If you’ve got a kid on an IEP, here’s something you’d love to see!
It’d be great to see this before every IEP meeting:
Because your kid absolutely is amazing—with unique strengths and interests that make him or her awesome.
Because of this extraordinary, unique awesomeness—please make a note in your calendar to do this:
When your daughter is 15—or as soon as possible after that—take an important step to maximize her future potential. Have her complete the specialized career assessment process I explain in this online class: VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN: The 10 Biggest Ways to Get Kids Through College Debt-Free and into Jobs They Love Afterward.
The career assessment process I strongly recommend in this class is in a whole different league from the machine-processed “career quizzes” offered to the general population at your local high school.
The assessment process I’ll prescribe for you will help you identify and name your kid’s individual personality type, natural interests, and top 5 human strengths based on Gallup research—and then converge all that into what’s gold for college students: career direction.
It helps your kid embark on a career prep path that makes perfect sense.
The price for this class is $899.00, but it’s free for my TRIBE Members. Get more information and get on the waiting list to get into my TRIBE Membership here. Note that none—zero—of my personal income comes from career assessing. I emphasize it so much because I’m convinced it’s critically important for kids ages 15 and up.
What is an IEP?
An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. Learn more about IEPs here.
In your next IEP meeting, ask your education professional whether the assessments recommended in Session 2 of VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN might be paid for as a part of your child’s IEP program.
Got a kid with a disability of any kind who’s headed to college?
See the helpful article I’ve written about the college disability services office here:
When to Call the College’s Disabilities Services Office
These are fantastic tools for plotting any kid’s path to a bright future!
Put the career assessment process I recommend together with a quality IEP—and you’ve got a winning combination. Whether that kid ends up headed to college, or to a wonderful technical school education.
Many thanks to Speech and Language Kids for creating and publicizing the IEP meme above.
I’m Jeannie Burlowski, the author of this book:
Important—> It’s a reference book, so nobody reads the whole thing cover to cover. Pick out what you need to read in it using the fast-paced, 10-minute video instructions here.
You can see hundreds of reviews of this book on Amazon by going to:
Read just one chapter of LAUNCH every 1–3 months while your child’s in middle school and high school, and you’ll know every viable strategy for debt-free college at exactly the right time to implement it.
And if your child’s already well past middle school? That’s OK; you can run to catch up. But the process of getting your kids through college debt-free goes more smoothly the earlier you start it—especially if you’re not planning to save up any money to pay for college.
Let's you and I walk together toward the goal of debt-free college for your kids.
We can accomplish this no matter your current income level—even if your kids never get a single scholarship.
Your first step is getting regularly scheduled, free helpful articles from me—right in your email inbox. Quick, sign up here.
Do you have very specific questions for me about debt-free college and career for your kids?
My TRIBE Members get the most direct access to me—while feeling good that the pennies per day they spend on the TRIBE help me bring debt-free college strategy to families who could never afford to pay for it. Join my TRIBE Membership waiting list here.
Who is Jeannie Burlowski?
Jeannie is a full-time academic strategist, podcast host, and sought-after speaker for students ages 12–26, their parents, and the professionals who serve them. Her writing, speaking, and podcasting help parents set their kids up to graduate college debt-free, ready to jump directly into careers they excel at and love. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post, USA Today, Parents Magazine, and US News & World Report, as well as on CBS News.
Jeannie also helps students apply to law, medical, business, and grad school at her website GetIntoMedSchool.com. You can follow her on Bluesky @jburlowski.bsky.social.
No part of this article was written using AI.
This article was updated on September 15th, 2025.