The adolescence that we see today in the United States of America’s more urban areas seem to have a different perspectives on the ideas of the importance of school, career endeavors, and their futures overall when compared to those generations that have come before them. We are unsure of the exact reasons that this first began happening, but there are many ideas as to what could bring this about. These items include attitudes toward academics, peer and environmental pressures that surround them, and how they truly see their lives going in the future. Jay McLeod does a great job taking a closer look at all of these things in his book entitled, “Ain’t No Makin’ It” and in this paper we will take a closer look at his evaluations of the people he did this research with. When speaking of the ways in which today’s urban adolescence population views school, there seems to be two separate ideas, or rather theories, which take place among them. In McLeod’s book, he states that there are two separate groups in the school he observes and interviews in; “The Hallway Hangers” and “The Brothers.” The Hallway Hangers do not think that school is in any way important to them. They believe that the future is all based on chance and that there is not anything that school can do for them because of the fact that they come from families that are also down on their luck later in life. This reminds me of the idea of being brought into the world with an ascribed status; there is no way to go up the ladder in terms of social class or achievements, it simply is what it is and there is nothing that you can do about it. One student even says when speaking about what his future career goals could be, “I think you’re kidding yourself to have any. We’re just gonna have to take what we can get.” This type of idea is seen a lot in the world around us and I believe that is comes from the place that you are raised and who it is that does the raising. Lower class families are very likely to hold short term jobs instead of full-fledged careers and this lifestyle then reflects onto their children as an idea of what their futures will hold. The Brothers, on the other hand, seem to have a different idea about how their lives will be turning out in the future. They actually have aspirations about what they want their lives to turn out like, they see a real future and are not down on themselves about the place that they come from, even though it may not always be the best. Instead of speaking out about only being able to see themselves in short-term jobs, they see themselves in lifelong careers in which they can receive promotions and benefits; things that they deserve for all of their hard work. Yes it is true that this group of people comes from a higher class than the Hallway Hangers, but that is not all that drives them. They believe in hard work and that they themselves are the ones that will get them what they want in life. School is important if you want a career; you will need a diploma for higher pay and promotional opportunities. These two groups tend to bump heads on more than just academics, though. Peer pressure is something that people have lived with since the beginning of the world. It is a completely natural thing to want to fit in and act similar to the people that you surround yourself with. That being said, the two groups mentioned above do surround themselves with completely different people. A lot of the time, the Hallway Hangers’ (or other groups outside of the school he researched that would fit into their category) parents are not very active in their lives because they are off working multiple jobs in order to keep the family together and running. These people also often feel that they will do whatever comes easiest to them. That may mean anything from working at the local McDonald’s or joining the Military as a guaranteed paycheck. It seems that consequences of these ideas are not often considered. The Brothers seem to be more individualistic about their future careers. Even when their parents try to tell them what they think that they should be doing, they often disagree because they do not think that this will keep them happy in the future or cannot see them doing it long-term. If I had to say so myself, and it may sound a bit presumptuous, but I would say that these two groups of people have completely separate cultures that they believe in and live in. It is a bit strange to think that the Hallway Hangers do not think that they can achieve more in life than they already have. After working in places such as grocery stores or janitorial services, they seem to take the easy route out. Many of them joined the military as I stated before but a lot of them just jumped round from place to place doing more or less the same job that they had just quit because they didn’t like it enough. If these boys had just put their minds to it and worked a bit harder, I truly believe that these young men could have made something out of themselves. They could have achieved greatness instead of settling for the smallest job out there. This is what happens, though, when you watch the people around you fail job after job and give up, living an unhappy life in a place that they hate to work. It seems likes something that comes with the territory. When I think about my own high school experiences and the place in which I was raised, I have to say that there are many contradictions in my life. I grew up in the town of Cicero, Illinois, which is pretty infamous for being slain with drugs, gang violence, and just a sense of danger overall. This is true for part of the town, the “bad part”; however this is not the side I was from. I came from the better side of Cicero, I was raised by two very successful parents that were married throughout my whole life, and I was in honors classes throughout all of my schooling. There were many people around me and that I was even friends with by the time I had gotten to high school that were not as fortunate as I was. Being around these friends that I made had a bit of an impact on my academic goals; sometimes I thought that college wasn’t the route for me, I believed I should just work and make a living instead. Although I had these thoughts, my parents and family supported me enough to allow me to realize that college was the route for me and that it would lead to my ultimate success in the future. I think that if adolescence these days were exposed to what can happen without a college degree or even a high school degree that they would be more likely to keep up with their schooling. The idea of getting promotions, making more money, and working in a job that truly makes them happy could change their minds instead of living off little money and selling hamburgers for a dollar. The benefits that could come to them and the lives that they could live would help to open their eyes to how beneficial school can really be. The people that they surround themselves with would change as well. They would choose those that actually go to school and study, rather than those who sell drugs and ditch class. These people would lift their spirits and help them to succeed. It is all about opening their eyes to what is really out there. Unfortunately, this is something that is extremely hard to do and that is why we have such a big dilemma today with these adolescent beings in today’s world. School, relationships with peers, and expectations for your life can make or break your future. It is completely up to the generation of adolescence that we have now to make these decisions for them; no one can do it except themselves. With the opening of their eyes, we can help to bring groups such as the Hallway Hangers examined in Jay McLeod’s “Ain’t No Makin’ It” up to speed on what they can truly achieve if they put their minds to it. The Brothers have plans of their own made and they seem to be on the right track. The idea of happiness, more money, and a life that is truly fulfilling will help to inspire any person to work hard, stay in school, and surround themselves with people that will not bring them down. This may take extremely hard work, but if society truly focused on doing these things, I believe that we could help our adolescence and their futures.