March 30, 2000 I'm thirty-eight years old with a degree in Business and fifteen years of work experience. I work as a Communications/Public Relations professional but also have a background in Operations and Finance. I have never been satisfied or fulfilled in any of my positions and have been quite miserable. I had tried numerous self-help seminars, books and tapes with no satisfaction. I was at a point in my life where I knew I needed some professional guidance and began to look in the phone book for a career counselor. I found an advertisement for The Highlands Program and what interested me was that it offered a path to a personal vision for your life, not just career, by integrating many facets. I was looking for something that would help me find what I wanted out of life and a career, what would finally make me happy. I was tired of spending most of my waking hours at jobs that made me miserable. I needed to change my life, not just my job. With much skepticism, I called and made an appointment to attend an informational seminar. After attending the seminar, I was very inspired and decided that this was the program I was looking for. I was so pleased with the accuracy and relevance of my abilities testing. It verified things I already felt and opened my eyes to things I didn't know about myself. It showed me why I was so frustrated in certain areas of my work life. It is very valuable information that I continue to use when making decisions about my career. Attending the Highlands seminars was a very rewarding experience. My counselor, Al Mercatante, was very knowledgeable and sincerely cared about the success of the group. He was always willing to answer questions and spend time outside of the seminar, if necessary, to ensure my understanding of the exercises. I enjoyed making friends and working with the people in the group and hearing their points of view and feedback. I really felt like part of a team. I was very pleased with the discoveries I made about myself and the useful information I learned in the Highlands Program. Other programs only focused on one or two of the personal vision factors studied in The Highlands Program and never considered abilities. I believe that understanding and integrating all the factors is the key to the success of The Highlands Program. I would highly recommend the program to anyone searching for career satisfaction or creating a life vision. I am now on my way to creating a life plan. Paula Peterson