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College

June 18th, 2013 at 02:30 pm

The theme is college.

BM is taking his first "college class" this week. Thankfully, we were able to get two $10 weekly parking permits (for the two weeks of classes). Dh decided to just take him and stay and wait, since it was enough out of the way. I think more carpool opportunities might open up in the next couple of years. I think the program will generate more interest at the middle school level.

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I think this post might explain why I am a little blase about the cost of college.

I received an article from my alma mater about how they had made the top of the list as far as "colleges with best returns."

31 Public colleges in our state made the list, called the 20-30 Club, because they offer an average annual tuition of less than $20,000 and an average post-college entry-level salary of over $30,000. I think the only reason some public colleges did not make the list (since they are all priced the same at each particular level) is because they were in areas (regionally and/or educationally focused) with lower starting salaries. {Even some comminunity colleges made the list}.

But, the thing was, most the colleges cost $1,000 (community college) or $5,000 (State University) on an annual basis. & the average starting salary was $50,000+. Especially around the region we live in. So, some of the colleges could be in the 5-50 club.

In fact, I am not even sure why they bothered with the 20-30 concept, except maybe just comparative to some national standard. The most expensive public college on the list was $11,000 per year.

So, there you have it, I am not getting worked up about it. Actually, with two kids so close in age, and due to recent college input regionally, I am leaning towards community college for both kids. I am very much a "will cross that bridge when we come to it" type, but also obviously, "plan ahead and keep my ears open." So, it's not like I expect today's college and economic landscape to be the same in another 6 or 7 years. But, I am taking note and just making sure we are prepared as can be.

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I believe we had a no-spend weekend. We hit the pool Sunday morning to give the Dad some peace and quiet. We had the pool to ourselves. It was lovely, and very peaceful.

I did spend some time getting organized and made progress on the kitchen.

Yesterday was payday. My remote deposit will hit this a.m. and I will pay off the big credit card. That's it until next payday. 1st of the month is all the rest of our financial doings (savings transfers, pay mortgage, and a few little bills I can't charge, and pay off all the small credit cards). I actually don't have anything in my finances "automated." But, yes, it is very simplified.

11 Responses to “College”

  1. SecretarySaving Says:
    1371576958

    I hope BM has a great first week!

  2. LuckyRobin Says:
    1371587209

    You also might want to consider looking at the trade schools if either of your kiddoes is mechanically inclined at all. A good electrician, welder, draftsman, plumber, or mechanic can pull down bigger wages than many college graduates, because no one is going into the trades and the people that have the skills are aging out, either dying or retiring. My son is interested in designing and working with sustainable electrical systems like the inner workings of dams, solar panels, windmills, and geothermal tubing systems so we are looking into several state trade schools. The jobs will be there, but the people to fill them won't be.

  3. snafu Says:
    1371592289

    The major issue is whether the transferring in university will give crdit for all the courses taken at the Community College. Keep the Syllabus and scan/print out every word of the description + a bio of the instructor. Together they help bolster the argument for acceptance.

  4. Kiki Says:
    1371598810

    I did the community college in Sacramento then transferred to SFSU. Had a great education, small class sizes and saved a ton on money. First year $6 a unit with a cap at $60 a semester. The following year the costs sky rocketed Smile to $10 unit with no cap. Not a lot really but it more than doubled the amount of tuition paid each semester and this was back in 1993. Tuition at SFSU was $991 a semester 1994-97.

    Now it is hard to get classes, lots of students, costs sky rocketing. I have taken classes off and on for the past few years studying the things I always wanted to but didn't have time in school. Sad stories of students taking out loans to afford CC classes.

  5. scfr Says:
    1371604440

    The percentage of applicants admitted may be a concern ... not to imply that your children would have a tough time Wink It seems that more and more are applying for state colleges and the percentage of applicants accepted is decreasing.

  6. MonkeyMama Says:
    1371604505

    @Kiki - Oh, I am well aware of the cost of tuition those years. I went to SJSU 1995-1999. Big Grin (& took a few community college classes).

    Yeah, I've been hearing all the same stories. BUT, this year was rave rave rave about community college and transferring. Which was a significant positive change from what all my clients have been telling me about their college experiences in recent years. What the stories will be in another 8 years when my eldest starts college? Lord knows...


  7. MonkeyMama Says:
    1371605009

    @scfr - Yeah - I know this, but is not of concern when it comes to my kids. (If they do something stupid in the next 8 years that changes my mind about this, well, we will cross that bridge if we have to).

    What I heard is the college program my bff was in is now impossible to get into. I had a client paying $50k per year private school for the same degree because their child could not get into State. O.M.G.

  8. MonkeyMama Says:
    1371606623

    @scfr - Yeah - I know this, but is not of concern when it comes to my kids. (If they do something stupid in the next 8 years that changes my mind about this, well, we will cross that bridge if we have to).

    What I heard is the college program my bff was in is now impossible to get into. I had a client paying $50k per year private school for the same degree because their child could not get into State. O.M.G.

    I edited this to add: Yeah, my bff paid $991 per semester for a more prestigious degree at State, in the late 1990s. (I am sure there was more middle ground, but my client had the money and paid cash for the $250,000 5-year degree, so whatever).

  9. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1371614869

    If either of them become interested in coding, they may not even need that college degree. Big Grin (at least according to MMM ...)

  10. MonkeyMama Says:
    1371648660

    @FT & LR - Yes, you are both right. Actually, some in my family did not go to college but have done very well (trade school and 2-year degrees). The ones that did go to college paid extraordinarily little for very well paying careers. So, my thinking falls more in line with MMM. I believe a college degree can be a great investment and am willing to go that route. But if my only option is to pay six figures, I will be first to say, "Screw that."

  11. MonkeyMama Says:
    1371648734

    P.S. I forgot to say, I know way too many people who got 4-year degrees to get non-skilled jobs at Target. Very literally. Rolleyes The people in my family are just far too logical for that.

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