After High School: An Alternative Route

By Joanne Ludwig

Eric Ludwig has not followed the traditional route for education and work. He was attending public school, where the only special services he received some pragmatic speech sessions. School was not working for him. It caused a great deal of anxiety and depression. Although he is extremely intelligent, he was not doing well. At the age of sixteen, in the middle of his sophomore year, his parents withdrew him from school. He took his GED immediately and passed it except for the writing section. He took the essay question literally and could not answer it. Then he took that part again with a different question and passed. Eric at 17 is now entering his second year of at Bristol Community College in Fall River, MA, majoring in biology. BCC has not been totally smooth sailing, but he is progressing well in his studies and loves the atmosphere and freedom. His goal is to get a Ph.D. in biology.

Summer arrived, and Eric wanted to get a job instead of to taking classes. He looked into working retail at the mall, but decided that was not a good choice. One visit with the intent of applying for jobs was enough for him; the thought of dealing with other teenagers made it a no go. The summer before he had worked a little for his mother in her cleaning business and decided to return. His mother owns an MTOclean franchise and has 12 employees, men and women from 17 to 63 years old, who clean residential homes and commercial buildings. Eric was treated just like any other employee, and had to interact with other cleaners and customers. It was a great opportunity to work on his social skills without much pressure, and with others to back him up. He went through orientation to learn the chemicals and cleaning techniques. He then spent time on job sites with the supervisors, learning how to clean. He then worked everyday, and the other cleaners asked to work with him. His humor, concentration, and willingness are what they liked the most. Like his colleagues, Eric earned well above minimum wage and got a paycheck each week. His parents told him that he must save half of the money, but he decided since he lives at home, he would save 2/3 of his check. He hopes to buy a car. Eric is very proud of his work, whether he is cleaning a 10,000 square foot mansion with a team, or a three-room empty apartment by himself. Summer of 2007 proved to be a very profitable and good summer for Eric!

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