For the college folks

[Travelover]

.................
I think a lot of kids have this false sense of entitlement and parents have a distorted sense of responsibility. I believe I have an obligation to help my children go to college but there will not be a blank check. Unless they have obtained scholarships, or are paying themselves, where they go to school will be dictated by my finances and will probably mean that the first two years will be completed at a community college.

I agree 100%. In my experience (retired engineer), once you start work, it really doesn't matter much where you went to school - you are rated on your subsequent achievements. A big name college might give you an edge in getting in the door, but not necessarily. Not starting life with huge debt is definitely a big plus.

 

[Chuck52]

I ride the vanpool with a lady who is getting ready to send her son to college. She already has a daughter in college who is in her third year. I asked her if it was a financial strain and if she looked at colleges based on costs. Her response was that it was a strain but she would never send her kids to a college they did not want to go to. I heard her talk about her son in the past and while he is not a bad kid he is average in every way.

I think a lot of kids have this false sense of entitlement and parents have a distorted sense of responsibility. I believe I have an obligation to help my children go to college but there will not be a blank check. Unless they have obtained scholarships, or are paying themselves, where they go to school will be dictated by my finances and will probably mean that the first two years will be completed at a community college.

That can probably be a good option for some kids, but be aware that if your child does two years at a community college and then wants to pursue a four year degree at a college or university, he/she may still take 3-4 years to finish because for many programs there are early requirements that a community college just won't have. A better option might be a smaller state university, which will often have lower tuition and costs than the big state research university. For many degrees, the smaller state schools also often have programs that are comparable and might be better than the big football schools.

Chuck

 

[Obed]

That can probably be a good option for some kids, but be aware that if your child does two years at a community college and then wants to pursue a four year degree at a college or university, he/she may still take 3-4 years to finish because for many programs there are early requirements that a community college just won't have. A better option might be a smaller state university, which will often have lower tuition and costs than the big state research university. For many degrees, the smaller state schools also often have programs that are comparable and might be better than the big football schools.

Chuck

That is true if you don't do your homework. However, there are community colleges that have arrangements with their in-state 4 year universities so it is possible for the kid to go 2 years at that CC and only 2 more years at the university.

 

[Obed]

BUT it's hard to beat the credentials a good college will give you in 4 to 6 years by doing something else, especially in your early twenties. ...
Rob

I work in Info Technology (IT). Over the past 2 years, I've interviewed approximately 2 people per month on average for job openings we have. I will say that our department does not care at all where you got your degree. Many of the computer programmers we have hired don't even have degrees. If you can convince us that you can program a computer in our environment and that you will fit into our company culture, then you will get hired. In my career, I've never personally encountered a company that gave any consideration regarding which college you attended when hiring programmers. I did contract work for over a decade at several different companies; nobody cared about where you went to school. All that mattered was your experience and your knowlege, not where you got your degree.

And a masters degree in computer science is unlikely to ever earn you as much as it cost you. Our company would give you no preference for having a MS and would not pay you more either. You could earn more at our company by spending two years getting experience in the work force than you could from spending two years getting a masters in computer science.

I can't speak for other lines of work. But in general, private businesses tend to hire people because of what they know, not where they went to school.

Obed

 

[Chuck52]

That is true if you don't do your homework. However, there are community colleges that have arrangements with their in-state 4 year universities so it is possible for the kid to go 2 years at that CC and only 2 more years at the university.

Didn't say it wasn't possible. Some kids earn enough credits in high school to finish a four year degree early. They are the exception. Of course it also depends on the degree. It will be more difficult to finish a four year degree in the sciences in four total years if the first two are spent at a community college....it is increasingly difficult to finish in four years starting at a four year institution. IT is one of those areas where I can easily believe that a degree is less important than real life experience, and it also is an area where one can get real life experience without a degree...kind of goes hand-in-hand. I have a nephew who is the IT for a major medical office with several physicians. He has a degree, but I expect the real life experience he got while earning the degree, by working in the IT department of a college, had as much to do with his getting the high $$$ job as the degree itself.

