Guidance Services

Would you like one-on-one guidance in tackling your biggest education challenges?

Since 2006, parents have trusted me to lead their self-directed children across foreign countries, coach them in personal leadership techniques, and mentor them in educational challenges both big and small.

I’m happy to announce that I am now offering personalized, one-on-one guidance for teens, young adults, and their families. Whether you’re a homeschooler, unschooler, school student, or prospective (or current) college student, I’m here to help. As a distance consultant, I’m able to work with you anywhere in the world.

 

Is Guidance Right For You?

Families and young people who pursue alternative educational paths are self-reliant. They have chosen to face the challenges of educating themselves, and they have little need for outside guidance. This is what I love about self-directed learners: they embrace the do-it-yourself ethic, they learn through trial-and-experiment, and they’re skeptical of so-called “expert advice” where parenting and schooling are involved.

But even the most self-reliant learners can feel the need for something more. When the challenge becomes overwhelming, your plans are exhausted, or you need an outsider’s perspective—that’s when guidance is right for you.

While I typically offer three types of guidance (see below), what I always offer are specific ideas, goal-setting skills, inspirational insights, confidence-building activities, brainstorming help, and a warm, personal connection. I give my students the confidence and tools to pursue their biggest dreams. And I give parents new inspiration for their greatest challenge: raising a healthy, happy, and intelligent young adult.

 

Specific Types of Guidance

Here are the three areas of guidance that I most often provide:

1. Becoming an effective self-directed learner
2. Getting into college without a traditional background
3. Creating a high-quality alternative to 4-year college

1. Becoming An Effective Self-Directed Learner

Whether you just left school, you’re planning to leave school, or you’ve never been to school—becoming an effective self-directed learner is hard work. Our world offers little advice on how to plan, organize, and make your biggest dreams happen outside of school.

I’ve helped teens and young adults move past many common self-directed learning roadblocks, including:

• Moving from hazy wishes and intentions to concrete, pursuable goals
• Separating their own dreams from the dreams of their society, friends, or family members
• Learning how to perform fast and efficient research: the heart of self-directed learning
• Gaining the attitude, body language, and conversational tools to confidently approach adult strangers and ask for advice, mentorship, internship, a job, or an interview.
• Exploring a field of interest and determining if it’s worth serious pursuit
• Finding learning resources that are specially suited to their personality
• Raising money for projects, independent living, and travel
• Meeting and collaborating with other self-directed learners of similiar age

In answering these questions I draw from my long history of mentoring, advising, and guiding self-directed learners of all ages.

2. Getting Into College Without a Traditional Background

For those with serious academic interests, getting into a high-quality college is an important and tricky problem. How do you prove your college credentials without a traditional background?

As the author of College Without High School, I’ve researched this problem long and hard. Parents and teens approach me with all sorts of questions about CWHS. The toughest ones typically include:

• How can I stand out from the crowd and do something really different?
• What’s the best way to present my accomplishments?
• How do I make an informed decision about my choice of major or college?
• How can I start doing college-level work today, not a year from now?

In answering these questions, I draw from my book research, the former home- and unschoolers I know who are currently in college, and my own untraditional and very self-directed college experience.

3. Creating a high-quality, life-changing alternative to 4-year college

A huge number of self-directed learners between ages 16-19 stress over the question: “Is college right for me, and if not, then what should I do instead?”

I feel your pain and confusion. Today the entire world is in a college frenzy, and to even consider a life without college targets you for quiet shaming. But our world is also filled with millions of happy, productive, and financially successful people who skipped or dropped out of traditional college. How did they do it? How can you do it too?

The first step in answering these questions is to join Zero Tuition College, the program that I founded where you can design your own alternative college curriculum and find other non-college-goers. The next step is (as recommended by ZTC) to find adult mentorship in designing your college experience. To this end, I offer my guidance services.

When figuring out what a high-quality and life-changing alternative to 4-year college looks like for you, we’ll first consider many of the above questions about becoming an effective self-directed learner. Then we’ll ask:

• What fields of work fascinate you, and how can you gain an insider’s perspective to those fields very quickly?
• Do you want to provide yourself with a broad-based liberal arts education? How can you achieve this without college?
• How can you access the best resources of college—professors, graduate students, and smart undergraduates—without ever enrolling?
• How can you meet other fun and smart young adults without the college social setting?
• How will we create more options for you to make money and live independently?
• Why is it so important to find the best minds in your field of interest and get involved with them?
• What is the best way to present your self-directed accomplishments to the world—i.e. how do you market yourself for future work opportunities?

In answering these questions I draw heavily on entrepreneurship principles and the experiences of self-directed young adults I know who have created high-quality, life changing alternatives to college.

Whether you want to become an effective self-directed learner, get into college, create an alternative to college, or tackle another problem related to self-directed learning: I am here to help.

 

The Adventure Model

In all of my guidance, I use the adventure model. An “adventure”, as I define it in College Without High School, is a challenging project that excites you, that you choose, and that is meaningful to your long-term goals. To me, the point of life is not school; it is adventure.

