User:Atcovi/SOL prompt Number 21: Early Career Choices

Prompt #21, its basic topic (cluster): Should students pick a career before they enter high school?

For one you must have 3 SPECIFIC examples and at least 1 counterargument. (For example, do not give general statements all relating to your own experience. Name famous people whose lives illustrate the point you want to make. Pick your 3 best examples from big categories (can come from literature, personal experience, current events, history (ancient, biblical, Renaissance, American Revolutionary period, 19th century America, Civil War era, era of expansion, era of invention, World War I or II era, Civil Rights Movement, Anti-war (Vietnam) movement, 21st century), Sports, Entertainment, Art, Science, Technology, Education, Health and Fitness, Nature, Environment).

Arguments

 * 1) You have to be 21 to drink alcohol
 * 2) You have to be 16 years and 3 months to drive a car
 * 3) You have to be 18 to vote
 * 4) See “Life may lead you into an unexpected pathway (Simon WInchester: The Professor and the Madman - William C. Minor); Mr. Minor was originally training to be a doctor but ended up writing half of the Oxford English Dictionary”.

Counterarguments
Counterargument: One might claim that students picking a career may be pre-mature, but usually students think about their jobs at an early stage. If the career chosen likens to the student’s interest, the student’s classes that are within the intended occupation’s field will substantially benefit and better prepare the student for the job he/she desires. It plans out the future for students to focus on so that they can do what’s useful for their job (specialty centers in Henrico County Public Schools)

For the 3 you intend to use, put them in order of second best example, third best example second, and best example last.

Now, just in your own words, (not a real thesis yet), state what your position is: Students should not pick a career before high school.

Remember your AUDIENCE is a group of adult English teachers.

Introduction
How can a timid, energetic 13-year-old possibly determine his/her occupational path at such an imaginative, tender age? In several countries, such as France and the USA, children are obliged to select a career and follow his/her career path at an early age (around the 8th grade). Henrico County Public Schools somewhat follows this route with its Specialty Centers relating to specific occupational fields (medicine, technology, engineering, etc.). One may argue that children often explore their interests in various occupations and choosing a career pathway at an early age will sufficiently prepare the individual for when he/she enters the workforce. Though, as reknown American speaker Henry Ward Beecher said, “children are unpredictable", so they may shift interests in their career path. If they have chosen a job they do not enjoy, it will lead to a miserable life for that individual.

In the USA, the legal voting age is 18. Originally, the legal voting age was 21 until it was lowered to 18 during the Vietnam War. This was because of the popular argument that if young men can be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, then they are capable of voting in elections. The age is stationed at 18 since this is the age of adulthood. The age of 18 is considered the age where an individual is capable of making plausible decisions and taking on weight-bearing responsibilities. When an individual votes in the presidential election, he/she is voting for the person who will directly or indirectly affect his/her life. This is similar to choosing an occupational path.

Age requirements are also important for such important stages in life as learning to drive a car. The law requires drivers to be a minimum of 16 years and 3 months. Driving a car requires great responsibility and mental competence. Many people, such as the driver and his passengers, are affected by driving. Essentially, driving is a life or death situation. If a collision does occur, it has great potential to affect an individual’s life catastrophically (such as a disfigured face, missing leg, brain damage, etc.). The age limit is a lot older than 13 years of age since a 13-year-old is not as mature as a 16-year-old to handle such a mind-boggling responsibility. An undesirable occupational path chosen by an inexperienced 13-year-old can have detrimental effects on his lifetime.

Similarly, the decision to drink alcohol must be well-thought and cautious. Therefore, minors are not permitted to consume it. By law, only individuals 21 and older are allowed to drink alcohol. This controlled substance is a seriously mind-alternating when consumed in excess; it can provide horrific effects to a careless individual who drinks alcohol in excessive amounts. An example of this is drunk driving which annually claims the lives of 10,000 people, affecting the driver, victim and their families. Increasing the drinking age to 21 assures that those who choose to drink alcohol are responsible enough to understand what affects alcohol has on an individual. This is related to choosing a job as a pre-teen, making a huge, life-long decision that may turn out for the worse due to inexperience.

Overall, the decision of choosing a job that will stick to one's life forever is definitely a choice which requires maturity and experience. A middle school student simply does not have these qualities in order to enforce this type of decision. Other essential moments in life, such as driving, voting, and the decision to drink alcohol, all have their age limits, so why would choosing a job be any different? The society must take in these concerns and understand what is best for their growing children.

Body has 3 paragraphs—Start each paragraph with a phrase followed by a comma for good transition into the paragraph that mentions what general area you are discussing: In the sports world,—During the Civil Rights movement,--From the perspective of science, etc.

1) In the literary world, (for example, if your topic is individualism, you could mention Jane Eyre or Anthem, etc.

2)

3)

Remember to use persuasive language. For example, “should” is a good word, as is “must.” Use the verb “consider.”

Conclusion: Think of a universal-level observation for a big picture conclusion that does not merely restate the intro.