My son graduated from a 4-year university with zero debt this week!

[Snarkoleptic]

Warning- Vanity Post:
He could have graduated in 3 1/2 years (due to AP credits from high school), but took off the fall 2018 semester to do a Zoology internship.
This was all done under his own power with scholarships and grant money, plus $3,000 from his grandparents to buy my old company car (valued at $9,500).
So proud of his accomplishment and pleased he's able to pursue his passion without the burden of student loan debt.
Back in the day, I worked in banking and routinely saw $60K - $120K in student loans, which I viewed as a tax on our future.

We need to (once again) recognize that spending on education is not just spending, but an investment in our future.

[brer cat]

1. Congratulations to the new graduate!

It's a major accomplishment that he made it through without debt.

[Snarkoleptic]

17. Thanks!

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. Congratulations!

[Snarkoleptic]

18. Thanks!

[calimary]

3. It's absolutely an investment in our collective future.

We ALL benefit!

[MLAA]

4. Couldn't agree more...I don't have kids, but believe all kids who want it should get an education

at our joint expense (taxes). And congrats on your son’s wonderful achievement!!!!

[Snarkoleptic]

19. Thanks!

[lunasun]

5. Congrats to your son ! What's his plan now? After celebrating of course

Did he stay in IL for school?
My HS daughter is thinking about zoology and we are in Chicago that’s why I’m asking .
He did good brag away

[Snarkoleptic]

12. Thanks!

He's working at a small zoo now and has an application out at a prestigious one about 50-miles away.
The one he's applied at is the one where he did his internship, plus logged over 800 volunteer hours at during high school.
They also gave him a total of $10K in scholarships, so they seem to like him...a lot!

[Indykatie]

6. Graduating Debt Free is So Rare These Days

My granddaughter accomplished it with a combination of scholarships, a little Pell money, working as a RA in 3rd and 4th year and some help from granny. She stayed in state but it still cost $30K a year.

[Snarkoleptic]

13. My son was and Academic Peer Advocate during his junior year, in excange for free room and meal card

The APA is like an RA, but for academically at-risk students. Each month, he'd get a list of students he needed to reach out to and help direct them to resources.
Staying in-state also kept costs down.

[BigmanPigman]

7. When anyone says "Why bother?"

tell them that public school education is paid for with our taxes and no one has been complaining about that for as long as there has been free public education K-12. I am tired of hearing, "Why should I pay for your kid's college when I don't even have kids?". I'd like to know where that type of person thinks his free education came from.

[Snarkoleptic]

14. Yeah, these are the folks who climed the ladder and now want to burn it down.

They also fail to realize that good schools are a major factor in maintaining home values.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Good for him!

I suspect that because of your banking past you made it clear to him what a bad idea student debt is, and probably helped him to avoid it.

I get so frustrated when I read so many stories of kids just blithely borrowing thousands upon thousands of dollars, without ever once asking themselves if there's any kind of a job in their field of study.

I am also appalled that so much smaller a percentage of the cost of college and university is paid for by the states. The burden has been steadily shifted to the students (and their parents) and that's completely wrong.

Back when I was first going to college in the mid-60s, it was possible to work at a minimum wage job in the summer, and so long as you lived at home and saved most of that paycheck, you'd earn enough to cover tuition and fees, at least at the less expensive schools. I once told my younger son that, and he simply could not believe me.

[Snarkoleptic]

15. Thanks!

I was in banking/finance since the 1980's but it all blew up in the Second Republican Great Depression, forcing a career change.
Newly broke, I worked to identify all available scholarship funds. His H.S. guidance office had a spreadsheet with info on scholarships awarded to prior students.
He got some money from Lions, Rotary, a local environmental group, a big regional zoo, etc.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

33. Excellent! There are often relatively obscure scholarships available

that most kids have no idea about and often no way of finding out about. I am very impressed at his high school counselor. I know they are overworked, so this is wonderful.

[Kablooie]

9. That will be a big boost for his future.

Most kids have huge loans to pay off and it can really cripple their life at a time they should be going out and experiencing things.
We managed to pay both our kid's tuitions, so they are debt free also.

My tuition was paid by my parents too but it was only about $600 a semester back then, somewhere around 1632 or so if I remember right.

