Home » Education & Career » Homeschool » Getting Ready for College

Getting Ready for College

© Joan Archer

Most homeschooled children are headed into one of three general directions after their years of home schooling are finished; either directly into the world of work, into a vocational school or apprenticeship, or into a university or college. Given the inherent creativity involved in home educating in the first place, of course the variations of these themes is infinite.

As responsible parents, we have seen to it that our children, no matter what direction they seem headed in, have had an excellent basic education. They are competent in math, spelling, communication, self-care, and are able to "find out how" if they "don't know". This is the best possible begining. From there, we try to help our child identify their talents, and learn how to make a living out of these talents, and how to use their talents for the betterment of others, not simply themselves. They are ready to go out into the world.

Many homeschooled students are able to find work during their high school years, because their schedules allow them to work hours that other children their ages are not. They can work days, for example, and study at night. The parent must still be a "watch dog" and make sure the employer follows local and federal regulations related to hours and conditions of employment, while allowing their child to gain valuable working skills independently of the home. This type of situation can work wonders for a student, because they can gain valuable insights into the work they want to do, and have experience in the field. Some will have to go on to higher education after this, and some will be started upon their career path early on.

Vocational schools can also be a viable option, usually reqiring the student to have a G.E.D. upon admittance. They tend to focus on one aspect of a profession, say, Information Processing or Computer Programming, without the added burden of classes such as psycology, English, mathematics, etc. such as you would find in a community or other college or university. For too many students, this seems like an easy way out, and they enroll in these schools only to find that they are very expensive, and employers want students who have the well-rounded education offered by the two-and-four-year schools instead. The best use of these types of schools are if you are a person already involved in the field, and you have discussed it with your employer first, to see if you could advance farther in your field by attending one of these schools. And then see if your employer would pay for it.

The copyright of the article Getting Ready for College in Homeschool is owned by Joan Archer. Permission to republish Getting Ready for College in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.