College is a Scam!

lisaiesha

An uber religious "friend" of mine just posted this on Facebook: Seven reasons not to send your kids to college.

lisaiesha

The author is an idiot who makes sweeping assumptions, such as:

1. Everyone should go into buisness

2. You are not going to learn anything in college and everything you need to know to go into buisness you learn in HS

3. You can get a job without an education

Ponzi scheme. You could not do the "alternatives" to a college education while also going to college.

ETA: and he has a really bad hairdo.

samfish2bcrab

I just scanned it, but I can't see a part where religion is int hat article.   I'm not totally in disagreement with the author, either.

I sure as hell don't plan on paying 100% of my child's post-secondary education. 

lisaiesha

I only added the religion tidbit because her prayer requests and scripture posts annoy the crap outta me. It's really an aside. I don't think it'll be possible to pay for 100% of my kids' education, but his premise is that going to college is stupid. And I think that's stupid.

CaliopeSpidrman

It is a pretty weak argument.  I especially love this part:

Give them $20,000 to start one to five businesses.

Okay Junior, here's $20,000!  I know you're only 18, but I bet you're totally ready to start your own company.

 

SarahBethBR

Do nothing but read. Get the benefits of a college education without paying the $200,000. I'd be happy to support a child that wants to home school a college education.

 

Well sir, I know I don't have any qualifications or a degree of any kind, and there's nothing at all on my resume, but I have read an awful lot of books.

 

 

lisaiesha

CaliopeSpidrman:

It is a pretty weak argument.  I especially love this part:

Give them $20,000 to start one to five businesses.

Okay Junior, here's $20,000!  I know you're only 18, but I bet you're totally ready to start your own company.

 

And 1 in 5 companies fail, but THAT'S OK. You're getting an education by throwing away $20,000.

AngieP900

I am guessing that I will in no way have the money to pay for my kids post ed. I will have just finished paying off mine.

lanie30

What business is he speaking of? Just any old business? Seems a little dumb.

 But I'm not going to be funding 100% of her school either, and she'll work summers and during the school year to help. I will encourage her to find a trade or go to university however. I'm not just going to drop 20 k in her lap and tell her to find a business.

AngieP900

I should add that if I have the money I would pay. But they wouldn't know that. I would act under the rouse that they are on their own, make them work, take out loans etc. Then upon graduation pay them off as a present. But I personally learned more from taking care of myself in college than from any classes.
However, most likely this is a moo point unless I win Powerball.

CaliopeSpidrman

This guy must live in a place where all parents pay for college and kids never work until they graduate.

wingedbride

ugh, yes, let's make the US even dumber

lisaiesha

Yes, clearly his parent "sent" him to college and probably also gave him $20,000 to start a bunch of buisnesses that then failed and now he is contrasting the two experiences.

KayRI

He makes a lot of assumptions that weaken his argument.

I don't think everyone should go to college, nor do I plan to pay full freight or more than four years for my kid, but if you plan to give an 18 year old $20,000 to start a business you may as well just light that money on fire.

mashedpotato

it was funny when my son asked me how much $ was in his college fund.  I laughed ALOT.

KristenBtobe

Yea dude, not everyone wants to be a small business owner. There would be a lot of lawn mowing services out there if this were the norm.

wingedbride

KayRI:

He makes a lot of assumptions that weaken his argument.

I don't think everyone should go to college, nor do I plan to pay full freight or more than four years for my kid, but if you plan to give an 18 year old $20,000 to start a business you may as well just light that money on fire.

nestthis

and my parents, grandmother and aunt and uncle started a college fund for Ryker. it's sweet and awesome but we'll see in 18 years.

BobLoblaw

If I went into business at 18, I would've made custom Dave Matthews-themed bongs and hemp purses.

FallinAgain

lisaiesha:

The author is an idiot who makes sweeping assumptions, such as:

1. Everyone should go into buisness

2. You are not going to learn anything in college and everything you need to know to go into buisness you learn in HS

3. You can get a job without an education

Ponzi scheme. You could not do the "alternatives" to a college education while also going to college.

ETA: and he has a really bad hairdo.

At first, I thought the guy advocating against college had spelled it "buisness" and I laughed.

tastyburger

ha, Bethie!  I would have totally partnered with you.

