It's amazing how fast notes accumulate when you're so engrossed in reading a good book. I just finished reading a book entitled "The Uncollege Alternative" by Danielle Wood - detailing at least a hundred different things to do or places to go other than college. The premise behind the book is deceptively simple - college is helpful, but not for everyone. If college is not for you, here are some alternatives to consider. In the book she mentions options similiar to college (e.g. community college), but even these are comparatively more flexible should you decide it's not for you.

You're also less likely to go into serious debt by following almost any of the ideas listed. Only a fraction of them cost you money; some will house and feed you, and others will actually pay you for your time and energy, in addition to giving you some wonderful experiences to boot. The author is careful to acknowledge the benefits of college, and admits she went to college herself. College can be a wonderful place to spend 4 years of your life - if you're certain of what you want to accomplish. In other words, if you're considering college or if you're already there, don't linger or allow your time there to be wasted. There are many opportunities available only while you're in college - those same opportunities are either no longer available or no longer made available to you once you've graduated. I missed out an on opportunity to travel to Europe with my college's Concert Choir because I wanted to see my girlfriend's high school graduation - in retrospect, a small price to pay for an opportunity that may never come my way again.

The moral of the story: take advantage of what life has to offer you, when it offers. One tends to regret the things not done or tried more than the things that were done or tried, and I have yet to hear someone on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at the office".

Over the last couple of days I've been doing some research on homeschooling magazines that I might be able to write an article for. After all, an article has to be researched, thought out, and written much like a book, so perhaps there's some material that a magazine might be interested in. What I was surprised about was the number of different magazines out there - and none of them seemed to duplicate each other's content or format... If you subscribe to any of the following magazine, let me know what you appreciate about their style or format that makes it useful to you. It's always nice for a writer to know how best to reach their audience, or what techniques work to assist as best as possible. I'll detail my findings below, but if you know of any others I've left out, please e-mail me - homeschoolersguide@gmail.com.

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The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Paul and Gena Suarez

www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com

Practical Homeschooling

Mary Pride

http://www.home-school.com/catalog/pages/phs.php3

Everything Homeschooling Magazine (online magazine)

http://www.everythinghomeschooling.com/

Home Education Magazine

http://www.homeedmag.com/

Homeschool Digest

Skeet Savage, editor

www.homeschooldigest.com

www.eho.org

Home Educator’s Family Times

http://www.homeeducator.com/FamilyTimes/index.htm

Homeschooling Horizons (Canadian magazine)

http://www.homeschoolinghorizons.com/

Homeschooling Today

http://www.homeschooltoday.com/

Life Learning -

Wendy Priesnitz, Editor

http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/

I'm writing a book currently titled "The Homeschoolers Guide to Life after Homeschooling".

What's my goal?

“I want to help homeschoolers transition from homeschooling into the world beyond homeschooling by exploring their options and helping them select the very best one(s).

Why should you care?

“Homeschoolers may not realize all the choices they have in life, and by making an informed and educated choice, they’re more likely to be happy in what they do in life.”

The book will feature chapters detailing and analyzing the pros and cons of:

• Community / technical college
• Four-year college
• Joining the military
• Starting your own business
• Starting a career in the working world
• Volunteering
• Traveling / taking time off

There will also be a chapter for parents only in order to help them understand what's going through their child's mind. Sprinkled throughout the book will be quotes from fellow homeschoolers and their parents - first-hand experiences that you can learn from.

To give you some background into myself:

Born in Hammond, Indiana, I began to the homeschooling road in the 1st grade in 1987. Although I don't distinctly remember much from that early in life, I knew that we were different because we didn't get on the bus like the rest of the kids - and that was fine by me. As far as I was concerned, we got to go to the library and play on computers; we could do whatever we wanted once the bookwork was done! After using a combination of Alpha Omega materials and non-structured education, I 'graduated' in the spring of 2000. I had applied to 4 colleges and was accepted to all 4; I chose Berea College in Kentucky for it's unique features (tuition free; pay for room and board based on your ability to pay; work-study college that gives you some work experience while still in college, and so on). Although I had prepared for college, the transition to college from homeschooling was a little rough, and took some time to get used to the different cultures and so on. After graduating on the Dean's List in May of 2004, I moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where I lived for a year and a half before moving to Frankfort (the state capital).

About a year ago, I had the idea to write a book to help future homeschoolers figure out what they wanted to do after their homeschooling was complete. Some research revealed that there were plenty of books on how to get into colleges, how to ace the tests, and how to write the perfect essay. However, there was nothing to help guide a homeschooler during the high school years and continue to guide them as they got started on their own. We homeschoolers carry a unique perspective on life, the world, and everything around us; this perspective colors the way we view things, and often clashes with the way things are normally done. My hopes is that a homeschooler (along with their parents) will use this book to make informed decisions on where they go after their homeschooling is complete.

I just finished reading my first book on how to get published - "Publishing Confidential" by Paul B. Brown (sorry Paul, but I borrowed my library's copy). Yes, I realize I'm not quite there yet (about halfway through writing the first draft), but it's given me an insight into the world of the editor, the agent, and the publisher. Part of me is under the impression that portions of my book will likely be changed by one of these three people somewhere along the line. I figure it'll probably be easier to change something or work with them before I get too entrenched and have to make some significant changes before we can move forward...

Hello out there! My name is Chris Backe, and I am a recent college graduate who was homeschooled all the way from 1st-12th grades. I'm doing some research for a book currently titled "The Homeschoolers Guide to Life After Homeschooling" (some background about the book is below). I'm looking for homeschoolers that have graduated homeschooling that have either:

• Gone to or graduated from college
• Gone to or considered the military
• Volunteered, interned, or apprenticed somewhere
• Started their own business
• Entered the working world

If you're a homeschooling parent with a student looking towards college, I'd love to get your input too - without you we wouldn't have gotten as far as we have!

I have a prepared question and answer session which would take about 20-30 minutes, and can be done over the phone or by e-mail. I've completed about 75 interviews thus far, but every homeschooler has a unique experience - I'd like to hear yours! All information is confidential, and no personal information will be released without your permission (to cite a quote, I'll use your first name and state, unless you prefer to remain completed anonymous). When the book is published, I plan on sending each family an autographed copy of the book as a way of thanking you. To sign up, ask questions, give advice, or buy the book when it comes out, please e-mail me at homeschoolersguide@gmail.com or give me a call at 859-200-4759.

Until the writing career takes off, I work during the day, so please leave a message if I don't answer. Thanks for your time and assistance in advance!

Cordially,

Chris Backe

859-200-4759

homeschoolersguide@gmail.com