Correct. Therefore, if I have $5000 to spend on a vacation or training to upgrade my skills and earn it back, I think I should make the sensible decision and go with the latter.

In a perfect world where money is no object, the vacation is going to win out as is the training course. However, as someone said, "Man's wants are many. His resources are limited. Choose wisely."

A vacation trip is a LUXURY. Getting training for a job, be it a carpenter, RN, MD, CNC Machinist, Electrician, etc, etc is NOT. I think it is wiser to satisfy the job part and then worry about your European vacation.

It sucks that in life, you cannot have it all. I need a car to get me to and from work. I don't need a Limo. I'd be willing to help my child and float him/her a loan so he/she can get a car to go to work if he/she is struggling because the car has a cracked block. OTOH, if he/she wants a loan so he/she can go out and buy a $5000 stereo system, I'll pass.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Words of wisdom!

twisted words of a person who refuses to see the other side of a debate...
read the last few pages.

Aklim sees a college education as a luxury, and as something which should not be striven for or achieved except by the wealthy elite.
Obviously he is also someone without children....hmmmmmm.....

wonder how much education some of these folks have???

Captain Obtuse strikes again.... :rolleyes:

This was not a 'what would you spend your money on' question, despite you treating it like one.
You stated
My response was, "what about a vacation?"
Where is there any more than a 'good feeling' return??
Have you ever taken a vacation?

Simply trying to point out that your black and white view is not the only way to see the issue.
For many, getting a college education is worth far more than it costs, even if it does not translate into the financial windfall that it is for others.
You obviously do not wish to see this basic fact, and seemingly would like to see the status quo preserved in so far as the cost of higher education, and who reaps the rewards of the loans taken out to procure the same.

Nonsense. I believe you should strive for what you want in life be it an education or a rubber duck. Stop twisting words.

Feel free to dispute the answer to your questions if you could.

alright... you made me laugh with that one....:D:D

All fine and dandy but what exactly is your objection, if any? That asking you to strive and make sacrifices for what you want and your betterment is a bad thing? Or that we need to hand you everything on a silver platter?

I'll take option 3 - neither of the above.

The tuition program is not a free ride, it is a method of deferring payments over many years, and collecting those payments as a fraction of your income.
Some will pay more, some will pay less, some will continue to pay as they go.
Hopefully none will end up completely buried under student loan debt.

What is the value of an educated population?

If one cannot answer that simple question then the whole 40/40/40 thing is essentially a charade.

Indubitably-

"mommy and daddy paid for My schoolin- but I think everyone should bend over and grab them bootstraps"

Agreed and more affordable universities are a good start. Being educated is great, but graduating $100k or $200k in the hole to get it is financially crippling for most of a persons working life.

College was pretty affordable until the feds got involved, now the cost has gone threw the roof.

Although an interesting side note I think the college bubble has peaked. A few super pricey schools last fall had to lower prices to get enrollment up, or are seeing it drop due to high cost.

Lets look at Yale for example. Their endowment is massive over $1B, they own half of New Haven, and spend money like they own a printing press. It costs $58k with room and board to go to Yale for one year. I bet if they charged only say half that they could provide the same education, but they would have to tighten their belt on adding to their $1B investment fund.

Travel is NOT worthless; it's educational if approached with the right attitude. People who grow up interacting with different cultures generally end up being more successful than people who grew up stuck in their little shtetl.

Also, it's never impossible to work while traveling, whether legally or illegally. If anything, it's become easier to do contract work for clients abroad and be paid into a US account than it was 25 years ago. Wink-nudge.

The way you put it, it is such a great deal that I don't know why I'd pass it up. You believe the shysters on the street that come to you with such a deal? I run. Why would you believe it is so great? Because you want to believe it or because you refuse to look at recent history? Look at all the promises of what politicians tell you. A lot of pretty words that come up to you taking it in the butt. Fannie and Freddie sounded pretty good at the start. Worked well too. Oops. A hiccup followed by a bailout. Bank management? Same. Solyndra? Ignored warning signs to make political points. Can I listen in on your calls without reason? Siphoning funds from this to pay that? Now how would anyone believe this "too good to be true deal" unless they were talking themselves into it? Because this is a new chapter and the past is forgotten? Seriously?

From what I have seen, an education is cheap or expensive depending on how you do things. If you are diligent, it is a cheap investment that pays over and over. If you choose foolishly, it is horribly expensive. If you go get an education that designs widgets that are in wide demand, you just wrote your ticket. If you choose to do a PhD in Sherlock Holmes, probably your education just got expensive before you started. Regardless, your choices are not anybody's business but your own.

All this put together, why is it a good thing that govt gets involved? The risk of something bad is zero. Why? Because something silly will be done. The good sounding bill will come out with some pork here and there. At which time, the cost suddenly will go from ZERO to who knows what. Money will get transfered from here to there down to something we won't know or understand. IIRC, our last governor took money from the road tax fund and balanced the budget with it, all the while, we have potholes with a little road. Utility companies were supposed to give us a surcharge for Grandpa and Grandma to afford heat. Money transferred to funding the DA's office. Is there any chance that this won't end up the same way? I think not.

IF, and I emphasise the phrase "IF", you can afford it. If you are barely able to make it from paycheck to paycheck, taking out a loan to go overseas is stupid. OTOH, if you can, it is a good experience.