I'm no longer worried about college

[tracilicious]

Starting college myself has cured me of worrying about whether my unschooled kids will be ok in college. I used to worry a bit about whether they would be ok in such a structured environment, what they would do for careers, etc. Dh and I are doing just fine however, he's a professional that will one day transition solely to independent web design, and I've had many jobs that paid poorly but I learned a lot from. Neither of us finished our first year of college.

My grand re-entry to formal education this week has me hoping that they don't decide to go to college right at 18 years old. I hope they travel and explore and have a whole bunch of jobs before committing to a formal education. The tedium of the classes is mind numbing. I'd hate for a fresh young spirit to have to endure that unless they are really set on beginning a career in their early 20's. The past eight years I've deliberately avoided environments that are as structured as college is, and though I might die of boredom, I'm certain that I can finish.

If only I could unschool my way to a masters...

[Butter]

My husband would very much agree with you. He went back to college at almost 30 year before last. He's also found it's not as tough as he thought it was right out of high school and his 10 years of experience between graduation and going back have been helpful.

[SandyBeachBums]

I'm 30 and I went back last year. I'm really enjoying it. It is so much easier then when I was fresh out of High School. I didn't have the life experiences to understand anything yet.

I think I'm going to slow down a bit though. I don't really want a job

[rumi]

The tedium of the classes is mind numbing.

i know .... but i figure now more and more hs kids are going to college and by the time mine's ready things may have improved ...
a

[applejuice]

If your children do not go to college, there is plenty of demand for tradesmen as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tile layers, landscapers, et cetera, so do not dispair if college is not their thing. Being a travel agent, bookkeeper, or real estate agent does not require a degree either, but these are satisfying ways to make a living.

Furthermore, if you are in college now, you probably see plenty of people who do not belong there; some high school counselor or parent pushed them into a situation they are not suited for. At least your children will have more of a sense of themselves and know what they want.

[JWSJ]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

I used to worry a bit about whether they would be ok in such a structured environment, what they would do for careers, etc.

My wife and I are complete opposites when it comes to education. She has two Bachelors degrees and is pursuing certifications related to her career. She learns in the classroom. She doesn't self teach well.

I finished high school and had 2 years of college when I gave up due to boredom. I am self taught for my career and tend to learn best hands on. Now I'm back in college pursuing a degree unrelated to my career. I'm again seeing the expectation that students (and profs) expect college to pour knowledge into them. Any type of self education or guidance is lacking. I don't see college teaching independence, responsibility, or how to be creative - things that I value because they have been successful traits to me.

Although I think a college education is good to have listed on your resume I have a hard time recommending it to my children. At 18 years old I would be dismayed if my kids told me they wanted to spend 4 years in such a structured, dependent environment. Hardly seems like an education at all. But it seems this is what the world is promoting and requiring.

What can you learn in college that a motivated self learner can't teach themselves?

[rumi]

At 18 years old I would be dismayed if my kids told me they wanted to spend 4 years in such a structured, dependent environment. Hardly seems like an education at all. But it seems this is what the world is promoting and requiring.

What can you learn in college that a motivated self learner can't teach themselves?

I honestly wonder the same ... I ask myself why I am so committed to unschooling but not questioning the idea of going to college ... even to the point of seeking "college readiness" as a goal or a measure of unschooling success. I do think colleges will be different in 10-15 years, probably even MORE career oriented and such, which I can understand given that they are so expensive. I had a very good scholarship and felt no pressure to pursue career oriented courses, and was able to benefit a lot from the academic community environment, the library, labs, guest lectures, etc. I think it is hard to replicate all that in the unstructured world at large and college was a kind of paradise with all these facilities in one place.

However if fees continue to be so high I think a lot of children may wonder if there aren't more sensible ways to learn these things or more interesting / useful things to learn in that amount of time, and probably for much less money... albeit without any degree at the end.

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by JWSJ

What can you learn in college that a motivated self learner can't teach themselves?

For me, there are some higher level classes taught by some really awesome teachers that I'm excited to take. I think that I'll really benefit from these classes as a writer. The problem is having to wade through all the lower level classes to get there.

My english teacher told us on the first day that he dropped half his students for violating the absence policy. (You can only miss two classes.) If the policy doesn't work for half the people, why keep it?! It's ridiculous to me.

[Linda on the move]

My upper division classes and grad classes were super. I'm hoping that my kids can test out of a lot of the lower stuff, or just boggy through some things with online classes.

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

My upper division classes and grad classes were super. I'm hoping that my kids can test out of a lot of the lower stuff, or just boggy through some things with online classes.

The community college I'm going to won't allow you to test out of classes, unfortunately. The online thing would have been great, but I'm need to take two years of Japanese, and I wasn't sure if I could learn that completely on my own (as I actually do want to speak it). I may still change English to an online course. In retrospect, if I had it to do all over again, I would have waited to do Japanese for another year and done all online this year, but I've already paid $130 for the book, so I'm kind of stuck with it.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

I'm need to take two years of Japanese, and I wasn't sure if I could learn that completely on my own (as I actually do want to speak it).

I think that you really need to interact with other people to learn a language.

but I've already paid $130 for the book, so I'm kind of stuck with it.

school is expensive and they sometime change the book at the end of the semester. Keep it up and finish what you have started and paid for!!!!! The semester will be over before you know it.

[2 in August]

Originally Posted by applejuice

If your children do not go to college, there is plenty of demand for tradesmen as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tile layers, landscapers, et cetera, so do not dispair if college is not their thing. Being a travel agent, bookkeeper, or real estate agent does not require a degree either, but these are satisfying ways to make a living.

Furthermore, if you are in college now, you probably see plenty of people who do not belong there; some high school counselor or parent pushed them into a situation they are not suited for. At least your children will have more of a sense of themselves and know what they want.

Yes!! I went to college straight out of high school, got a "good" job, got married had kid #1 and quit. Now I'm a sahm and hsing my kids. My brother dropped out of college, hated high school. Got various jobs that worked him up to a mechanic's job on an Indy 500 style team. Now he runs his own fabrication and design studio. My dh went back to school when he met me because he didn't want to be "uneducated". By the time he finished his degree he was completely burnt out and has not worked a day in his chosen career since he left his internship and is doing something completely different. I think college is great for some people, but it isn't nearly as mandatory as everyone thinks it is.

[applejuice]

Thank you!