How do you feel about high school kids going straight to the professional level?

I think like any other person out there in the job field, if they qualify and can take care of business then they deserve the job. For the most part, the average graduate won't be in a position that can handle or know what to do in a high position of professionalism. That being said, my daughter's high school is a Tech School. Her glass graduates all enter the real world with the ability to go straight to work in just about any field you can imagine, medical field, computer field, electronics, grapic arts, mechanics and more. There are always exceptions to the rule and I think if the kid can handle the job then let them go for it. A college education does not make a person, but the person can make their college education worth it or not. Many athletes simply are not cut out to be college material. Some have the brains behind the brawn, definitely, but many are just exceptional in their area of sports. If the kid can make millions without the education, why not? They will eventually mature and lose the ability to make their millions using their body and then perhaps turn to education to complete themselves.

When you mentioned I believe that you are referring to sports. It is good to be a pro. However, you should complete your education because this is your safety net. If for some reasons if your pro get into a bottle neck or comes to an end, your education can save you.

I agree. I think that college not only gives them something to fall back on but also gives them more maturity and discipline skills. Many however retire after they reach the retiring age in sports. and with income they make..they probably wont have to worry about bills.)+

I can only really think of Wayne Greztky as an athelet in this situation. He had the love and support of a great family when he join the NHL while still in his teens. He would be an excellent role model for any youngster going pro.

I don't think that athletes should go straight from high school to the pros,I think that they should have to have some college under their belt first. An education is much more important

There is way too much emphasis on professional sports in my opinion. What if they skip college and blow out a knee in that first year of their career? Then, they are already behind others their age. I am not anti-sports rather pro-education. There will be time once they have a degree to go into the pros...

Here's the thing about college and high schoolers going to college. Sometimes, a lot of these kids are coming out of high school unprepared to go to college. They aren't the studious types and they end up dropping out or not panning out because they are not living upto the academic standards. While I do agree that kids should go to college, I believe it's only if they plan on staying until they graduate. It's either 4 years or nothing... you see, I think it's just as bad, if not worse, when someone attends school for a year or two (think Kevin Durant of UT or Greg Oden of Ohio State this season) and then enters the pros. They lose out on that education anyways, they are occupying a roster spot that could be going to a real student-athlete, and they might not return to the school to finish anyways, wasting those resources and time that they took up... time and resources another student could have used. Also, other sports are not the same. The NFL, for instance, requires your high school class to have been graduated for 3 years before you can even apply for the NFL draft. That might be a better rule, because at that point players might be able to make a better decision regarding their future in college. Also, it guarantees that every student that goes to school can at least get the benefit of college and lets them see how good it will be. A higher percentage of college football players stay in school as opposed to basketball... NHL and MLB players can be drafted right out of high school and sent to a minor league system. They go play juniors in hockey, or report to Class A ball in baseball. This prepares them better for the professional ranks while still paying them for their efforts. The problem with the NBA is that their developmental system isn't as polished as those other two systems. And those rosters, unlike other sports, are a lot smaller. In the NBA, every team can have 15 players on their active roster... as opposed to 23 for hockey, 25 for baseball, and 53 for football. The odds of making it are a lot worse and the minor league system for the NBA does nothing to promote growth. In the end... we should let the player decide. It's their life.