Even if we have the money, we won't be paying 100% for college.  H and I both think it's important to work for what you have and learn how to balance scheduling with work and school.  I did it (out of necessity), he did it (even though his parents are rich), and we both feel it made us appreciate college more and be more well-rounded.

lisaiesha

FallinAgain:

lisaiesha:

The author is an idiot who makes sweeping assumptions, such as:

1. Everyone should go into buisness

2. You are not going to learn anything in college and everything you need to know to go into buisness you learn in HS

3. You can get a job without an education

Ponzi scheme. You could not do the "alternatives" to a college education while also going to college.

ETA: and he has a really bad hairdo.

At first, I thought the guy advocating against college has spelled it "buisness" and I laughed.

No, that was just my misspelling. I went to college, which is why I am so useless.

salimoo

BobLoblaw:

If I went into business at 18, I would've made custom Dave Matthews-themed bongs and hemp purses.

TEARS. The thread can end on Bethie's comment.

SarahBethBR

We plan to pay for college, but between the two of us, we hope to produce a kid that's smart enough to get a scholarship to a state school.  If they want to go to a private school, I'll help them figure out how to pay for it.

BobLoblaw

My dad paid for 4 years of in-state tuition (at $5K a year), I was on my own for the rest. Somehow that rule got thrown out the window when it came to my sister. Jerks.

CaliopeSpidrman

Instead of paying for college, I'm going to pay for my kid to move to another country. 

buddhagouda

SarahBethBR:

We plan to pay for college, but between the two of us, we hope to produce a kid that's smart enough to get a scholarship to a state school.  If they want to go to a private school, I'll help them figure out how to pay for it.

I'm crossing my fingers for this as well. I had scholarships that covered all my tuition. My parents agreed to pay my board while I stayed on campus. I moved off campus my junior year and was responsible for my own bills after that.

If I have the money, I'd like to pay for college just because I don't want my kids saddled with avoidable loans. I'd probably go the route Angie described though. I want them to be able to work for what they want and not be like my friend growing up that still had her mom's credit card when she was 26 and had been out of college for years.  

lisaiesha

BobLoblaw:

My dad paid for 4 years of in-state tuition (at $5K a year), I was on my own for the rest. Somehow that rule got thrown out the window when it came to my sister. Jerks.

Me, too! I went to a state school, had scholarships and a job and my parents paid the balance. My brother, on the other hand, went to a private school and I'm sure didn't have scholarships. They paid for the whole thing! I'm sure my undergrad + grad education did not equal what they paid for his undergrad and yet they would not help me with grad school. In fact they didn't want me to go. I am still paying for that shiit.

heyemilina

SarahBethBR:

We plan to pay for college, but between the two of us, we hope to produce a kid that's smart enough to get a scholarship to a state school.  If they want to go to a private school, I'll help them figure out how to pay for it.

I went to a private school that actually ended up being cheaper than a state school after scholarships and grant money. I also lived off campus and ate like a bird my senior year, which helped too.

heyemilina

BobLoblaw:

My dad paid for 4 years of in-state tuition (at $5K a year), I was on my own for the rest. Somehow that rule got thrown out the window when it came to my sister. Jerks.

My parents paid about $3,000 a year for my school, and I ended up with about $15,000 in student loans. My sister, on the other hand, screwed around for two years, lost what little grant money she had, and is now in her fourth year of a two-year program. She doesn't work, has no money saved, so I'm pretty sure my parents are paying the balance of what her student loans don't cover. Double jerks.

salimoo

heyemilina:

BobLoblaw:

My dad paid for 4 years of in-state tuition (at $5K a year), I was on my own for the rest. Somehow that rule got thrown out the window when it came to my sister. Jerks.

My parents paid about $3,000 a year for my school, and I ended up with about $15,000 in student loans. My sister, on the other hand, screwed around for two years, lost what little grant money she had, and is now in her fourth year of a two-year program. She doesn't work, has no money saved, so I'm pretty sure my parents are paying the balance of what her student loans don't cover. Double jerks.

Replace fourth year with twelfth year and you have a friend of mine. Still lives at home. Parents just bought her a car. They might have been better off handing her $20k when she was 18, although she most likely would have invested it up her nose.

Novemberrocks

My parents paid for college and grad school for me, both at pretty expensive private schools.  I would hope to pay for college and grad school for Miles and any other kid(s) I have.  However, I don't believe I was any better off going to super expensive schools than my state school counterparts, and would think that my kid(s) would be able to achieve whatever he wanted with a degree from a public school.  If Miles had his heart set on a particular private school, I would do what I could to make that happen.