[DeltAlum]

Ohmy...is right.

Only some of these are my thoughts and some that I've heard in the past.

A lot (most?) new high school graduates come into college or the work force with little or no direction and few skills at living outside their immediate family.

A year or two of compulsory service could add some maturity and experience to the decisions they make which will shape the rest of their lives. And I think that most graduates will tell you that they learn more in the first three to six months after graduation than they did during their entire college career.

Back in the mid 60's, my favorite English Prof said that all (our system of) college is good for is to keep us off the job market for a few years. He felt strongly that a couple (2 to 4, he said) years in the military (or Peace Corps, etc.) would give a young adult the opportunity to gain living skills and have a better idea of future career, etc. In those years a person should have time to learn time managment, visit some new places, have to fend for him/herself and would come to college with a much better understanding of him/herself and what he/she want to do in life.

That wasn't a real popular stance in the middle of the Vietnam era, and I'm not totally sold on it -- but when you look at the number of college students who haven't decided on their major or change majors in the middle of their college career (40 to 60% depending on the university) would seem to add some credence to his argument.

Having reported the above and risking sounding like a total hypocrite, as the father of a 17 year old high school senior, I don't know how I really feel about this topic.

Sorry,