[quote=bearishgurl][quote=pfflyer]I have several kids approaching HS age so am very concerned about how to get them college educated (if really needed) without becoming overly indebted. It is so lame because I could teach them how to run a business better than some professor. However this country still is in love with the degree even though it has become so devalued. Also we talk regularly about which job categories will be growth oriented in the future and which are dying out. A tough time to be a father…[/quote]
pfflyer, there’s nothing wrong with showing your kids how to run a biz. I’ve seen several local top-producing RE agents and one enrolled agent tax preparer around here put their newly licensed kid to work sitting open houses and acting as their transaction coordinator and/or Spanish translator. The tax preparer has their newly minted HS grad (now CC student) answering phones, copying and setting up appts in their office during tax season and beyond. They don’t even teach these practical skills in the (expensive) Wharton School of Business! It doesn’t hurt for a 19 yo to get up in the am, dress for biz, turn off their texting/twitter/ipod, etc and pretend like they’re in the “real world” for a few hrs a day.[/quote]
pfflyer, I agree with BG’s comments. You have the right idea, and I strongly urge you to “educate” your own children in the practical skills of running one’s own business, and to share the wisdom you’ve accrued in operating your own. However, your children NEED to go to college. Not because of the lucrative job offers they will get when they graduate, but because bachelors-level degrees are used as a basic screening device for many, if not most jobs these days. With more employers moving to online hiring practices, a person without a degree can be electronically prohibited from even applying for a job that specifies that applicants must have a minimum of a 4-year degree. It’s bullshit, and, strictly speaking, illegal, but it’s a common practice by your lazier and less talented human resources “professionals” who don’t want to have to actually read the resumes they receive.
That being said, DO NOT drown yourself in debt to accomplish this. It’s my humble opinion that most state universities are fine institutions, and more than adequate for vast majority of students. In fact, a large number of community colleges have worked diligently to improve their academic profiles over the past 25 years, and I see nothing wrong with sending your children to a good one for two years prior to sending them to a state university for their junior and senior years. If your kids are true high achievers in academics, and want to go to a more elite school, they should be able to qualify for scholarship funds to pay for the difference.
There are huge numbers of people today loudly voicing their distress over not being able to get a job once they graduate with a college degree. When I meet one, I ask them what it was they learned in college that makes them any more qualified for a job than they were when they graduated from high school. Frankly, a college student should be engaging in diverse activities during college, with the goal of ultimately getting that elusive job offer: classes, of course (with As, not Cs and Ds), but also internships, networking opportunities, volunteer positions, and summer jobs. It’s these things that not only add to a job skill set, but also show an individual’s desire to work hard, to learn, and to achieve.
