| Q. "What do you want to be when you grow
| |
| | out of junior college following a close
|
| up?"
| |
| | call with the legal system. After a
|
| A. "Something that hasn't been invented
| |
| | four-year stint in the US Navy, she
|
| yet."
| |
| | returned to college, maintained a dean's
|
| Most of us were brought up to study hard,
| |
| | list grade point average, and went on to
|
| get good grades, choose a "practical"
| |
| | a top law school.
|
| college major, and strive for a "good
| |
| | 4. Encourage your child to experience
|
| job."
| |
| | success in any area of her life.
|
| Talk to a stranded midlife career-changer
| |
| | Did she make the honor roll? Get selected
|
| and you realize the game has changed.
| |
| | for a play, a club, or athletic team? Win
|
| Yesterday's rules prepared us to be
| |
| | an election for competitive office?
|
| passengers on a large ocean liner that
| |
| | Survive a strenuous application process
|
| promised a smooth voyage. Today we
| |
| | for a summer job? Once your child has
|
| realize that ocean liner turned out to be
| |
| | tasted success, he will know how it feels
|
| the Titanic and we need to keep ourselves
| |
| | and will act like a winner when he enters
|
| afloat on a small life raft if we want to
| |
| | the job market.
|
| survive.
| |
| | Cecilia, a shy twelve-year-old, blossomed
|
| Here are some tips to help your child
| |
| | when she won the lead in a school play.
|
| learn not only to survive, but to thrive
| |
| | "We want you to improve your grades, not
|
| and grow in a chaotic world.
| |
| | spend time in rehearsal!" fumed her
|
| 1. From the first day of kindergarten,
| |
| | worried mother.
|
| encourage your child to build on
| |
| | To everyone's surprise, Cecilia's grades
|
| strengths rather than focus on
| |
| | improved and she made new friends with
|
| limitations.
| |
| | the "good kids" who were also achievers.
|
| Does she spend hours studying models of
| |
| | Most important, no matter what happens,
|
| cars for the last twenty years? Maybe
| |
| | Cecilia can return to that feeling of
|
| she'll become an auto mechanic -- or
| |
| | success whenever she gets discouraged.
|
| maybe she'll parlay her ability to
| |
| | 5. Getting into a top university -- or
|
| classify detailed information into a
| |
| | any university -- will not guarantee
|
| career as a biologist or pharmacist.
| |
| | success.
|
| 2. Encourage your child to choose a field
| |
| | I've met Ivy Leaguers who have
|
| of study based on his or her natural
| |
| | experienced unemployment, bankruptcy and
|
| abilities and passions, not "what will
| |
| | even homelessness. I've met high school
|
| get me a job."
| |
| | drop outs who flourished on their own
|
| Claudia Kennedy, the Army's first female
| |
| | initiative. In my own small town, a
|
| three-star General, majored in
| |
| | couple with degrees from excellent
|
| philosophy. In her book Generally
| |
| | schools have dropped out to pursue
|
| Speaking, she claims philosophy prepared
| |
| | artistic careers -- and they clean houses
|
| her to become a top-level intelligence
| |
| | to pay the bills. Recently a minimum wage
|
| officer. Carly Fiorino, famed CEO of
| |
| | job was posted by a nonprofit -- and
|
| Hewlett-Packard, studied medieval
| |
| | several unemployed lawyers applied.
|
| history. And Michael Lewis, financial
| |
| | Career-changers who face the future with
|
| writer and best-selling author of Liars
| |
| | an attitude of "I can handle anything"
|
| Poker, was an art history major.
| |
| | are the ones who win today. Tossed into
|
| 3. Assure your children that few mistakes
| |
| | the ocean, they'll improvise a set of
|
| are fatal.
| |
| | oars and keep up their spirits till they
|
| Did your child fail a course? Face
| |
| | figure out what to do next. Those who
|
| rejection from a first-choice college?
| |
| | feel betrayed ("I thought I was set for
|
| Most of us can't avoid an occasional
| |
| | life") flounder around for weeks, months,
|
| failure, but we can learn bounce-back
| |
| | even years.
|
| attitudes as soon as we can talk.
| |
| | Entitlement is over. Those who have a
|
| Yolanda Griffith, WNBA basketball star,
| |
| | positive outlook, who can seize the
|
| dropped out of a premier program due to
| |
| | unexpected opportunity, can count on
|
| pregnancy. She returned to a lower-ranked
| |
| | reaching the shore. And they realize that
|
| college program, baby in tow, and now
| |
| | only they can transform a resting place
|
| plays for the Sacramento Monarchs.
| |
| | into a safe harbor.
|
| I once taught a student who had flunked
| |
| |
|