When we work together, I will assign you three to five “adventure assignments”. Each assignment will be a combined product of your dreams plus my guidance, fine-tuned to your challenge level. Expect these assignments to be exciting and interesting; slightly scary; and 100% relevant to your life.

To get a taste of the adventure that you may encounter, here are 40 previous adventures that I have assigned, facilitated, guided, and/or organized for my students (or done myself):

• Write a 50,000-word novel in one month
• Train as an Emergency Medical Technician or Wilderness First Responder
• Crash a college course
• Backpack internationally for multiple months
• Travel and meet people for little $ using Craigslist and Couchsurfing
• Hike a long-distance trail
• Create your own short- or long-term internship with an enterprise that you admire
• Train with a private coach in a specific discipline
• Volunteer in a foreign country
• Create your own very small business in one week
• Start a group house with friends
• Do a 365 blog (one blog per day for a year)
• Snap photos as an non-commissioned freelance photographer
• Volunteer as an academic research assistant
• Tutor others in a field of your interest (for free or $)
• Interview ten accomplished people in your field of interest
• Do three short-term job experiments, anthropologist-style
• Introduce yourself to one academic subject using free online materials
• Pick the brain of a former professor, executive, writer, artist, or other retiree
• Get involved with a college club or student group as a non-enrolled student
• Seek inspiration by watching ten videos related to your field of interest on TED, FORA, Google Video or Youtube.
• Tour the production facilities of a product that is meaningful to you (e.g. guitar)
• Run, hike, or walk with a podcast or audiobook every day for 30 days.
• Spend an evening in a university library with a double latte
• Source one fascinating idea to its primary materials
• Join a college sport pickup game
• Take a college graduate student or professor out to coffee
• Volunteer on an organic farm
• Design an educational program for children in your community (!)
• Write and self-publish an e-book (for free or $)
• “Trade up” a low-value item for a high-value one (a la One Red Paperclip)
• Turn $5 into a larger sum of money in two days (with a group of friends)
• Build a list of 100 highly concrete goals*
• Organize and lead a free online course in your field of interest (!)
• Give a free presentation at a local library, community center, or other venue
• Design a website that displays and organizes your accomplishments*
• Write and publish a guidebook to resources in your local area
• Keep a dream book for one month
• Become an interviewee on a blog or podcast
• Volunteer, present, or lead a workshop at a regional conference

 

Initial Consultation

To begin the enrollment process, please get in touch with me to arrange an initial consultation. We will have a short conversation and decide if my guidance services are right for you. Initial consultations are always free.

 

Core Guidance

The next step is the core guidance. This is an intense period of guidance and mentoring that takes place over two to six weeks (depending on the length and nature of the adventures, the student’s pre-existing commitments, etc.). Depending on student and family preference, this package can include (but is not limited to):

• Introductory student interview
• Dream-mapping (visual goal-setting) guidance
• Discussion of personal obstacles to self-directed learning
• Reading and writing assignments (relevant to student goals) with discussion and feedback
• Three to five custom adventure assignments with guidance
• Adventure budget planning (with parent/family input)
• Portfolio-building guidance (resulting in a finished portfolio)
• Letter of recommendation (for work, college, or other purpose)
• Mentor referrals

All guidance is one-on-one and provided over the phone, video chat, and/or in-person (when possible).

To learn more about each part of this package, please write or call to arrange a free initial consultation.

 

In-Person Meeting Opportunities

While the bulk of guidance will be provided at a distance, in-person meeting opportunities are important and invaluable for creating a solid mentoring relationship. They also provide chances for my different guidance students to meet and spend informal time with each other. In-person meetings can take the form of backpacking trips, weekend retreats, or simple hanging out over coffee and hot cocoa in your home town. These meetings are flexible, customizable, separate from the core package, and arranged as the need and desire occur.

 

Fees and Costs

My fee for core guidance is $900. This fee purchases 12 hours of total consulting time (@$75/hour). Students may incur additional costs when pursuing their adventure assignments, but these costs are flexible and subject to a budget agreement between myself, the student, and the financially responsible party (usually the parents).

 

Budget Options

If core guidance is currently outside of your budget, there are a few other options for working with me.

• Do hourly consulting. My hourly fee is $85/hr.

• Find me at a conference, program, or Not Back to School Camp. If you corner me and/or feed me Mexican food, I usually talk.

• Barter. Do you have something to trade me? From apartment rentals  to gift cards to professional services, I’m open to your ideas!

I strive to work with every young person that desires my guidance in their self-directed learning. If you have an alternative proposal, please get in touch, tell me your situation, and I’ll do my best to find a solution that works for both of us.

 

Cost Comparison

While consulting is never cheap, it pays to consider where else you might be sending your money:

My goal is to provide high-quality guidance, customized for self-directed learners, for a reasonable price.

 

Other Consultants

If what I’m offering doesn’t float your boat, please explore these other experienced mentors to self-directed learners.

