Thanks, that's what I thought.

My Brothers and I were fortunate to have parents that sans spending money, paid 100% of our tuition/room & board/ for up to a 4-yr. BA or BS degree. We all took advantage of the deal - however not all of us attained the BS or BA. My older Brother eventually got his MS & Ph D, but that was on him. The only way they could afford to do this was because they, (our parents) had built, owned, and managed their own rental properties. Which were a couple small apartment buildings they built 10 years prior - that threw-off the money to pay for things like colleges for their kids. My Father's income outside the rental properties would not have done it.

Me? I'd cash-flow it were I a parent - if I could, that's the way to go to give yer kids a start in life, without loans hanging over their heads.

College is not necessarily the best way to prepare for a work-career, and sometimes some of the things learned there need to be unlearned afterwards. Many trades are better suited for many young people entering the workforce. Finding one's cup of tea, is the challenge.

We got a few lucky breaks so our kids will be mostly paid for via savings, and scholarship and grant money.

The best route financially is to start out the first year or 2 at a local junior or county college to get all the basic course work out of the way. Then getting into a state or private school is often easier if you have good grades. The problem is getting a kid to agree, and to forgo the first years of the campus college life experience. Usually they have no idea what they are getting into when they sign up for a $20K loan.

Filling out the FAFSA is important. Schools will often kick in an amount to meet your family contribution threshold. That still doesn't make it cheap, but its the best way we have found, short of quitting your job or doing something unlawful.

Regardless of work plans, I would recommend almost everyone having some post-secondary education. Not everyone wants/needs a degree, but having some formal education is always a good thing. Many young people (including myself, at the time) thought of college as a trade school, that is a missed opportunity to actually learn something.

I wouldn't recommend doing the community collage route unless it is necessary due to cost or grades. Community collage is not the same experience as a four-year college, and many students will lose a year due to transfer credits not being accepted. For some people it's the only way to able to obtain a degree, but it's not optimum.

I do know a guy who was a reputable plastic surgeon who was hired as a med school prof in residence and his salary was $ 295,000. His specialty was reconstructive surgery of the skull following major traumatic accidents. Apparently he was also a brain surgeon as well.

Given all his experience he barely hit $ 300,000 in the med school. But he decided to do that and only consult occasionally, he felt the need to train more surgeons because the work load was too much for him, and the stress was getting to him.

To say he barely hit 300,000 as if it were nothing may sound crass. But he has amazing skills and apparently he's been doing it for a while. He told me about one operation wher ehe had to make a device to hold the brain for a day in a certain position while two teams (his and his partner's) worked around the clock to reconstruct the lady's skull. It was a success and six months later she had all of her physical faculties except a slightly reduced sense of taste. And she was 65!

That's skill I don't mind paying for. It's the difference between life as a vegetable and life after an almost mortal accident.

But his skill is rare. 300 grand is worth it.

NROTC + parents (we) are paying room and board etc. No debt is a big advantage, having a job after grad and the possibility of getting a flight assignment. Paying for flight hours privately is expensive. You do owe 4-6 years after grad to uncle sam.

Tax deductions for college looked small-nothing for us.

Yes it is risky taking loans as a art major. Hard to live and pay off your loans waiting tables.

They have so many tuition grant programs that 85% of the students get them. I wanted my son to go there but he didn't want to leave the area. His choice.

In the meantime I have forsaken the idea of law school, and am about to transfer my GI BIll benefits to him for his last three years of undergraduate (You guys didn't know this, but I got off three years of Army active duty June 12 of this year, then became a reservist and civilian).

My sister has spend over 60k on an Art major and a Dance Minor over the last 3 years.

When I ask what she wants to do with it, She cant give me a straighter answer then she knows people that have been at that same school for 8 years and havent gone into the workforce yet...

Just stupid... Lots of stupid... I hate that.

I got the taxpayers to cover mine... I'll be in Iraq soon enough:D
So, thanks for the education everyone. I got most of the generals done, and should start core nursing class's soon.

~Nate

Plenty of experienced docs make a mid-six figure income, but a new doc is probably closer the low-six figures. That's not bad, but I know plenty of folks with less responsibility who make more. Being a doc is a tough way to earn a living; if you're just in it for the money, do something else.

If that's what she wants, what's the problem? I've spent a lot more than $60K on stuff with less return in my lifetime. You don't want to know how many $1000s I've spent for things like music lessons and instruments for my kids, I doubt they will ever earn a dime in that field. Whatever makes you happy.

So find yourself a degree that will pay for itself. When you have made the money and want to pursue something like say pottery making or whatever as a luxury, go for it.

Rising loan and student credit rates are the reason why.

It's terrible and I don't agree with it. Dynalow, was the girl you talked to at Chad's GTG? Because I remember hearing about that. I think she was going to the University of Delaware.

It shows me as an employer that you can commit to something and achieve it. That is something important to me. I would rather see that as opposed to somebody who has flights of fancy.