I am reading the book P.E.T. about communicating with children and there is a question. How would you address the situation when your 15 year old child comes home and tells you he isn’t interested in college because there are lots of ways to get ahead in the world?
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First off, clarify why he isn't interested in college. Saying that there's lots of ways to get ahead in the world sounds like it is only a small part of his thought process. The existence of multiple options isn't reason to dismiss the most popular option, and it is possible that he's really using this as an excuse to cover some anxieties (such as concern he might not get accepted to a college of his choice, over the difficulty of a college curriculum, or even paying for college). If he doesn't have a clear idea of what he'd like to do instead of college, focus on why he thinks college is the wrong choice. If, however, he has a clear plan for what he'd like to do instead, try to be as objective as possible. The truth is that you absolutely do not need a college degree. However, it does make some goals much more difficult to obtain, and will close off other options and opportunities entirely for you. Try to judge how realistic his plan sounds, and keep in mind that it isn't necessarily a problem to delay going to college a year or two. College can be a fall-back option if his plan doesn't pan out. Work through his alternate plan with him, and discuss strengths, weaknesses, and, most importantly, risks and fallback plans in case of the unexpected. Going straight into a entrepreneurial enterprise may be a good option if he has a good idea, and has thought it through, but its still a risk, and he should know what to do if he finds that his business is failing. A word of caution: "I'm not ready for college" might not sound like a good reason, but it really is. College can be a really expensive excuse to "get off the leash" and experience some new levels of independence and freedom from parental rules and oversight. If he feels he's not ready to go living on his own, and handle a simultaneous increase in studying and educational workload, don't dismiss this! You're better off coming up with a plan to transition him to be better able to handle these factors, rather than dumping tens of thousands of dollars (or equivalent currency or loans) into a year or two of unsupervised partying that will result in a low GPA or worse. |
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A few things could work together to break through to them:
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At that age you don't necessarily need to force the idea of college - but I would heartily recommend encouraging them to do enough to keep their options open. You could try highlighting other occasions they have changed their mind, and point out that as long as they keep their grades high in school, when it comes to a decision time about college at least they will have the option of deciding to go. You can also discuss the different career paths likely through gaining a degree or through going into business straight away. There have definitely been some success stories - highly motivated individuals who work their way up to top roles in companies - but in general your best plan for gaining a high salary is to go to a good college/university. Have a read of this question on Skeptics which discusses the cost/value of going to college for Americans. |
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I heard this during listening to one of the parenting podcasts. And I think its a good way to deal with situation like this. Parents should put in their kids' heads that they have 3 options after school: college, work or army. And let them decide which way they want to choose. I guess explanation of these three options should be done a bit before teen years, so they would accept it as an axiom. Otherwise you will need to have long conversations on why not working/studying won't do any good. |
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