<p>What do you do when your son or daughter suddenly decides they don't need to go to college?</p>
<p>Her plan: graduate a semester early, go to a two week course to become a tattoo artist, and start working. If she doesn't like it, she can always go to college later.</p>
<p>My goal: finish high school after a full four years and go to college for a bachelor's degree. Her choice of school and major. I am trying to convince her that it will be a lot easier to go to college right after high school and a college degree will be useful no matter what she decides to do in life.</p>
<p>Any suggestions on how to convince her? Or do I just sit back and let her try her way while realizing it may limit her options later?</p>
<p>As a high schooler I can say that there were a lot of people Fresh-Soph-Junior year who had no plans to go to college, but now in their senior year as college is on most people's minds, they have changed theirs.</p>
<p>She is a HS junior. She has been taking college prep classes all along, although GPA/class rank are not where we'd like them to be. She has repeatedly refused to join any ECs. She recently took the ACT for the first time, and did okay, but not great. She was pretty disappointed in her score, but it was actually high enough to get her an automatic admission to every public university in our state. However, Dad and I are willing to pay for her to go out of state if she likes those schools better.</p>
<p>She also has a boyfriend that has no possibility of college, academically or financially.</p>
<p>The first time this tattoo thing came up six months ago, I didn't really worry about it since she said she would go to college first. But now her attitude is "why bother?"</p>
<p>Can you throw money at the problem? Give her a list of 100 things to do for a Gap Year--including aborad programs all over the world. Leave Tattoo artistry off the list. ;)</p>
<p>So, from the little bit that you have written can we conclude that the real problem is... boyfriend? </p>
<p>You have my sympathies. The only thing I can think of that might resolve the conflict rather than escalate it is to propose a compromise. If it only takes a 2 week course to become a tatoo artist why not suggest she apply to colleges, finish hs with the rest of her class and let her take the 2 week course after graduation. She can try being a tatoo artist during the summer. If she loves it, she can keep at it and maybe defer an admission or 2 just to keep that option open. If she hates it she can still go to college in the fall.</p>
<p>I love NJres plan b/c it keeps all her options open. Yes, apply and defer, become a tattoo artist, get sick of boyfriend and go of to college with one year of of real life experience. Or be a tattoo artist and still get sick of the boyfriend.</p>
<p>Why not go the tattoo route, and then go to college when she has a reason to go? (The average age of a U.S. undergraduate is 24.5 years old - she'll be in good company.)</p>
<p>Where's the rush? (Good tattoo artists make much more money in my town than many college grads.) </p>
<p>Motivation is second most important key to success (after inherited wealth), and we all know it.</p>
<p>Wow - do we have the same daughter??? Minus the boyfriend I've been through the same thing.
Have her do more research on the 2 week tattoo course. From what we learned it usually takes years of apprenticeship to become a successfull tattoo artist. My daughter actually gave up the idea a year ago and is now ready to go to college. Of course she still has her mind-set that at 18 she will be getting tattooed.
We also went the route of saying we would pay for OOS if that was what it took to get her excited about college and it seems to have worked. She has a list of schools we will be visiting soon that she felt would be a good fit for her and not in our home state.
Good luck..</p>
<p>Maybe, deep down, she knows she's not ready to go to college yet.</p>
<p>Either way, it's probably not a good idea to <em>make</em> her go to college. Plus, the more you push her, the more likely she'll love the idea of tattoo artist. Personally, I would say, "OK, sounds good. Let me know if you change your mind. If not, I've always wanted a cool dragon above my butt..." (That right there might push her to college!)</p>
<p>I went to college right after high school. Worst thing I could have done. i wasn't ready, maturity-wise, and bombed completely. A few years later, after working and supporting myself, I grew up and decided I wasn't getting anywhere. I went back to school, did very well, and am now looking at grad school.</p>
<p>Waiting isn't the worst thing - even waiting while working in a tattoo parlor ;)</p>
<p>Side note - I wonder how laserbrother would react if his D told him this? LOL</p>
<p>Tattoo artists can make a lot of money!!! $50,000 is not uncommon (depending on location)once you are up, known, and running a shop. No, I am not kidding!</p>
<p>I think you might be looking at this the wrong way. You can't just tell your daughter, "You should want to go to college" and have her magically see that perhaps you're right. If you force or pressure her into going to college immediately after high school, I doubt that she'd have the motivation to do as well as she could. But if she gets the opportunity to see what life without a college degree is like for a year or two, perchance she'd reconsider, enter college, and try hard. </p>
<p>At any rate, if the tattoo program is reputable and she's talented and passionate about it, she might even do very well as a tattoo artist and be happy with that career choice, even if it doesn't rake in hundreds of thousands a year. Is it necessarily wrong for her to persue a non-traditional career, as long as it doesn't preclude the possibility of college in the future?
