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Old 07-13-2011, 09:34 AM
 
635 posts, read 1,654,203 times
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Do you agree or disagree?


degree-not-worth-debt-cnnmoney: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/113010/degree-not-worth-debt-cnnmoney - broken link)
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Old 07-13-2011, 09:42 AM
 
Location: Cypress, TX
1,690 posts, read 3,134,484 times
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I don't know, I think some of these colleges are getting outrageously expensive. I don't know if it's because of the millions of dollars they pay the coaches, or what. I went to a small university that didn't even have a football team. Came out with a bachelor's degree and no debt because the school was so cheap. Landed a good job and get paid comparable to my co-workers who went to the big money football schools. I think people just have to evaluate their finances and see if they can really afford it. Like buying a Mercedes vs. a Honda. Is the prestige worth it to you? They both get you where you want to go.
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Old 07-13-2011, 09:43 AM
 
Location: Where nothing ever grows. No rain or rivers flow, Texas
1,085 posts, read 1,495,741 times
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agreed
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Old 07-13-2011, 09:43 AM
 
295 posts, read 1,134,427 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kreeyax View Post
I don't know, I think some of these colleges are getting outrageously expensive. I don't know if it's because of the millions of dollars they pay the coaches, or what. I went to a small university that didn't even have a football team. Came out with a bachelor's degree and no debt because the school was so cheap. Landed a good job and get paid comparable to my co-workers who went to the big money football schools. I think people just have to evaluate their finances and see if they can really afford it. Like buying a Mercedes vs. a Honda. Is the prestige worth it to you? They both get you where you want to go.

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Old 07-13-2011, 09:59 AM
NTT
 
Location: Houston
723 posts, read 1,767,170 times
Reputation: 553
Quote:
Originally Posted by kreeyax View Post
I don't know, I think some of these colleges are getting outrageously expensive. I don't know if it's because of the millions of dollars they pay the coaches, or what. I went to a small university that didn't even have a football team. Came out with a bachelor's degree and no debt because the school was so cheap. Landed a good job and get paid comparable to my co-workers who went to the big money football schools. I think people just have to evaluate their finances and see if they can really afford it. Like buying a Mercedes vs. a Honda. Is the prestige worth it to you? They both get you where you want to go.
I agree in this respect as Kreeyax's comment above. Colleges & University should put more effort in making higher education more affordable. IMHO, a higher educated society results in a better nation.

I just hope that the article doesn't steer young ones from continuing and achieving higher level of education. What we learned, we get to keep it for the rest of our lives; regardless, whether that knowledge is applicable to our jobs or not. I do find that at times, my education has been beneficial to my personal life.
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Old 07-13-2011, 10:31 AM
 
17,359 posts, read 23,567,422 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by emirate25 View Post
Do you agree or disagree?


degree-not-worth-debt-cnnmoney: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/113010/degree-not-worth-debt-cnnmoney - broken link)
The name of the game is "Take public funding away, then make hard working people pay out of their pocket"
What's wrong with that... it punishes kids that have poor parents.

"Some politicians" constantly vote to take money away from education "to balance the budget" but never proposed to take money away from things that rich people need: Police, Firefighters, roads, highways, etc.
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Old 07-13-2011, 10:35 AM
 
17,359 posts, read 23,567,422 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kreeyax View Post
I went to a small university that didn't even have a football team. Came out with a bachelor's degree and no debt because the school was so cheap.
Some people that seem to live in fantasy land say "Those football teams make money for the university".

Tell that to a guy (me) that went to a university where the whole football team was on a full scholarship and didn't win a single game 2 seasons in a row.
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Old 07-13-2011, 10:38 AM
 
Location: West Houston
1,075 posts, read 2,819,601 times
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Agree with all the comments above, and would add:

Each of the individuals got a degree in some field that was not really in high demand: Political Science (only thing to do with that is compete for a very small pool of teaching jobs at low pay, or go to law school), Public Health (always low paid except for a very few positions at the very top), Engineering with a specialty in designing "high-end autos"--well, geepers, there's a lot of call for that one, how many of those jobs are there in the entire world? Yes, he has an engineering degree (from a hideously expensive school), but so do many graduates of Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Texas Tech (much cheaper).

I have always thought it was tough, making 18 year old kids make huge decisions that will impact them for life, but that's the way it's always been (think apprenticeship in England in the 1700's).

I especially agree with the comment above about "Mercedes vs. Honda--both will get you there." I graduated from Baylor, and I had a lot of scholarships, etc., but I would NEVER go there now when I could go somewhere like UofH for far less money.

My sister has a Bachelor's degree from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and she makes the same money I do....

...and both of us were saying this morning, plumbers and electricians make more than we do...
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Old 07-13-2011, 11:05 AM
 
Location: In a van down by the river
75 posts, read 158,858 times
Reputation: 50
First two years at a community college then remaining years at a university will save a lot of expense as well. Plus you end up with a degree from the university upon successful completion of requirements.

You can use the first two (or more) years for "self-discovery, changing majors, interests" etc. without taking a huge tuition and fee hit.

Plus, a lot of community colleges have vocational programs in which a student can enroll if the bachelors+ degree route is not appropriate.

True, community college costs have skyrocketed over the past decade as well, but are still a fraction of that of universities.
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Old 07-13-2011, 11:19 AM
 
1,534 posts, read 3,355,373 times
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In the States, education is like an investment. Just like you wouldn't want to overpay for a house that has little resale potential, one should not pay the high tuition of private college for a degree with little marketability and little income potential. As pointed out by previous posters, some of these people in the article made poor decisions. Hollywood has always lauded the ideal of following your fantastical dreams and whims, -that's the American way. Well, a good dose of realism sometimes helps. Look at your financial means, don't over borrow, get degrees that you enjoy but also has a good income later. I really do greatly admire people who follow their dreams and take the less travelled road and give up on material goods, but the problem is many of these people don't succeed in their goals and years later, they regret their decisions and become very bitter. For every Hollywood ending, there are probably 99 other disillusioned people.
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