into a career they enjoy!

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