Eighth-graders at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School in Palo Alto, California, got some odd career advice this last Tuesday... William Fried, president of Foster City's Precision Selling (a management consulting firm), was delivering a presentation on The Secret of a Happy Life, as he has done for the past three years... The presentation counsels students to experiment with a variety of interests until they discover their "life's purpose," something they love and excel in... He also distributed a tip sheet to students that included a list of 140 potential careers and areas of interest they can consider pursuing... The presentation and handout have been praised by students, school principal Joseph Di Salvo and others said...

The problem is that along with professions such as accounting and nursing, the list offers such nontraditional suggestions as exotic dancing, stripping and acting as a spiritual medium! Some students asked Fried to expand on why he included "exotic dancing" on the list... Fried spent about a minute answering questions, defining strippers and exotic dancers synonymously... He told students, "For every two inches up there, you should get another $50,000 on your salary," student Jason Garcia, 14, said... "It's sick, but it's true," Fried told the Associated Press, "The truth of the matter is you can earn a tremendous amount of money as an exotic dancer, if that's your desire..."

Di Salvo said Fried's overall presentation is a positive one... The mention of exotic dancing, however, has prompted him to consider barring the speaker from next year's career day...

(What ever happened to wanting to be President, or an Astronaut, or a Famous Actor/Actress? And shouldn't finding the job you love not be premised on your bust size or the pay? And what adult in their right mind tells an 8th grader (kids only 13/14 years old) that being a stripper or a medium is their "life's purpose" and a career to aspire to?!? Kids should be encouraged to reach for the sky, not the the dark warrens of the strip club... Let's tell them they can make the world a better place, not pander to the dregs of society...)