I think part of the point is that the amount of time needed for a "working" associates is the same as to earn a teaching licensure if you already have a Bachelors. It's about two years either way. The other point is the lack of faith. Professional athletes and dancers are different to cowboys with regards to the amount of open spots. Teams and theatres/companies only have a limited number of positions to fill. It may not be a lack of skill but a lack of need that prevents a dancer or athlete from working. However, cowboying is a bit like nursing - there's always an opening somewhere. I see another difference in that I believe most professional leagues require at least two years at the college level, yes? In that case, I certainly wouldn't want to have my son finish his associates in high school to preserve his freshman status. However, planning would be more difficult because it seems many athletes who go pro don't finish their degrees.

May I ask why you normally aren't in favor of high schoolers earning associates degrees? Is it related to costs and scholarships? I know many scholarships are only available to freshmen.

His oldest uncle is 58, and his youngest is 35. There are a handful in-between them. His (pseudo) grandpa is 74, and he still works as a cowboy. He doesn't do quite as much and spends a lot of time training new ones, but he still works. Their backup plans are to adapt what they do. Requiring an "out" is insulting. They see it like this: if your kid wanted to go to med school, would you make her get a teaching license in biology first, just in case she wasn't smart enough to get in or make it through med school? If not, then what's the difference? Either way, if the cowboy or the wannabe doctor can't do it, they have to go back to school. That said, because I had both of my older two kids earn their General Studies Associates, his uncles aren't against it.

Yes, vet tech is a two-year degree. My daughter thought it was a much better timeframe than going to vet school.

He has stayed with one of them all summer for the past three years. He loves it.

He'll be seventeen, a little over a month shy of eighteen. He's my July baby.

A high school diploma isn't a satisfactory endpoint for my husband. But once the kids are grown and graduated, there's not a lot he can do, especially if they move out and are working.

I think we both thought we had reached an agreement. And it worked for our oldest two kids. Our oldest son is finishing his business degree, and he's looking at applying to law school. Our older daughter was fine because the A.S. meets all the prereqs for the vet tech program. It wasn't until recently with our middle son that anything was thrown into question with regards to our high school requirements.

It's not really being a cowboy that's the problem. My husband is just the sort who thinks everyone needs a Bachelor's degree. He's having a similar fight with our older daughter; she's set to start a vet tech program next fall. He's not happy that she's not going for a full veterinary degree.

No, the state doesn't have any requirements for high school graduation. It's all on the family to decide. Yes, finishing college later is an option.

With me, yes. With my husband, no.

I think he's afraid if he gets the A.S. that he'll be pushed to go further.

It's a bit of a mess to explain everything, so bear with me, please. My husband and I have our kids take the CLEP Tests to meet our state's proof-of-progress requirements. When our oldest son was in ninth grade, we stumbled across the requirements for a General Studies Associate's, and my husband and I decided to incorporate these requirements in our high school plan. Very little changed, but we did add four college courses to our high school plan: SDV 100 College Survival Skill in fall of junior year, Public Speaking in spring of junior year, and an evening/night school biology class (not dual enrollment, but taken at the local high school due to a lack of a "real" satellite campus). Our oldest son graduated with his A.S., and our older daughter is set to do so this spring. That brings us to our middle child. He is a tenth grader, and he has no intentions of going to college. He's going to be a cowboy, like his uncles. He already does a lot during any break, on the weekends, and after school, so it's not like he doesn't know what he's signing up for. He likes the work. My son would have to be replaced with an entirely different person for any of that to change. And now my husband and I are left in a pickle. We see several benefits of the kids graduating with an A.S. One of which doesn't really apply to this son, but it's guaranteed transfer to any public college in the state and several in-state private colleges. Another, which I personally feel is more important since he doesn't plan to attend college, is that it gives a sort of "backing" to a homeschool diploma. On the flip side, it feels disrespectful of my son's wishes. He'll do the coursework without fuss, but will he be resentful of it? I don't want to damage my relationship with my son for a piece of paper he doesn't need to do what he wants. The college will be there if he changes his mind. High schoolers pay full tuition for classes anyway (barring the exceptionally few DE classes offered at the high schools, none of which are helpful to us), so we're not saving money. I don't know what to do. What would you do in these circumstances?