After-high school plans for my two-week old

If it’s true that a baby’s education level will match that of his or her mother’s at the time of birth, then that means my child will earn a bachelor’s degree.

The statistic is true for my brother and me. My mother had her bachelor’s when we were born and later obtained her masters. But my dad had his bachelor’s too. We were just old enough to answer when our parents began asking: so, where you going to college? The answer was almost always, Notre Dame, a take off my father’s favorite football team. We were bred for four-year universities the way some children are raised to farm or take over the family business. Trade school, beauty school and working after high school weren’t options we ever considered.

So what about my baby?

I have my bachelor’s but the twist is, his father has a two-year technical degree. Does that make a difference?

I don’t have the same affinity for the Fighting Irish as my father, so I’m not sure the four-year college destination is as apparent for baby’s future.

I’m not concerned.

If baby prefers working with his hands and has a mechanical mind like his father, then great, a two-year vocational degree is the way to go. My husband earns more money than I do AND his tuition is paid.

My student loan payments will continue until my own child goes to college.

I’d hate for baby to miss out on the college experience though. Mine was totally traditional: lived in the dorms, joined a sorority, worked on campus, studied abroad, loved it. Nine months of tuition, room and board cost me about what I earn a year as a journalist, but the experience I had and friends I made convince me it was worth it. Most days :)

So what about your kids? Do you push them towards a certain career field or even education level? Do children determine education level based on skill, interest and academic aptitude or is it based more on the education level obtained by their parents? What do you think?