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Karen became fascinated with the possibilities that her new-found possibilities offered her. She decided that when she got ready to apply for college, she would leave the door open to try out some of these new directions. She ended up going to a college that offered a strong architectural curriculum, as well as a strong liberal arts program, so that she could continue to explore her options. Without this chance to learn about all of her abilities, Karen would not have had these choices. She would have continued in the path of her friends – and she would have missed the opportunities that helped to light up her life. The decision to complete the Highlands Program impacted not only her present education, but her future life choices. It made the difference between an exciting, fulfilling life and a life full of doubts and missteps.
Ethan took The Highlands Ability Battery and got a big surprise. He found he had a clear sales profile. This profile displays strengths which are different from those used in management. Ethan decided to test the new information about his ability profile. He took a job selling pest control contracts. Every few days he would go over his ability profile to review his strengths and weaknesses. He was anxious to develop better ways to make sales. By the end of the summer, Ethan was #6 in an organization of over 300 salespeople. He sold over $100,000 worth of the product and made $30,000 — enough to pay for a good part of his college education. Ethan wrote to say, “Thank you for helping me find a remarkable summer sales job. The information about my natural abilities helped me pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses so that I could work to improve my skills….Thanks to The Highlands Program, I was elected most inspirational sales representative in the top office of the country and sold more contracts per sales rep than 97% of the company. All in one summer!” Ethan also found that learning about his strengths helped him make better decisions about college courses. He realized that his management courses were frustrating. Most of the time, it was “spend six hours studying and get nowhere.” Although his grades were above average, Ethan recognized that his college money would be better spent in a curriculum that was more in tune with his interests and with his strong natural abilities. What about this summer? This year, Ethan has capitalized on both his natural abilities and his prior experience. He is in sales for a network marketing company. Ethan is actively enjoying what suits him best – selling. Learning about his unique strengths helped Ethan gain the confidence he needed to succeed. Most of all, he could make practical plans for the future based on his knowledge of himself. Going to College? Start with Yourself!
Peter Peter went to college with three possible career targets: be a journalist, be a lawyer, or go into politics. These may be related, but each is a broad and challenging field distinct from the others. They were all related to Peter’s strongest natural abilities. In college, he systematically took courses and got internships in all three fields. By the end of college, he had eliminated politics and law, but decided to go into journalism. He now has a job in that field with a major newspaper. Of his group of 6 or 7 friends from high school, Peter is the only one who graduated in 4 years. Jake Jake really didn’t have a clue about college. He had never done particularly well in school and never seemed interested. Jake took the Ability Battery because his parents made him do it, and he was surprised to discover some interesting things about himself. First of all, Jake learned that part of the reason he had had difficulty in school was that it was hard for him to pick up information from written material. He did find out, though, that he had the ability to remember what he heard. Learning and reviewing material became easier for him when he began tape- recording classroom discussions and lectures. Jake also learned that he had strong abilities and interests in visual design. He was delighted. Here was something he could really do. While he was still in high school, he began taking art and design courses. A passing interest in photography became a passion. Jake enrolled in a school of design, and by last reports, he was doing just fine. Jake’s mother had this say to say: “The Highlands Program made all the difference in Jake’s confidence. It seemed as though he just came out of his shell and was suddenly willing to try some things he had never done before. It was wonderful to see him stand so tall. |
Karen thought she knew exactly what she wanted to do about college. She had her eye on a couple of small liberal arts colleges in the northeast where some of her friends had gone. When she took the Ability Battery though, she found out some startling information about herself. Karen had strong abilities that had never been put to use in high school. These were abilities that she could use in a field like architecture or engineering – fields she had never considered before. What’s more, during follow up coaching, she realized that one of her continuing interests had been historical buildings. She loved to visit them, observe their decorations, and learn their history.
With his college sophomore year coming to an end, Ethan needed a summer job. As a management major, Ethan wanted to use this break to get a few weeks of practical experience. He was experiencing frustration with his management classes, but didn’t know why.
