General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This, my friends, is far too typical for my generation. [View all]jeff47
(26,549 posts)One thing we plan for our kids is to try and steer towards "state" schools.
I went to a small private college, and so paid a ton of money for my degree. But because nobody has heard of the school beyond the local area, paying that extra money resulted in no financial benefit - my degree is "generic degree". Not "degree from impressive school". You could argue I got a better education out of it, but frankly I've learned more on my own over the last 20 years than I ever did in school.
If the kids happen to get into somewhere famous enough to justify the extra cost (MIT, Yale, etc) then sure. But otherwise the degree from my alma mater is working out to be as beneficial in the job market as a degree from a UC that would come with 1/10th the cost.
But we're also going to not "talk down" the trades. There's nothing wrong about being a plumber or carpenter. Heck, it isn't outsource-able. Which may result in no degree, but a nice, relatively stable career.