NJ Bar Exam / Career changes

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No college debt for me at all. Unheard of. Too bad I was too immature to appreciate it at the time. I was a complete straw neck until my Jr. and Sr. years. I have a few regrets in my life – and not waking up in the world until I passed 20 or so is one of them. Anyway my dad did use the leftover for a sliver of his retirement.

My kids have it made and don't even know it. Fully funded education from a multimillion dollar trust. The younger will use it and go on to bigger and greater things. The older doesn't want to talk about it. How much does beauty school or tattoo school cost, anyway?
 
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Times have changed. Unless you get a full scholarship or rich parents, who can afford $60k-$80k for an undergraduate education by working? I don't know of many. Then, once you are thru with undergrad, and chose to go to grad school, it's even more debt.

I'm sick and tired of hearing "When I was a kid, I walked 50 miles to school in 10 feet of snow and paid for my college education all on my own. I now have no debt." Give me an effen break. What job can a high school student get that would even allow him to come close to paying for college?
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Well I did work my a~~ off in my last two years of school - I had a lab job (I turned it into an internship) (but I did get paid!) 4:00AM - 8 or 9:00 AM - then off to school during the day and then night class/labs as well. (No time for bong hits and stuff) My four year degree took 4 years. I do agree that a person working through school would have to take forever if at all possible - but I thought you would want to hear my sob story!
 
I worked all through college, but it was to pay for car insurance and other misc. things like books etc. I drove used cars. My frist car was a 1985 Dodge Daytona. POS. The second car I owned was a 1987 Corolla. Gave it to my cousin with 200k on it, he put another 100k on it. Died at 300k bc the dope forgot to put oil in it. I was/still am not a party person. I did what I had to do. I refused to go to an expensive school.

I only have $10,000 in student loans. Much lower than most of my friends. I stayed local and went to a state school to save money. I was lucky enough to receive some financial aide bc during that time period my dad lost his job. So I lucked out in some way. I have not gone to grad school and if I did I don't know if I would want to take the $$ out to pay for it.
 
Thanks to GI Bill and part-time work was able to get the two-year degree. The 4-year degree came later and ate up the savings but was lucky that I was part of a mass lay-off (jobs went overseas) so the feds (actually YOUR money, taxpayers, and I DO appreciate it and tank you!!!) and the union kicked in some bucks so that helped avoid borrowing money.

Recalling the junior college years I remember how tough it was for folks in Modesto California to find those part-time jobs. Even minimum wage full-time waork was hard to find!!!! I saw full-grown adults lined up at the fast food joint applying for minimum wage work. Yep, times were tough in that area. Reported unemployment of 25-percent at the time but I am convinced it was higher; what with the way the govt. determines the unemployment rate. There WERE literally starving students at Modesto Jr. College but gosh darn it!!!!! We were increasingly intelligent starving students!!!!!

High housing costs must hurt many students. Lucky are those who can live at home and attend a local school.
 
who pays for 60-80k 4 year bachelors? my tuition back in 2000 at univ of memphis was $1600/semester full time in state. however, now in 2007, $2500/semester full time in state. I'm 29 years old, no debt besides new vibe.
 
With the exception of my first semester, I paid every penny of my college tuition and fees. No grants, no scholarships, just work, work, and for variety, work.
Of course back then, even during my return to university in the mid-90's, tuition for UNC was about what it is for junior college here these days.
 
WOW!! Just last week on The Nightly Business Report they showed the graph for education and inflation. Over the span of ten years inflation went up by 84% and the cost of education both at private and public universities went up 266%. They furter said this is the cost for professors, lab equipment and maintenance.
 
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Times have changed. Unless you get a full scholarship or rich parents, who can afford $60k-$80k for an undergraduate education by working? I don't know of many. Then, once you are thru with undergrad, and chose to go to grad school, it's even more debt.

