This book focuses on the plight of the academic middle of graduating high school students. These students have been led to believe that the only way to succeed is to attend a four-year college, even though they are unprepared for college work. As a result, half of the students who begin college fail to graduate, and even those who do graduate often fail to find college-level jobs after they finish college. The book describes factors in this situation, including the following: intense pressure from parents, schools, colleges, and society for students to attend four-year colleges; college prep curricula that leave half of their graduates unprepared for college work; open admissions policies in colleges; and lack of knowledge of appealing alternatives to four-year degrees on the part of parents, students, and schools. It demonstrates that technical, craft, and repair occupations that require less than a bachelor's degree will pay better than any occupations except the professions in the years ahead and will provide more job openings than occupations requiring college degrees. The book recommends the following steps to making preparation for such occupations more acceptable: (1) providing systematic career guidance for students and structured feedback for parents; (2) redesigning college prep for all students; (3) ensuring equal status and focused academics; and (4) bringing "average students" to excellence. The book contains 75 references. (KC)