The education aspect is obviously every parent’s concern, but IMO, the more glaring concern I would have if my kids were younger, would be the job market.

Every day, I read another article mentioning that, despite high unemployment, millions of jobs remain open–even those in the $100K++ category–and that number of vacant jobs is expected to grow.

Experts seem to cite the “skills gap,” and mention that “while other nations focus their schools on math, science and problem-solving–coupled with technical training, apprenticeships and cooperative education that places students in real jobs–our country largely chooses multiple-choice testing.”

I’ve seriously wondered about people I know who are forking out $200K+ to educate their kids in fields that have no application in the real world. Seems like a recipe for disappointment for all concerned.

Edit: We’ve actually had friends who stopped talking to everyone after their kid(s) graduated from college, because they couldn’t face the fact that their plans for their kids had failed (no job, no house, etc.) So the career aspect is also a serious consideration.