[Initech]

10. Yeah the debt my brothers have is insane.

One went to medical school ($300K+) and the other went to law school ($125K+). I'm in a major right now and I'm looking to transfer to a university but I am not looking forward to the loans.

[madville]

11. Congrats, my son graduated in December

debt-free with a two-year Industrial Electrician degree from a technical college. He also worked for a residential electrical company during the day while going to school at night. Got a job immediately starting at 70k a year at a manufacturing facility with great benefits. He had four job offers to choose from and the average electrician at his place made $106k last year with overtime is what they told him in the job interview. I encourage young people to look at the trades, all his friends that have gone into trade/technical fields have had no problem getting good jobs.

[Snarkoleptic]

16. Sounds like a solid union job!

Nice!

[madville]

20. It is union

They are under USW.

[Snarkoleptic]

22. The major zoo that my son just applied to is also union.

The zookeepers are represented by the Teamsters Union and have amazing benefits.

[NickB79]

21. I have questions

Did he live at home, on campus or in an apartment?

Meal plan if not at home?

What kind of college (state, private, etc)?

How many jobs did he work in the 4 yr of college?

I also got thru college without debt, but that was 20 yr ago. I haven't met anyone who's done it since.

[Snarkoleptic]

24. He's super-smart and has a disability, which opened the door to additional scholarship oporotunities

Did he live at home, on campus or in an apartment?
He lived on campus for 3-years and in an apartment for a semester. Due to APA credits, he could have graduated in 3.5 years, but took off last fall to do an internship.

Meal plan if not at home?
Meal plan for the 3-years he was in a dorm. Junior year, he was an APA, which is like an RA that's focused solely on assisting academically at-risk students. This provide him free single-occupancy room and meal plan.

What kind of college (state, private, etc)?
In state college. He had out-of-state offers, but this was the clearest path to a zero-debt degree.

How many jobs did he work in the 4 yr of college?
With the exception of APA (Academic Peer Advocate), he only did summer jobs (lifeguard and animal care at a small local zoo).

I also got thru college without debt, but that was 20 yr ago. I haven't met anyone who's done it since.
Yeah, it's not easy!

[NickB79]

37. Awesome!

[theaocp]

23. Super awesome.

I'm very happy for him and you to not have such an unnecessary stress on your lives. Cheers.

[Snarkoleptic]

25. Thanks!

He's wanted to be a zookeeper since he was a kid.
The pay is not stellar (although they have awesome Teamster Union benefits), so graduating without debt was essential.

[lapucelle]

26. Congratulations to your son!

And bravo to the proud papa for helping to make it happen!



And for good measure:

[Snarkoleptic]

29. Thanks!

He knows exactly what he wants to do in his career, but I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up (I'm in my 50's).

[Ohiogal]

27. Well done! Congratulations!

My three sons all graduated from 4-year college programs debt free, as well.

It wasn’t easy (my husband is a public school teacher). We spent all our $ on our kids’ educations and did without. (All 3 had jobs from high school on, as well).

Best wishes to all of you.

[Snarkoleptic]

38. Thanks!

Such a major win for them!!

[WorkDoctor]

28. Great to be free of debt and the psychological burden it brings

Back in the 70-80's I was able to work summers to cover pricey private liberal arts college expenses, then moved to California where graduate education (thru PhD) was essentially tuition free to residents (after only a few small fees). Yes, Virginia, public higher ed WAS once free, not just an imagined future. Good on you and your family for having such a talented kid who attracted scholarships, too.

[Snarkoleptic]

30. Thanks!

I read an article that the GI bill paid back the initial investment six-fold.
Now that the oligarchs and corporations have us in a stranglehold, we cannot understand the difference between spending and investment.

[badhair77]

31. Congratulations! What an accomplishment.

Sounds like he worked hard in and out of the classroom.

[Snarkoleptic]

34. Thanks, he's such a dude!

[corbettkroehler]

32. Right On - Student Debt Is A Tax On The Nation's Future

Congratulations on your family's major accomplishment!

[Snarkoleptic]

35. Thanks!

[dumbcat]

36. And in other news ........

A bunch of graduates are going to have tens of thousands of their student debt paid off by a billionaire.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212109954

Frankly, I like the way your son did it better. Congrats to him.