Save money- Skip college!
Congratulations, America! Credit card debt has now been exceeded by student loan debt.
Certainly you know a college grad or two flipping burgers while trying to service their Whopper (har) of a student loan. (Average student loan debt is now over 30K, btw.) Can someone spell “Indentured Servitude?” Or how about the many who have student loans but never graduated?
And speaking of those who never graduate. Here’s a statistic that I’ve never seen heralded: According to the National Department of Education, college freshmen who graduated in the bottom 40 percent of their high schools, 76% will NOT earn a diploma…even if given 8 1/2 years. ($!)
But yet we continue down the same ole cattle paths. Parents still want their kids to get a college education come hell or high water. (And it sickens me when I hear of parents jeopardizing their financial futures to use their home equity or IRA’s to help fund their kids out-of-control college costs.)
The greatest gift a parent can give their child is the opportunity to explore their giftings and talents and from there, develop a clear plan of action which may or may not include college. This could come in the form of a “gap” year or two after high school or finding opportunities so they can job shadow prospective careers.
It’s also high time that apprenticeships get the attention they deserve. They are a brilliant option for many kids. (My hairdresser friend Kent put it so well when he talked of apprenticing his daughter in the profession. She could spend thousands of dollars going to school or she can take a longer apprenticeship route, earn while she learns…and come out with a clientele when she’s finished. And no student loan debt.)
It is incumbent upon parents and universities to look at the new realities and speak the truth accordingly to our kids. Scary? Yes. But not as much as a 100K student loan repayment plan on a 25K/year salary. Just read some of the heart breaking comments on those articles I referenced.
Certainly you know a college grad or two flipping burgers while trying to service their Whopper (har) of a student loan. (Average student loan debt is now over 30K, btw.) Can someone spell “Indentured Servitude?” Or how about the many who have student loans but never graduated?
And speaking of those who never graduate. Here’s a statistic that I’ve never seen heralded: According to the National Department of Education, college freshmen who graduated in the bottom 40 percent of their high schools, 76% will NOT earn a diploma…even if given 8 1/2 years. ($!)
But yet we continue down the same ole cattle paths. Parents still want their kids to get a college education come hell or high water. (And it sickens me when I hear of parents jeopardizing their financial futures to use their home equity or IRA’s to help fund their kids out-of-control college costs.)
The greatest gift a parent can give their child is the opportunity to explore their giftings and talents and from there, develop a clear plan of action which may or may not include college. This could come in the form of a “gap” year or two after high school or finding opportunities so they can job shadow prospective careers.
It’s also high time that apprenticeships get the attention they deserve. They are a brilliant option for many kids. (My hairdresser friend Kent put it so well when he talked of apprenticing his daughter in the profession. She could spend thousands of dollars going to school or she can take a longer apprenticeship route, earn while she learns…and come out with a clientele when she’s finished. And no student loan debt.)
It is incumbent upon parents and universities to look at the new realities and speak the truth accordingly to our kids. Scary? Yes. But not as much as a 100K student loan repayment plan on a 25K/year salary. Just read some of the heart breaking comments on those articles I referenced.
Comment
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Comment by Deb Ingino on September 3, 2010 at 11:34am -
Wow staggering information!
Our daughter is just beginning her senior year for her undergrad degree as she is gifted at counseling and aspires to open her own practice as a Biblically based, Licensed Psychotherapist ( Thanksgiving sure will be fun, sort of pass the stuffing and a diagnosis LOL ).
She regularly thanks my husband and I for all we have done to eliminate the worry for her about paying for college and she knows full well, that the only reason we were willing to pay, is because we had her take a Wired Style Revolution profile years ago and gave her plenty of opportunity to use and sharpen her strength as she was growing up. That provided us with an opportunity to relax knowing full well that she is moving into starting a practice that shares her gift with the world, one that she is already successful at and can now bring to the next level.
I agree, apprenticeships MUST make their way back in a big way as we move into the new age of business and what education really means.
Check out Kahn's University here.
Its online and its free!
Love your perspective !
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