Symonds, director of the Pathways to Prosperity Project, asserts that the current U.S. system of preparing students for successful adult lives fails too many youth. Citing data showing that only 40 percent of young Americans earn an associate's or bachelor's degree by age 27--and that many employers say they see candidates who don't have appropriate skills for work--he maintains that the narrow focus on readying students for college ill serves U.S. youth. A more promising preparation strategy would be to offer students multiple pathways to learning and working as adults, including more high-quality career counseling and education. Symonds discusses three challenges stakeholders in U.S. education must meet: (1) provide secondary students more effective career counseling; (2) change the culture of education to de-emphasize the four-year college route and celebrate multiple pathways; and (3) offer excellent career and technical education to all students. Interest in such changes seems to be stirring; in response to a recent report by the Pathways project that embraces these conclusions, states throughout the United States expressed interest in working together to make these changes in schooling a reality. (Contains 1 endnote.)