Pick a Major, any Major

Abe is my lovable hulk of a son.  He's also PDD, ADHD, NVLD, etc.  And the plan is for him to (hopefully) graduate from High School next June and then attend college one year from now. What college? Neither of us have a clue (although, of course Mom has started doing some research on places).

But before he (we, me) picks a school, there is something very important that Abe, and only Abe, needs to decide.  That would be the type of studies that he wants to concentrate on.  In other words, a major.  Now, he doesn't have to specify a major, but he really needs to think about what sort of work he wants to be doing eventually.  Actually, I already have the answer.  Abe would love to have someone pay him to play video games all day.  And amazingly enough, I've actually heard of a job like that- but I think that it started with a computer science degree or some game writing degree.  If anyone knows anything about it, let me know!!!

But the problem is that while Abe really likes math and science classes, he is not eager to translate that into an idea for the future.  College is a pretty scary thought to him; more so than neurotypical kids.  The residential school that he is at is the first school, EVER, to give him a significant amount of homework and make him do it.  He did have homework at his other schools, but it became too much of a power struggle to get him to do it.  Now, that is someone else's problem- not mine!  He hates the HW, and I don't think that he totally finishes it, but he's making a good effort (I believe).

The first step for most kids on the road to college is taking one of the standardized college tests.  It's not necessary to do this for many schools for kids who have been on IEPs, but his school is having the kids take the SAT.  They are all going to take it together at school, with accomodations.  The test will be given over 2 days and with lots of breaks.  Abe actually does pretty well on standardized tests.  The only part that I'm worried about is the essay section.  Well, we'll see.

Now if only the kid would think about what he really wants to study!

Comments

[Owlfan]

My 12 yo son would also like a job playing video games all day! He also thinks maybe writing games all day would be fun too. We'll see - he still has 5 years to apply to college. A lot can change in that time. But I have seen colleges with video game design majors.

[cursingmama]

The essay section of the SAT gives me hives thinking about it. Although we aren't facing the same kind of challenges you are we have been keeping an eye on potential career paths and it looks like a vocational education is the perfect fit - a lot of hands on coursework - almost no homework - and a career in the end that will pay bills and offer a nice future.

[Nina Rubin]

GA Tech actually has majors in game development. They are very tight with Turner Broadcasting which also has real paying jobs for game developers. When I go for coffee over on the west side of Atlanta, near Tech, I often see young people working on their gaming projects...it's really amazing that this is an industry that is now buttressed by academic and commercial supports.

[suburbancorrespondent]

Sometimes having them take a gap year and work full-time gives them the much needed incentive to perform well in college. Or, he could do as Mary Alice's son (she blogs at From the Frontlines) did and join the Coast Guard for a few years before doing college - decent pay, new experiences, lots of discipline (which is needed by most 18-year-old boys) - it's working out well for him so far.

My son seems to be a motivated student and has a plan, so he will be going to college next year. But I would prefer he got some real-life experience first.

[Sylvia]

"He did have homework at his other schools, but it became too much of a power struggle to get him to do it. Now, that is someone else's problem- not mine! "

This is why I hate homework! If you make it the responsibility of the teacher to enforce, the amount stays realistic and the kids keep on track. One of the brilliant side-effects of my son going to boarding school was the cessation of the evening homework wars.