Choosing Careers Early

Last week I asked a friend’s 12-year-old daughter about her summer plans. There’s a language class trip to Spain, circus camp, a few science club outings, volunteering for an NGO, soccer team, softball practice and thinking about college prep exams. "College prep? You’re twelve!" I said.

Apparently even tweens are sweating about the competitive college market, and honing in on what they wan to do when they grow up. A number of high schools are responding to the collective anxiety. Seven states now require public high school students to choose a career path, some when they are still freshmen, to secure their place on the path to college. That means setting career goals while many are still wearing braces and pimple cream.

Alison Lobron is contributor to the Boston Globe magazine. Her article "Hurry Up, Grow Up," looked at the new schools in depth, and she joins Word of Mouth about this trend of "professionalizing adolescence," and what happened to the care-free days of adolescence when one thought everything would be possible.

(Photo by Irish Typepad)