As I said somewhere way up in this thread, one thing colleges do these days is substitute for the real life experience one used to get by the apprentice and jouneyman route.

My point about the smaller state universities vs community colleges was that the whole degree may be offered at the smaller college or university, at lower prices than the big U. Worth checking the prices and looking into the work-study opportunities. May be a better plan than the community college or not, depending on a number of factors that will vary with the student.

Chuck

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Speaking of IT and such... Ever see the TV commercials for Western Governors University, an online university. I did a little looking on the web today, doesn't look like they really have much in the way of accreditation...

 

[aczlan]

Speaking of IT and such... Ever see the TV commercials for Western Governors University, an online university. I did a little looking on the web today, doesn't look like they really have much in the way of accreditation...

What do you mean? Looking at their page on the subject (found here) they claim to be accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as well as several other specialty accrediting bodies (such as for nursing and teaching). In something that seems unique, their IT degrees get you not only a degree, but a handful of industry certifications to boot. Not a bad combination.

Aaron Z

 

[Rob-D]

I work in Info Technology (IT). Over the past 2 years, I've interviewed approximately 2 people per month on average for job openings we have. I will say that our department does not care at all where you got your degree. Many of the computer programmers we have hired don't even have degrees. If you can convince us that you can program a computer in our environment and that you will fit into our company culture, then you will get hired. In my career, I've never personally encountered a company that gave any consideration regarding which college you attended when hiring programmers. I did contract work for over a decade at several different companies; nobody cared about where you went to school. All that mattered was your experience and your knowlege, not where you got your degree.

And a masters degree in computer science is unlikely to ever earn you as much as it cost you. Our company would give you no preference for having a MS and would not pay you more either. You could earn more at our company by spending two years getting experience in the work force than you could from spending two years getting a masters in computer science.

I can't speak for other lines of work. But in general, private businesses tend to hire people because of what they know, not where they went to school.

Obed

Yes and no. First when I talk about a good school I'm talking about one that has a valid curriculum in an area like engineering not necessarily the big ten. Would you hire someone to design electronic circuits who didn't have a degree in electronic engineering? Would you hire someone to build a bridge who wasn't a civil engineer with credentials?

Yes, someone who doesn't know how to apply learning is useless but someone off the street with common sense isn't going to build bridges either. Those are the credentials I'm talking about and the fastest way to get them is school.

Rob

 

[buckeyefarmer]

What do you mean? Looking at their page on the subject (found here) they claim to be accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as well as several other specialty accrediting bodies (such as for nursing and teaching). In something that seems unique, their IT degrees get you not only a degree, but a handful of industry certifications to boot. Not a bad combination.

Aaron Z

Thanks, I somehow missed that. that is exactly what I was looking for.
with this accreditation, this is a really good deal on an IT degree.

 

[forgeblast]

The best I have heard is
"Common Sense is not that common" (I think Will Rodgers)
And
Go to college for a career, not a hobby. (Advice a friend said his father gave him).

The man who wrote the book about different intelligences is Howard Gardner.

A very interesting book to read is
Last Child in the Woods by richard louv

I think that the way we judge teachers is pretty much askew of any other profession. Think about it, we judge them on how other peoples kids act and learn. What if in your profession you were not judge on how you worked but how your neighbors kids acted or did on the state tests.

Everyone has the same access to education in this country, some people chose to learn, some choose to skate on through, some drop out. I went to a state university because I did the math. 146 credits for undergrad at $35 a credit or $300 a credit at a privet college. I can say that for most undergrad degrees a state school is the better choice $$ wise. Spend you money for the grad/phd's but when its undergrad with a lot of credits go with the lower cost. I took classes at community colleges to transfer in the summer to cut my costs and took "Clep" tests where you can study on your own, take a test and get credit for a class(we were only allowed to Clep out of 2 classes but that was 6 credits for free).