Key Messages
There are three key messages that are covered in this book.
Higher Education
The first key message of this book is that every student preparing for the job market of the future will absolutely need some form of higher education and/or training after high school. There are many paths to higher education whether your child’s educational goal is a 9-month certificate in wind energy technology, or a master’s degree in social work.
What “college” Really Means
The second key message of this book is that the word “college” has come to mean many different things. The term “college” includes four-year public and private universities offering bachelor’s and graduate degrees. It also includes community colleges offering two-year degrees and certificates, and career/ technical training schools specializing in short-term training for specific occupations, and even military training programs. For the purposes of this book, we will refer to ALL education after high school as “college.” We are incredibly fortunate to have so many educational choices available in the state of California and in the nation.
One Path Does Not Fit All
The final key message of this book is that one college or career pathway does not fit all students. Your challenge as a parent is to help your child learn about and discover his or her unique self. Our goal is to assist you in helping your child to discover the unique talents, interests, and strengths that will lead him or her to pursue an educational program after high school that fits with his or her interests and strengths. This strategy is the best way to obtain a successful career that will give your child a lifetime of personal and financial fulfillment.
Endorsements
“All parents who want their children to have living-wage careers and longer lives should read this book! This practical guide walks parents through all the aspects of their children’s development and education to assure they have all options for furthering their education once they have graduated from high school. The author explains in simple language how any parent can guide their child on the pathway to college and a satisfying career!”
Donnell Ewert, Shasta County Director of Public Health
This is a hands-on, practical guide that doesn’t confine itself to any one aspect of a child’s successful path, and accounts for all the complexity of that crazy and individual path we all take to adulthood. Of all the things you’ll invest in along the way, this guide is going to give you the greatest return on investment. I highly recommend it and will keep my own dog-eared copy handy for years to come.
Silas Lyons, Editor, Redding Record Searchlight
This book is an excellent resource and guide book! I found that I will be using a lot of this for myself along with my kids! I would definitely recommend this book to all parents! This book covers it all, from building your child’s self-esteem, time management skills, career assessment tools, researching colleges, how to write your personal statements and my personal favorite was the emotional aspects of your child going to college!
Chanonn Malone, Parent of First Generation College Bound students
This book is a MUST READ for parents. I wish I would have had this resource when I returned to school as
an “older” first-generation college student. Without my own college experience I would have been totally lost when my children attended college a few years later. I have always told people that college preparation begins in kindergarten. The author is right on the mark when she discusses the importance of preparing children from the time they begin school. The First-Year College Student chapter is also full of much needed information. I can’t wait until I can purchase this book for each of my children to help prepare them to send their children to college.
Bettina A. Blackwell, Superintendent of Schools, Trinity County Office of Education
This is the bible for preparing for and getting into college! It is a must read for parents, just as What to Expect When You Are Expecting was a must read for parents to be! As an older parent, the process of getting ready and into college is very different from when I experienced it. It is easy to read yet the information is supported by documented research. It not only outlines the steps it takes to get into a four-year university, it also addresses the benefits of a two year certificate program.
Hilly Wallis, Parent/Shasta College Cal Works Work Study
About The Author
Lianne Richelieu-Boren holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Davis, and a Master’s of Science degree in Career Counseling from California State University, Sacramento. She has worked for the University of California, Davis, in the field of educational equity and access for over 28 years. Ms. Richelieu-Boren has devoted her career to working with first- generation college bound students via the federal Trio programs of Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search and Gear Up. In 2003, she became the founding Executive Director of the College OPTIONS Program, an educational outreach center serving thousands of students and families located in far Northern California. Ms. Richelieu- Boren currently serves as the Director for the College Opportunity Programs Department under the division of Student Affairs at UC Davis. She works and lives with her family in Redding, California.