[Marilyn]

Gayle, thank you for the encouragement!! At this point, we need it. It took me almost 5 years to get my engineering degree not including the two years I dropped out. Majored in biology for two years, dropped out for 2 years, returned with a vingence to get the engineering and finally made it. Graduated from high school in '72, graduated from college Dec '78.

I think Melissa will get her nursing with about the same amount of schooling that I had, maybe a little more. Our other daughter is approaching the point of being a career student. She seems very committed to what she is doing now, and we have told her that this is it. We will help her get her engineering degree, but if she changes majors again, she is totally on her own.

I've spoken with so many parents these days who are having the same problem. So many of our young people don't know what they want to do, and I think they just don't have a vision of their goal. They have no motivation. It's harder to define careers today with all the technology. Choices in the past were more clear, fireman, policeman, nurse, teacher, engineer, doctor. Technology and our developing society have blurred the lines, and added so many other options. It's difficult for them to decide. Also, many of them want to do something that will make money and make a difference, but just don't know what that is. Our society is moving more and more to vaguely defined desk jobs.

Not as many are getting married as in the past, or staying married, so their life goals are not the same as in the past. House, family, a dog, two cars in the garage isn't appealing anymore to many of our youth. Most of the people I work with that are in their 30's and 40's don't live like that anymore. They are hopping from girlfriend or boyfriend or wife or husband to the the next, and having children with some of them along the way. Their lives are sooo complicated.

Most of my generation is trying to raise up solid stable citizens with solid stable jobs and families, but sometimes you feel like it's a moving target.

I'll get off the soapbox now. This is a forum, not a blog.