While you might have different goals and priorities than she does, she is (presumably) an adult and it's her life. Even if the tattoo artist dream is just a stage, better a year or two used to explore that option than a lifetime wondering "what if?"</p>
<p>As long as she doesn't want to become tattoo art. </p>
<p>It is true that tattoo artists make a lot of money (sometimes) but they also spend their days causing pain by using a machine on someone's skin. Has she ever watched a tattoo artist at work?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Let me know if you change your mind. If not, I've always wanted a cool dragon above my butt..." (That right there might push her to college!)
[/quote]
Oh God, I almost choked! I think this might work. </p>
<p>AdvMom, you have my sympathies. Has d looked into the risk of contracting diseases spread through blood-borne pathogens? I'd imagine tatoo artists are at risk....</p>
<p>Also, she might be imagining a steady stream of buff, trendy young clients. Remind her that clients come in all shapes & sizes (& smells) and might be requesting tatoos in some very unorthodox places.</p>
<p>"It is true that tattoo artists make a lot of money (sometimes) but they also spend their days causing pain by using a machine on someone's skin. Has she ever watched a tattoo artist at work?"</p>
<p>Playing devil's advocate here: She could be a tattoo artist and help pay her way through college! ;) Then we'll start a thread about our kids coming home for the holidays w/tattoos...</p>
<p>Sounds like there might be a conflict here between her abilities/goals vs. the boyfriend's. On the other hand, making a big deal out of it might drive her further into his arms...</p>
<p>OK here's a multimillion dollar idea I freely donate to the general public. For those who don't realize it tatoos are increasingly popular with upper middle class and wealthy people. I know many physicians who have tatoos. If you do market research you will find the reason many people don't get a tatoo or if they have one don't get another is that tatoo parlors are in bad neighborhoods and often run by seedy looking characters.
My idea is to open up a nationwide chain of upscale tatoo parlors. Locate in high end malls. All workers wear starched white clothing and cleanliness is put at a premium. Temporary henna tatoos let you "try before you buy".
And since we are on CC, we open parlors at all the major universities and call the stores "Tatoo U". Now all I need is a venture capitalist!</p>
<p>Has she considered an art school? (If you are going to do tattoo, might as well do it well!) </p>
<p>"AdvMom, you have my sympathies. Has d looked into the risk of contracting diseases spread through blood-borne pathogens? I'd imagine tatoo artists are at risk...."</p>
<p>I used to work for a state board of health that regulated them. As of six years ago, there wasn't a single known and authenticated case from a licensed tattoo parlor anywhere in the United States. There might be now, but certainly not very many (and many, many fewer than among dentists.)</p>
<p>As for unregulated ones, probably about the same as for unregulated dentists. ;)</p>
<p>"And since we are on CC, we open parlors at all the major universities and call the stores "Tatoo U". Now all I need is a venture capitalist!"</p>
<p>Training could be offered by the University of Phoenix.</p>
<p>Achhhh... she's still a junior. Tell her, "That's nice, honey," and let her keep dreaming. If she is still interested next fall, keep saying "That's nice, honey, but l want you to go ahead and apply to colleges, even if you do decide to take the tatooing course. I want you to have options available to you in case you change your mind or decide to do both things" Let her know that you support her decisions, but that you want her to keep her mind open to many possibilities. The worse case? She gets accepted to some Universities and decides to defer a year, or decides not to attend. :)</p>
<p>I really had no problem with my daughter becoming a tattoo artist - she decided on her own that it was just going to be too difficult to achieve based on her research and talking with local tattoo artists. She knew that there were some courses offered but did not know of anyone that actually was able to get a job or open a business with that limited training.</p>
<p>Now - if you have found a successfull two week program that can actually provide a reasonable expectation of career success - please let me know . I could save a ton of money not paying college tuition!!! LOL</p>