I'm sick and tired of hearing "When I was a kid, I walked 50 miles to school in 10 feet of snow and paid for my college education all on my own. I now have no debt." Give me an effen break. What job can a high school student get that would even allow him to come close to paying for college?
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Actually, I did exactly what you say can't be done. I worked for a company with tuition reimbursement and it took 8 years of night school. But I finished debt free.
 
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WOW!! Just last week on The Nightly Business Report they showed the graph for education and inflation. Over the span of ten years inflation went up by 84% and the cost of education both at private and public universities went up 266%. They furter said this is the cost for professors, lab equipment and maintenance.

Click to expand...


College costs and the resultant tuition costs are just plain out of control! What does that tell you about the quality of an education system that can not be productive?
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Fox actually had a great series on this last year. Not even any bias. It is ridiculous - the teaching is the same or probably worse and the product is 266% more expensive.

BTW Buster - Are the results in?
 
She won't get them back for awhile unfortunately. If the U.S. could somehow fix the healthcare problems and cost of education, we'd be in really good shape. College costs are really hurting the middle class.
 
I will tell you guys what we need for the middle class and it is not currently PC.

Put the trades and crafts back in High School. Not every kid is going to be happy or succesful in the academic atmosphere and pushing all kids to do so is not realistic.
Oil companies are scrambling to figure out where the next generation of skilled tradesmen are going to come from.
It's nice to have engineers but you are going to need electricians, Welders and other craftsmen to get anything done.
Another major pipeline is about to be built in Alaska. It will suck the labor force from the lower 48.
Auto mechanics who can do technical diagnotstics and understand more than parts swaps are going to be extremely well paid in the future.
I have many friends on both the trade side of the workforce and the profesional side. The pay differnce is not remarkable at all.

For college bound students they need to get put into accerated programs and pushed hard to complete as many college hours as they can before HS graduation. Offering the potential to get half the hours required for a BA or #@$%! in state would make it within financial reach for those who are stuck in no mans financial land (not poor enough, not rich enough and not strong enough a student for a full ride scholarship)
Note that I haven't mentioned Intelligence. I don't think it matters as much as aptitude and general interests.

If a kid is pushed to go to school and get a degree before he/she has made that decision for themselves they are generally going to be unhappy with what they studied.

I think our entire education/training systtem is screwed up.
 
Bryan you make a valid point. Can an economy survive without a manufacturing base?
 
Not just manufacturing but many services such as auto maintenance, Plumbing, electricians, HVAC repair(to keep the office workers comfy).
Also our civil servants, Police, and Firemen, many of which know they want to be in Law enforcement or the FD or a paramedic while in Highschool.
Why not offer Criminology, Fire sciences and EMT training for high schoolers, perhaps coop with the local community colleges for these type of courses. Then streamline those with academic interests intro the college bound courses.

There is nothing wrong with making such a choice, in fact many kids don't have a lot of interests in continuing school and are pushed by there well meaning parents into a situation that they have no interests in being in.


The reason that College and postgraduate school is getting so high is due to one thing. Demand. Every parent is pushing Johnny and Janie to go to continue education and views anything less as not good enough. This is keeping up with the Jones's on steroids. And then you have a bunch of educated young adults who have no interest in what they studied. They never did have an interest they just did it because that was the next step they were expected to take (by their parents, peers and themselves).

So now we have a large population of educated people wanting to change careers and having to spend more money to do so through academia.

Meanwhile The sports stadiums get bigger, the professors get tenures and live in yuppie heaven and a large portion of the American population is in debt to the academic establishment and still not happy with what they do.

I know many tradesmen that have great lives and families, beautiful homes and all the benefits that I have. Many of them never went to school. And quite a few defected from professions such as brokers and accountants and picked up a wrench and have been happy ever since.

If you truly desire to do something it is worth going into debt for to get their educationally. Your Fiancee sounds like she really wanted this and it is worth the investment. If you really are interested in a different career then decide to do it and pursue it with the full intent of being better than the rest, a standout. If you aren't interested enough to make that kind of effort then you aren't really that interested.
 
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