still asking themselves that question.
Oddly enough, the average young person
in the U.S. often earns a degree and begins
looking for a job in a career field in which
he has no experience—not even knowing if
he’ll enjoy the job or not.
There’s a simple solution to this age-old
dilemma: real life internships. These days,
an internship is an easy way to find out if a
student’s interest in a particular career will
last through the initial aura of wanting the
job and into the stark reality of what the job
entails on a day-to-day basis. When a
student works as an intern for three or four
months, he or she is provided with a cost-effective means to thoroughly and objectively evaluate a particular job. As the
individual observes both the glamour and
the mundanity of the job, he or she is far
better equipped to decide if a career in that
field should be pursued.
Instead of conforming to a grade-segregated system that teaches children what to
think but leaves them unprepared for real
life, break out of the box. Give your children a leg up on life (or a huge head start)
by preparing them for the real world
through a study/work environment unlike
the artificial scenario found on many of
today’s college campuses. Your kids will be
challenged to learn how to ponder the
deeper issues of life, they will mature intellectually, and they’ll love you for giving
them a shot at taking on the responsibilities
of everyday adult life.
Shawn Cohen is public relations manager
at CollegePlus! ( www.collegeplus.org), a
coaching program that is helping hundreds
of students get a fully accredited bachelor’s
degree in a fraction of the time and at a
fraction of the cost of acquiring a traditional education. He’s helping spread the
word with a free audio download at
www.collegeplus.org/tos. Shawn enjoys
wakeboarding, the Middle East, and
serving with his family-integrated church.
Endnote:
1. Gatto, John Taylor. The Underground History of
American Education. New York: Oxford Village Press,
2006. 40.
