DEAR ABBY: I am a 10-year-old girl. I'm good at math and very intelligent. I have two questions: When I'm alone in a dark room, I feel like I have to run out of the room. Why?
My second question is, what kind of job can you get without going to college? -- SMART SOUTHERN GIRL
DEAR SMART SOUTHERN GIRL: Many people of every age -- especially children and the elderly -- have a fear of the dark. That's why parents use small night lights in their children's bedrooms and gadgets like The Clapper are popular.
Adults may be afraid of tripping or running into furniture. Teens who watch scary movies develop a fear of the dark because they imagine a "monster" is lurking out of sight who might harm them. The solution can be as simple as keeping a night light on or switching a light on as you enter a darkened area.
As to what kind of job a person can find without going to college, discuss this with a counselor at your school. College may not be for everyone, but I don't think it's likely you'll get a well-paying job without some advanced education -- if not in a college, then in an apprenticeship program or a trade school with a proven high job placement record.