I think the CSU is now much improved from the past 20 years or so. Yes, all campuses. They have stepped up their admission standards, their classes are challenging (even GE’s), the vast majority of their instructors are good to excellent and CA companies are hiring from their business graduates (as well as those CSU graduates from engineering, hospitality and many other fields). The CSU is still relatively affordable and can be even downright economical if your kid attends campus near “home” or in a lower-cost region of the state. I don’t recall if my kid(s) actually ever competed with “ivy-leaguers” for jobs and it doesn’t really matter.
As to AN’s explanation of his “tradeoffs,” his kid(s) are still young yet. I have told mine NOT to come back to SD County in search of jobs (they’re doing fine in higher-paying counties). It’s not about visiting me often. It’s about them making something of themselves in their fields in a city/county where that is actually possible (not here). Also, I want them to make a living wage (not possible here, especially in the years immediately post-graduation). AN may change his tune when his kids leave for college in effort to eventually become financially self-sufficient. I can’t speak for them but at that point, they may not want or need to see their parents or grandparents daily or weekly.
As to flyer’s kids …. sure it would improve anyone on this board’s (retirement) “bottom line” exponentially if their kids had access to an (unlimited?) college trust fund as flyer states here that his deep-pocketed parents and/or in-laws provided for his kids. For that, he is very fortunate in that he and his spouse did not have to use any of their own funds (or very little of them) to get their multiple (3-4?) children all the way through to graduation (and post-grad work?) in expensive private colleges. Of course, he often wonders how others will fare in retirement but he himself has been given a huge leg up … a gift in this regard in the form of family help for his kids’ college educations irrespective of any pensions or retirement preparations he himself has earned/made on his own behalf over his lifetime.
There’s nothing wrong with any of this, folks. I’m just pointing out that there are many “flyers” out there whose family legacies pave the way for their goals in life as opposed to the other 97% of the population who don’t have the same advantages. For this, I’m certain flyer is very grateful.
I agree with scaredy in that “trust fund kids” have much more choice in colleges that they can apply to AND realistically expect to attend (should they be accepted) than does everyone else’s kids.
