IALA

Choices for the High School Graduate: A Survival Guide for the Information Age by Bryna Fireside, 4th Edition, New York: Checkmark Books of Facts on File, Inc., 2005. Reviewed by Dave Lehman.

“College ready” is the mantra of high school reform. And clearly that is a laudable goal. We all want all of our young people, not only to graduate from high school, but to have the opportunity to go to college, and educators should make it a priority to prepare these students to have not only the academic skills, but self-confidence and personal motivation to seek a higher education. So, yes, a college education is a worthwhile and beneficial endeavor, but it is not always the right path for every high school graduate. Many high school graduates do not feel ready for college, or do not want to embark on another four years of studying right away, or don’t what they really want to do, or with the increasing costs of higher education, will need to earn money for college immediately after high school, or may not want to be saddled with payments on a heavy college loan. Choices for the High School Graduate, Fourth Edition discusses a wide range of options available to students looking for an alternative to college upon high school graduation – travel, overseas, military service, special academic programs, apprenticeships, internships, volunteer work, online and distance learning, deferred admission, part-time work, trades – is but a partial list of what is available in this excellent resource, which is based extensively on interviews with young people, college administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, parent/caregivers, demographers, and career specialists.

In the Introduction to the fully updated and revised Fourth Edition of what was originally titled, Choices: A Student Survival Guide for the 1990s published in 1989, the author - who has taught in Chicago, Baltimore, and New York City, is the parent of three high school and college graduates, each of whom chose vastly different career paths, and author of several middle grade and young adult books as well as articles for The New York Times and Seventeen – speaks particularly to high school juniors and seniors (and their parent/caregivers) , stating:
“The truth is, there is no one right way to grow up. And there is no way anyone can predict what the future holds for you….You are lucky to be on the cutting edge of the most exciting century ever. But you have to be prepared to try more things and take more risks than others who have come before you.”

Beginning with chapters aimed at helping students think about who they are and what they want to do after high school, there is a two-part “Self-Assessment” aimed at both “general academic skills” and “personal and interpersonal attitudes and qualities” with a closing on “analyzing your answers,” as well as a section resume writing. This handy Guide includes other chapters on such topics as: “Stopping Out: Is It Right for You?,” “No More Pencils, No More Books: Work After School, or All That Glitters Is Hard to Get,” “Internships and Other Adventures: Unusual Opportunities, Unique Experiences,” “Can I Become a Real Man or Woman by Joining the Military?,” “What If College Isn’t for Me? The Uncollege Option,” with help for those planning to go directly to college after high school graduation, including how to read college guidebooks and catalogs and guidelines for college transferring, an increasingly common practice. There are such practical tools as a copy of the actual enlistment/reenlistment form required by the U.S. Armed Forces.

Then, too, there’s the chapter entitled: “Am I Having Fun Yet? Nuts and Bolts of Making the Most of Your Time Out,” with numerous ideas on “how to rent an apartment and choose housemates,” “a word about using credit cards,” “putting money aside,” “tips on banking,” as well as practical suggestions on how to make a budget, including dealing with health insurance, housing, and transportation, etc. But, what makes this a particularly useful Guide is that for every Chapter, every section of a chapter, there are mini-case studies with interviews of students involved. For example:
“I was relieved [to be finished with high school],” said SF, “and I wanted a break and wanted to learn more about the world…So during the last semester of high school, I started to do some volunteer work with Earthwatch.” After her first Earthwatch experience in the Bahamas, she was offered an unpaid staff position helping with photography, and earned the science credit she needed to graduate from high school. By the time she had competed her third Earthwatch experience SF took a job in a local coffee-shop, got an apartment, learned that it wasn’t easy to support herself, and she clearly wasn’t able to save any money for travel. After a year SF decided she still wanted to travel, to go back to school, and to learn a trade she could take with her. She enrolled in an area Massage school, graduated at the age of 19, and got her license to practice massage. After working in a local spa for awhile she was still wanting to travel and said: “I didn’t want to sit in a classroom and have a professor telling me what was happening. I felt I needed to go and see this and learn this for myself.” With a little library research, SF discovered the Friends World Program where she could travel and earn an undergraduate degree at the same time. This mini-case study ends with contact information on the Massage school and Friends World Program at Long Island University.

Choices for the High School Graduate ends with a “Final Note – For Parents Only” and begins by stating: “This is the only section in the book not directed to students. Instead it is an open letter to your parents.” And then ends with the following: “I hope this modest book will help your son or daughter make some important decisions about his or her future – and that you will find it within yourselves to support his or her choices.” The book does just that; it helps not only young people looking to learn not only about how to approach college after high school, but what other options there might be and how to access them. A must read for any high school student and his or her parent/caregivers.