• Wes Beach of the Beach School offers high school diplomas for self-directed learners.
• Ken Danford of North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens.
• The Zero Tuition College mentor network.

 

Testimonials

From Previous Mentees:

Our son Ben is 17, and has known Blake as a wonderful mentor and friend for four years.  Blake was Ben’s advisor at Not Back To School Camp, and also led several projects Ben was interested in during various camp sessions.  These projects included wilderness backpacking, CPR, first aid, and ideas for travel and independent living.  They’ve enjoyed running together in the mornings at camp and other informal activities such as a trip to town to do laundry for 130 campers and staff.  Even these informal times together have allowed them a great connection and many conversations.  Ben has always felt that Blake is quite good at discussing ideas, big and small, so he’s enjoyed talking with Blake about anything and everything.  Each year at camp, their relationship has grown.

Over the years, Ben has had the chance to travel with Blake, to and from different camps and conferences, as well as on an independent hiking expedition in California’s Desolation Wilderness. Ben has also assisted Blake at a homeschooling conference promoting trips for Unschool Adventures.  From all these experiences, Ben has gained practical skills such as hiking and backpacking, first aid, goal setting, and communication with customers, as well as less tangible attributes like confidence, leadership, and adaptability during travel.

To us as parents, Blake has offered his insights given his experience working with young adults, and shared ideas with us related to opportunities and adventures for Ben.  We’ve been impressed with his inspirational mentoring skills, sometimes serious and sometimes playful, yet always with the goal of meeting the needs of the young adults he works with.

~ Marcia & Don Miller, Edmonds, WA.

 

Your work with my son has been paramount in his young adult growth and development. What stood out for me with Josh’s experiences and connection with your amazing guidance, council and trips were the stories you and others shared of specific experiences that spoke directly to his own heart and life. The humor, lightness and laughter you weave into the support sessions you offer is also a great gift.

I consider you to be a consultant…young adult life coach…collaborator, interpreter, cheerleader, ally and also a protagonist (the person who champions the cause of the young person you represent). I see you as a consultant who is also a friend. One who can arrive at whatever level the person you are helping may be at any given time.

Thanks for doing what you’re doing Blake. And thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do for Josh. He loves you and really looks up to you. You are one of the people on the top of his list that he wants to emulate.

- Laura Carpine, Ashland, OR

From John Taylor Gatto

“The Blake Boles I’m aware of as an author, a long-distance walker, a foreign traveler, a mountain climber, and many other worthwhile things seems like exactly the person to learn from in a leadership program. He’s open-minded, interested in everything, courageous, and passionately committed to individual development. I would expect good things to happen for young people who had the good fortune to hang out with Blake for a while.”

- John Taylor Gatto, New York State Teacher of the Year and author of Dumbing Us Down, The Underground History of American Education, and Weapons of Mass Instruction

 

From Unschool Adventures

“I can’t imagine going on a better trip, or with better people. Exceeded my high expectations.”
- Charlotte W., 19, Missouri

“This trip was really a success in opening my eyes to new ways of travel outside of the one touristy path. I feel like I have grown in many ways and learned a lot of new things about life and traveling. Thank you!”
- Phoebe J., 15, California.

“The activities you planned were all stimulating, and I loved the great pace we had. I enjoyed our freedom to push back morning activities when we were all tired, or to skip activities when needed.”
- Allen E., 18, Pennsylvania

“This trip was freaking stupendous. Not only have I gained skills and confidence, I have been inspired by y’all to do some independent traveling. I definitely think the trip mission was accomplished fully.”
- Quincie S., 16, Texas

From Homeschool Leadership Retreats

“This has been a great experience—better than I could have ever imagined. Going into the trip I didn’t really expect it to be that beneficial for me. I didn’t think I would be able to come up with apprenticeships that I would be interested in doing, and I didn’t have much motivation to try to come up with anything. But when I got to the retreat, the inspiration started forming. The motivation came and I had all of these ideas of what I wanted to do. The staff pushed us just the right amount and gave us so much support. This has been a life changing experience.”

- Bekka Z., 17, Spring Retreat 2010

“Wonderful experience! Life changing, skill building, and friend making time. I will definitely be coming on another one of these retreats in the future. I feel I have the tools now to make my dreams come true and to accomplish my goals.”

- Josh B., 17, Spring Retreat 2010

From Blake’s high school leadership students:

“When Blake taught the leadership program, we all had a lot of fun. I never thought I could learn that much at 11 o’ clock at night! When you start to feel discouraged because you don’t get the material, Blake is very understanding and never gets impatient. He definitely knows how to have fun and get his point across at the same time. Blake will take the time to get to know you and find out your learning preferences. He is one of the best teachers I have ever had.”

-Jaron N., 15, Sacramento, CA

“Blake Boles is one of the instructors that I have come to respect the most. Blake knows how to develop a relationship with his campers with the perfect balance of friendship, while still earning the campers’ respect as a leader.”

-Anna M., 15, Menlo Park, CA

Photo: Blake with advisees at Not Back to School Camp, Oregon 2009