That said, I do think conventional instructional schools do work for some kids and their families. If there were more options for all the other kids, and they did not have to be in conventional schools against their better judgment, then those teachers and kids that were okay in the conventional environment would have a classroom much less affected by all that negative energy. Check out my initial “Many Paths” post at http://www.leftyparent.com/blog/2009/01/11/an-argument-for-many-paths/#more-191.

From a schooling perspective, the only path laid out clearly ahead of us was: apply for whatever job you can get with your skill level — not your actual skill level, but your skill level as defined by others, based upon how much formal education you’ve completed. Just as we were expected to rely on our teachers to tell us what and how to learn, we are expected to rely on other people to tell us what we can do for a living and what salary we deserve.

But just as there are other paths — a path of creativity and intrinsic motivation — in learning, there are other paths to livelihood as well. The creativity and intrinsic motivation you develop from unschooling serves well when you’re looking to find a job, or God forbid, decide to bypass all of that and create your own job!

That’s what I’ve done. Now, my partner, who never graduated from university, is turning down resumes from Princeton graduates and PhDs. We started our business essentially over the course of a weekend, and just kept learning, stayed curious, figured out what works through trial and error. That’s something that’s much easier to learn, I think, as an unschooler than as someone passively going through school and relying on someone else to determine their future. Then you learn to develop income streams through your interests and… in the end, I think it’s a lot more likely you’ll be stuck at a minimum wage job you don’t like if you passively go through school like everyone else.

It really doesn’t take much — it’s not as hard as you might think. I could start any kind of business! People told me that if I wanted to do computer programming I’d have to get a degree, but most people could care less what kind of education you have. If you start a business that looks respectable and has done some good work for people, nobody is going to even think about your formal qualifications. No one has ever asked us to produce a resume. People are going to just assume you’re qualified. When I went to work for others, sure, people wanted to know my qualifications — but when I built my own business, our website and testimonials speak for themselves.

That’s the kind of thing that can be learned so easily as an unschooler and it’s why I have absolutely no fears about my children, when I have them, being stuck in minimum wage jobs. If you’re curious and motivated, there’s nothing to worry about. I’d worry about them if they stayed stuck in school and lost their own initiative!

People get beaten down trying to fit into regular schools, and also trying to fit into regular jobs. Neither is necessary! Having done this myself, I start to highly doubt the oft-quoted statistic that 90% of businesses fail. If you just keep trying and learning and don’t do anything really stupid, as long as there’s not a huge initial investment requirement, and as long as you’re providing a service that’s actually needed, I think some degree of success is almost inevitable.