When our kids are born, we start thinking about who they will become in the future. We all have these dreams of our kids going to college, graduating with a job lined up – – maybe as a doctor, lawyer, or accountant. We start savings accounts like 529 plans when they are young to help pay for college.
As our kids enter high school, you start hearing other parents talk about college tours, their kids’ excellent SAT scores, and their acceptance into different colleges. Meanwhile, you struggle to accept that college is not the best path for your kid.
As I mentioned in my blog, Practical Indicators Your Teen Isn’t College Ready, our society places high importance on having a college education. Earning a degree equates to success, happiness, and prosperity. Then if our kid doesn’t go to college, we have failed. Somehow our parenting was wrong. What should we have done differently? You may find yourself saying, “if only I did X, then they would be going to college.” You may even change the subject when someone asks which colleges your teen is considering.
I am here to tell you that you have not failed as a parent. In fact, you may have dodged a bullet.
Did you know that two-thirds of college graduates struggle to launch their careers? Kids are graduating from college with mountains of debt, so they take any job they can get just to pay it off. Many teens go to college because they are “supposed to” but then drop out because they can’t figure out what they want to do.
There are many more options and possibilities for our teens after high school than when we were young. I have worked with teens whose paths included trade school, certification, and military. The parents are thrilled because their teen went from having no real path to one they are excited and motivated to pursue.
Even if your teen doesn’t go to college right away, it doesn’t mean they never will. If a college degree is essential for the job they want, they will get it, and their employer may even fund it.
Wondering what the best future path is for your teen? I am happy to help you figure it out. Schedule a complimentary College Assessment Plan call with me here.
