Well-known is the notion that classroom education does not prepare a young person for the "real world" of dollars-and-cents, nine-to-five workdays, and occupational responsibility. Whether or not that idea is valid, Marist School has provided its seniors a vocation enrichment program which supports the view that "man cannot learn by books alone."

Eighty-two Marist seniors were absent from the school campus during the last two weeks in February. They were working full-time in hospitals, law officers, radio stations, laboratories, and a dozen other types of work locations. They tasted the bitter and the sweet of the working world.

"It's an opportunity for the student to make a personal contact with a person in a profession that challenges him. Then, the boy can look at it and see if it might be his thing," according to Suzanne Money, an assistant guidance counselor who directed the program. This year's vocational work involved all but three seniors, while the first program in 1974 was open only to the top 25 12^th grade students.

An important part of the job effort is the senior's responsibility to find the work for himself, Mrs. Money said.

Where did the Marist boys choose to spend two weeks? Mostly in white-collar, professional capacities. Nineteen worked at hospitals or other medical offices. Seven spent time in law offices. Five worked for dentists, four for architects, and three for realtors. Seventeen explored businesses of varied nature.

Scientific fields drew eight seniors, while state government appealed to two. Four worked in journalism or broadcasting, three in computer science, two in sports, and two in aerospace. And two boys helped veterinarians, while one worked on a farm. Mrs. Money said that only six of the students were paid for their efforts. Ten seniors found work in their families' businesses -- fewer than one might expect.

"We recognize that in two weeks, you can't learn a profession. The students has a wide range of experiences -- from those who really got involved in the work to those who were just observing," the counselor said. The seniors tuned in weekly journals of their work experiences which showed initial nervousness and final "know-it-alls" in some cases.

David Langman worked at Georgia State University's psychology department, and found himself in charge of five monkeys. Bill Fenion wrote half-a-dozen sports stories for the DeKalb News-Sun. By contrast, Deming Fish observed the work of two doctors -- an orthopedic surgeon and a pediatrician -- and found the orthopedic field more to his liking.

The only disappointment Mrs. Money felt with the job program was the tendency to take on conventional occupations. She had hoped that some boys with skills in the humanities would pursue creative fields.

One of the seniors who observed work in medicine is Dennis Malloy, whose home base for two weeks was the Center for Disease Control. Dr. Ronald St. John, a Marist alumnus, guided Malloy through the Venereal Disease Control section. The student sat in on lab sessions and scientific discussions.

"Epidemiology is a very specialized part of medicine that few people know about. It's good that Dennis has been able to learn about it. I just wish more young people could be educated about venereal disease," Dr. St. John commented.

Another senior, Bob Oliver, was an observer and an active worker in the animal hospital of Dr. Robert Lawrence and Dr. Licinio Suero on Buford Highway. In addition to routine duties of moving and washing cats and dogs, Oliver had a hand in some minor surgery.

"I spent time observing in the exam room, and I helped with sutures in an operation. For practice, I sewed a pillow at home," Oliver said. He reports that he is interested in medicine for large and small animals.