1. -1AmandaKitchen
Week 2, Assignment 3
I am totally feeling the late twenty blues - I'm 27 and don't see a clear path as to
where I am going. I want to know that I will create meaningful change in my lifetime and
am not sure how to proceed. I have worked many short contracts that are social justice
related and have had some work that I simply needed to pay the bills. I want so much to
be able to make a big difference in this crazy unjust world we live in. I have traveled a
fair bit and so I don't feel a good sense of community. I am not currently dating anyone
although tangled up in some ex relationships and probably at the beginning of some
budding disasters... AGGGGGGGG I don't know if I should pick up a contract abroad
again (probably volunteer) as paid ones are hard to come by or if I should build a
community that would help me feel more at home ... anyone else feel like this?(Karen, T.
2008)
This type of story is not what most of us envision after college either for ourselves
or for our children. According to the plan shoved down the throats of our youth by well
meaning guidance counselors, teachers, parents, pastors, and more; life equals high
school then college, then academic success. However society is shifting, especially in
today’s economy, and we as social policy planners, leaders, and educators have a
responsibility to guide our adolescents down the path of achievement in a rapidly
changing world. One of the biggest problems in my opinion is the transition from
secondary education to career life. Many students spend so much time completely

2. consumed by the college life style that they feel completely lost in the real world. There
are some alternative schools of thought that believe in preparing students simultaneously
for real life and professional life. They also give students the option to pursue careers that
are more practical. Not every person is looking to become a doctor, lawyer, or literary
critic. During the twentieth century, secondary education was responsible for introducing
many new practical and vocational subjects. In the second half of the century, courses in
driver education, family living, consumer economics, and mathematics for everyday life
appeared for the first time. As students with a greater range of abilities, interests, and
motivation entered the secondary level, "streaming" and “homogeneous grouping"
became more prevalent. Academic secondary schools became more comprehensive and
diversified. Courses and even course sequences in such vocational areas as graphic
design, hair care and styling, automotive repair, carpentry and machine shop, and home
economics began to appear.(Holsinger, D.B. 2009)
I encourage everyone reading this report to help students seek out all options for
their future. Be open to the possibility that they may refuse college life or the career path
you would have chose for them. For some students who seem to focused on their studies
or overwhelmed by the road ahead, suggest they get involved in community activities that
will give them real world experience. Two members of Lafayette’s Alternative School
recently returned from a national conference in San Francisco where they met with
student leaders from around the country to discuss HIV/AIDS in the United States. At the
conference, Gaeta and Mishik worked with nonprofit organizations such as the San
Francisco AIDS Foundation, Project Open Hand, San Francisco Food Bank, and Richard

3. Cohen House. They packaged clean needles for distribution to drug users, prepared
nutritious meals for HIV/AIDS sufferers, and cleaned Richard Cohen House, which takes
in those with HIV/AIDS who are homeless and suffer from mental illness. “I went on an
Alternative School Break trip in my sophomore year, and I had such a great experience I
wanted to become more involved,” says Gaeta, a double major in international affairs and
French. “[It] is a unique organization because it provides students with a tangible
opportunity to create direct change in their national and international communities.
Connecting to social issues through service has been one of the most powerful
experiences I have been part of at Lafayette.”(Lafayette College, 2006)
These unique experiences give students a chance to get in touch with the reality of
the world of the world around them. Together we can encourage the youth of today to
become a successful part of a productive society. This country needs encouragement, and
that comes in the form of support from all of us. Let us let go of the laments of today’s
young adults. Instead of wishing for what is no longer a reality, lets embrace modern
ideals. Our children our looking for cues to guide them in the ways of the world. Let us
meet them head on.

4. REFERENCES
Holsinger, D.B., 2009. Secondary Education: International Issues. Answers.com
Karen, T. 2008. Post College Depression Revisited. The Turbulent Twenties.com
Lafayette College, 2006. Student Gain An Alternative Perspective On HIV. Student
Activities. Layfayette.com.