One question that often comes up when I talk about unschooling or even homeschooling is about the future. How does a homeschooled child get into university? How will they get that well-paying job down the line? I have even written of this before.

I often tell them the same response.

There are ways to get into University. If they want that job, then they will do like any other kids or young adult and will work towards it.

I always have to pretend that I care about the future in the same way that they do. That a job and money is the only important goal in life and that every path has to lead to a higher education so that you can get the job with the money. In reality though, I don’t care. What I want for my kids is to be happy and love what they do. There are too many people out there, Simon being one of them, that did the schooling and went into something that would make them money but also make them miserable everyday.  There are way too many people in the same position. But, there are people out there that love their jobs and that followed their passions. Some paths did take them through higher education but others went other routes to get where they wanted to go.

This is what I want to teach my children… to be happy and to find what they love to do and to do it. I want my children to have full lives and little regret because they followed their hearts and not what others expect of them based on some idea that essentially just fuels having consumerism and depression.

It is hard to explain this to people though. It goes against everything they are led to believe is important.

When this video came up in my news feed this morning it made me smile. This is exactly what I want to teach my kids.

(Narrated by Allan Watts)

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nif01WZ9aI” color=”white” theme=”light” autohide=”1″ fs=”1″].

Now to find a clever way to explain this simply to people who ask me the question in the future.. it is so disconnected to what people view as normal.

Sad… that in a way being happy is seen as negative thing.