Blue Collar and Proud of It!

[Sally_Rubenstone]

<p>

Its one thing if you decide after attending college, that you want to do something that doesn’t require a diploma, or if you would rather apprentice to a trade, then write college essays, but it is another if that door is shut to you, because you weren’t on the " college track" and it was never discussed as if it was even an option.</p>

<p>Nothing like having the door slammed in your face before you even head up the stairs.

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<p>I absolutely agree. I certainly do encounter kids who have been brought up to believe–for a number of reasons–that they are not “college material,” and they realize that the college door has indeed been slammed at an early age.</p>

<p>But here on CC–and in my work beyond CC as well–I also find parents who insist on pushing their children in a direction that meets their own agenda rather than listening to what that child really wants … and needs. I even worked with one mother who sought therapy when she realized that Child #2 would not be admitted to an Ivy-caliber college as her eldest child had been. At least this mom had the self-awareness to seek help and to understand that the problem was really her own and not her daughter’s!</p>