Vernon Ehlers: “Let me conclude by giving a personal example of why counseling is so important, even though I was not counseled by a…”

“Let me conclude by giving a personal example of why counseling is so important, even though I was not counseled by a school counselor, but my example illustrates the importance. When I was a senior in high school, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and my career. I didn't even intend to go to college; fortunately, my father persuaded me to do that. But I had no idea what I wanted to do. That summer I was driving a truck. I ended up sitting in a diner next to another person. We began speaking, and he told me that he was a mechanical engineer at Ford Motor Company. He talked to me about what he did, and it sounded really interesting and it sounded like fun. So when I got to college, I went through the registration line and at one point someone said, what is your major? I said, I don't know, I have no idea. They said, well, you have to declare a major. I said, well, I'm not sure. So they said, well, you have to pick something. I said, okay, I'm going to be a mechanical engineer. And I found it amazing that based on a 10-minute conversation with a total stranger I decided what the rest of my life was going to be like. That illustrates the important impact that a school counselor--or for that matter a teacher--can have in advising students on what to do with their lives.”