Why is student debt a problem?

[joshua 1 9]

Maybe, maybe not.

One year of college won't get too many people a better job than being a journeyman welder or a guy with a networking certificate.

That is still better then McDonalds. Although I hear at the trailer court that the shift commander at Micky D's is a hot tamali with the ladies there.

 

[RDKirk]

That is still better then McDonalds. Although I hear at the trailer court that the shift commander at Micky D's is a hot tamali with the ladies there.

I think you misunderstood what I said. A journeyman welder can write his own ticket. The welders down here in Dallas refuse long-term contracts because they make much better money staying free to work wherever they want month-to-month. My high school buddy became a welder down here--he retired with a fat bank account nearly twenty years ago.

I have a bachelor's degree, but I pay my bills with my networking certs, not my degree. If I depended on my degree, I'd be out of work right now. But I could have had the networking certifications without a degree and have this same job.

I have a niece with nine years of college and no degree. However, in a year or so she should be able to get that degree in General Studies.

She's basically been wasting her mother's money and an inheritance from her father.

And at this point she still has no better prospect of a job than cleaning bedpans or mopping floors, because, no, merely having some college does not mean getting a better job.

 

[joshua 1 9]

they have WAY MORE debt

College cost about 10 times as much today as when I was there.

 

[RDKirk]

College cost about 10 times as much today as when I was there.

Mine has not increased ten times--only 6.4 times.

However, when I was an undergrad, my tuition was $25.00 per credit hour. I had a part-time job at $2.50 per hour, and I worked 20 hours a week. That meant it took only six weeks--half the semester--of part-time work to pay off my tuition for each semester.

Students can't, practically speaking, work six weeks part-time today and pay a semester's tuition. I'm excluding selling drugs, prostitution, and working for the Russian mafia.

 

[joshua 1 9]

I'm excluding selling drugs, prostitution, and working for the Russian mafia.

A lot of college girls do prostitute themselves to pay for their school. Life has always been that way though. As a general rule women (in some cases even men) can marry for money or marry for love. Some women ask why they can not have money and love. They want the best of both worlds. As a general rule they consider this to be a sugar baby sugar daddy relationship. I have never heard of anyone being arrested so it must be legal. When you think of prostitution usually you think of girls out trying to supply their drug addiction.

In some cases girls learn that if they want to get ahead in the business world they have to be willing to sleep with the men who are able to promote them. Although there is a trend to clean that up right now. I know a army girl that is ROTC and she has had at least three classes on how to respond and how to deal with a situation like that.

 

[dreadnought]

Two observations.

If college grads earn on average $1million more than H.S. grads over their working life, and the average student debt is a mere $30,000, what's the problem?

Speaking personally I had no 'net worth' at all until I was in my 50's. After 30 years of working and raising my family I had only $20,000 in savings. So I have little sympathy for those who struggle with student debt, especially if they default.

I left college after two years (1973) and paid back my student loans. I read a lot of people weren't paying their loans back.

 

[Tanj]

Speaking personally I had no 'net worth' at all until I was in my 50's. After 30 years of working and raising my family I had only $20,000 in savings. So I have little sympathy for those who struggle with student debt, especially if they default.

Well, that's a coincidence! I have little sympathy for anyone that only has $20 000 savings after 30 years of working.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

That is still better then McDonalds. Although I hear at the trailer court that the shift commander at Micky D's is a hot tamali with the ladies there.

That depends on what you want. If you just want to get rich McD's is a good place to start. If you want a career with a nice title, go to college.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I left college after two years (1973) and paid back my student loans. I read a lot of people weren't paying their loans back.

It's a huge, and growing, problem.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Well, that's a coincidence! I have little sympathy for anyone that only has $20 000 savings after 30 years of working.

Neither do I, even for myself. I always knew I would eventually prosper, and I have. $$