Barnes is the author of the acclaimed book, Paranoid Parents Guide and the popular Paranoid Parents activity sets. She was married to British Oscar-nominated, Olivier Award winning film-writer and playwright Peter Barnes (d. 2003). Barnes is the mother of triplet high school seniors and a twenty-year-old college student. (left: Batuu, Star Wars land, DisneyWorld)
Barnes has a BA from Mount Holyoke College (women's Ivy League',) MA work Oxford, MA (Hons) City University London and many post Masters counseling certifications. She has done extensive entertainment career advising and Hollywood agent placement launching acting careers. She is trained and certified by the Colorado Department of Education in career conversations--K-12, high school scheduling, academic, professional, and career planning.
"I was deeply shocked to find out that getting into great college or university wasn't a Platinum ticket to a great career, success and happiness. One out of four who start college won't finish in even EIGHT years. High school dropouts are making more than college grads. My books are about using statistics versus perception. Here it is statistics versus traditional ideas that were once true but aren't anymore. Statistics against relentless college industry marketing whose statistics do not mean what parents and teens think they do. I discovered that parents are the last to know the problems with college-education results, high debt, 90-120 hour work weeks, half of grads taking jobs where they only needed a certificate. College is a wonderful experience. But it isn't lining up with getting a career without some planning.
Colleges and universities are invaluable to society. But, today's 'worker' will have over seven entirely different careers--are you going to get a $400K bachelor's degree seven times for your seven careers? Parents and teens need new planning (devised by national and state departments of education and business and industry.) Pathways to great growth careers have been figured out....but parents are the last to know.
I had to do something about this! Parents need to know.
I cannot thank enough all those who opened their doors to me and pushed my re-education to help kids who are all unique and intelligent, elite to economically challenged, who are not having the success they deserve: I thank deans, college presidents and admissions officers from countless campuses nationwide, 'secret' Washington think-tanks on the positives and negatives of College-for-All; education innovators in Switzerland and Singapore, the great education leaders from Colorado, Advanced CTE, the Chronicle for Higher Education, CTE, ICAP, PWR, Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, Career-Wise .
(I was caught by Covid without a recent professional photo--I am holding my mask briefly on a quarantine power walk by the fluoscent blue-green chlorinated ponds and waterfalls--complete with enormous plastic swansand beautiful, if surreal, 'mountain' landscaping of the Denver Tech Center May 2020.)