[quote=AN]I don’t know how many hours your kid was working during school, but I was working 20-30/week throughout college and I was still able to finish in 4 years.[/quote]
My *current* college kid (almost done and entering 6th yr) is working 32-35 hrs. week and making nearly $40 hr. This one has had to deal with budget issues within the CSU system where classes needed in the 3rd and 4th years to graduate were NOT offered every semester and when offered, were offered at only ONE TIME.
Not sure you had to contend with these issues when you went to college, AN, but it is now the reality in the CSU system in almost every campus but the more *undesireable* ones, such as Merced and Fresno. There is a tradeoff one makes in deciding to attend these more *poorly-located* campuses and that tradeoff is opportunity, connections (for post-college) and wage.
[quote=AN]Although this is true, the one thing you’ll miss out is the college experience of the 1st two years, where you experience the dorm life and making new friends. I missed out on that and I will never be able to experience that. Money can be made later but certain experiences in life only come once.[/quote]
AN, this “dorm life” you speak of is now $1000 or more per month (at CSU campuses) and the student has to be available (not on shift or studying) at certain times of the day to get their “money’s-worth” out of a meal ticket. In addition, the student has to SHARE a (often “substandard”) bedroom and bath, at the very least, with one other student (and oftentimes share a bath with many more).
If the student rents, they are able to get their OWN bedroom and share a bath with one or two other roommates and make their own (cheaper) food at whatever times are convenient for them to eat. The total cost to do this in a VERY high-cost area (full of nearby culture and work opportunities) such as SF is about $750 to $800 mo. (room and board) incl. utils (four tenants to a >2000 sf flat where roommates pool staples and some food).
This scenario also applies to other similar high-cost-area off-campus living arrangements such as near UCLA or UC Santa Cruz. In order for this situation to work, all roommates must be stable and employed. Not ALL roommates would be necessarily students or of a typical “college age.” IMO, this is how your kid learns to become independent.
AN, having only attended CC myself, I’m not familiar with “dorm life” so I’m not sure what it is that you think you “missed.” An extension of childhood, maybe?
