Are You Putting Your SQUARE Kid into a ROUND Future?

"My Sophomore year in college I told my roommate, what I've always wanted to do is cut hair. But instead of quitting college, I went on to graduate with a double major in education and psychology.

THEN I decided to do what I love, and I went to cosmetology school. Now I'm $125,000 in debt but I'm doing what I love!

I just wish I would have trusted myself and had the guts to talk to my Mom before I went to college."

I hear stories like Kaylee's all the time. Kids are going to a four-year college for all the wrong reasons. They are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole as we say.

How can we help our kids find the perfectly shaped hole for them to fit into?

When students are asked why they want to go to college they often say things like:

I want to go to college because:

I want a good job

I want to make a lot of money

It's the next thing on the list

My friends are going

I don't want to let my parents down

It is what I'm supposed to do

When you hear these types of answers from your own kid, it's time to dig deeper.

None of the common answers above are going to bring your child happiness. They are answers we've (teachers, counselors, society, relatives and us as parents) have programmed them to think.

So how can you help your child REALLY THINK ABOUT why they want to go to college?

There are some fundamental questions you need to ask your kid before you ship them off to a traditional four-year college.

What are you trying to achieve?

What career path are you working towards?

What problem are you trying to solve?

What kind of a career will make you happy?

Do you need college or some other education to get to that outcome?

They are tough questions to answer!

Getting the conversation started is the first step. Making it ok to explore and imagine and try out new ideas, whether that includes college or not, is the way to find out what is right for your kiddo.

The main objective is to set your child up for success.

A four-year degree is not the only path to success and sometimes it is the round hole for your square kid.

Had Kaylee and her mom had these conversations while in high school, she would have known that she didn't need to go to a traditional four-year college. She would have saved time, money and a lot of frustration to reach her goal of being a hairdresser.

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