By Suzanna de BacaNov. 16, 20121 With rising tuition rates, the cost of attending college might be more than what many students and parents anticipated when they began saving for a college education. But, for many families tuition is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many expenses that come along with being (or being the parent of) a college student can add up and cost much more than anticipated. Read more: The 13 Hidden College Expenses | TIME.com
This was my favorite on the list of "Hidden Expenses" How about the "learning experiences outside the classroom" gained through getting a fucking job?
Nearly half of college-educated Americans overqualified for their jobs... Study: Nearly half are overqualified for their jobs January 28, 2013 - Many with degrees will end up as janitors, the study's author says; Others argue that high-value jobs go begging; People with college degrees still earn more, Census data show
Hmmm..... Let's look at those: Books and media: This is unfortunately true. The cost of textbooks are ridiculous. I can say that I try to be aware of textbook cost when I pick books for my students to use, but even then it's hard to avoid. One cheaper option here is to go for the ebook instead of the physical text whenever possible. This is usually an option for the service courses. Class and parking fees: Parking fees can be ducked by encouraging your kids to not have a car on campus. That means your student would be limited to job opportunities on campus if they need cash and has the advantage they'll take their studies more seriously. A lot of students get caught in the vicious cycle of "I need a job to pay for my car to get to my job...". Class fees are also an issue because as states have cut off funding for the public universities, the universities have found potential tuition increases to balance out the cuts mired in red tape. Classroom fees have become a backdoor way to hike tuition by asking the students to pay for classroom costs previously covered by tuition. Having fun: The solution here is to study more. Fraternities and sororities: Choose a school without a greek system, or if you can't afford it, don't let your kids join. Getting involved: This is more tricky than it sounds. Campus involvement is typically a plus for building a resume for life after college, but many of the organizations that look good on a job resume shouldn't have the kind of costs that they're talking about in the article. Furnishings: Goodwill. Electronics: Ok, laptops have become an essential go to item for college students. Past that, there isn't a lot of items in this category that a modern student absolutely has to have. In addition, many campuses offer discounts on computers and software, so this cost can be brought down. Cable TV: I grew up without cable. They can too. Wardrobe: Goodwill. Outside the greek system college students are notorious for making cheap chic. The one exception here is that it is a good idea to buy your son a good suit and your daughter a business formal outfit. It's good to have for interviews on campus and off. Going off to college was the first time in my life I ever owned a suit. Mobile-phone service: This is something you'd have tackled prior to college. You just extend your high school plan for your children into college when possible. Food and beverage: This is a fairly ridiculous thing to list. College students have been getting by on dirt cheap food for years. It's just how it is. Travel: This is a serious hidden expense. If your child goes to a school far removed from home you're looking at plan tickets at least twice a year, more if you want to see them at Christmas or Thanksgiving. There's something to be said for going close to home if possible.
There's an odd dynamic in play here. As more people have college degrees, that means more people are competing for the same jobs. Those that lose out are faced with getting more education to better compete, or taking a job beneath their educational level. That means more overqualified workers and more workers with graduate degrees, pushing the problem up the chain. I fully expect that by the time my son goes to college for a student to need a Master's Degree to have a decent chance of getting a job.
I'm a college graduate and I'm about to finish my masters. That being said, FUCK college. That is a system that needs to be REFORMED even more than the GOVERNMENT! And that's saying something.
