Patrick

it wos not in spelin then

dbj1000

Amazing. You are the first parent I've ever heard talk about their child going to college as a bad thing... or have I misunderstood?

The fact is that without a college degree in the US your child is unlikely to ever get a good job. Certainly in my field of work we aren't allowed to even interview people for anything above the lowest levels if the candidate doesn't have at least an undergraduate degree.

I understand that you feel that kids here "take it for granted" that they will go to college, but surely leaving school at 16 isn't something you should want your children to aspire to? Equally, attempting to do your best in a degree when studying part-time and working full-time can't be an ideal situation, can it? If the child's parents can afford to send them to college full-time then surely that's best for them.

Yes, college here costs a fortune. We will be sending twins, so I'm already dreading the double expense... but I will do everything I can to make sure that they can do not only a degree at their college of choice, but also a master's, and possibly a PhD. If that means "keeping" them until they're 30, then that's how it will be.

Bob

well it's a bit of an insignificant thing to celebrate in such lavish style, expensive gowns, limo's, and all that...

Bob

It's the whole silver platter that's expected...parents paying fee's, dorm room/food, which is stupidly expensive even if you don't use it...I mean generally kids aren't expected to work for it are they, have summer jobs perhaps...but what parents really should be planning is there retirement because there going to be older far longer than there kids are going to be in college...hopefully

Bob

That's great....but haven't any of them figured out that they can get really nice blank cards and right there own messages? That's what I normally do because those messages tend to be really naff...especially over here....nothing more embarrassing that giving someone a birthday card they already recieved less chance of that happening with a blank card

Toontje

Unless everyone starts firing blanks....

jjmb

Whow! I can see wanting to help them through their undergrad degree is a natural thing to do but anything more, is surely up to them.

Our daughter is currently at uni in San Marcos and because its a state school, the fees aren't too bad. Still even at that $17,000 plus a year (that is for everything)its is a squeeze and next year our son follows, then a year later our youngest. By that time, our eldest would have finished at San Marcos and going on to the grad school of her choice. By then we will be forking out about $40,000 a year for her brother and sister to go to college, so adding an additional $25,000 + living costs for grad school is just not on, so she will be funding it herself, just like other students here and the UK. Much as we would love to help out, we have to start thinking for our own future by the time my youngest finishes college. Hopefully, she will be like her sister and complete her degree in the requiste 4 yrs, by which time we will be in our mid fifties and looking forward to a well deserved retirement.

As for subject of this thread, anyone can find stats that show that their country is great at this, that and the other, it really doesn't matter as long as you are happy where you are.

ImHere

No, nor typing. I have people without degrees to do mundane things like spell check for me...I just do the thinking,

bxpuser7543

I left school with average results but ive gone onto earning plenty of money,school bored to tears,couldnt wait to work

Guelder Rose

Thanks Bob ... I get the impression that Jenney thinks I'm wrong to have an opinion or to compare US & UK customs.

Jenney ... I know I'm in America and I don't expect the customs here to be the same as in the UK ... that doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to compare or be allowed to have an opinion about what is different here to the UK.

dbj1000

Yes, there have been many threads about this in the past, and I know that there are plenty of people who leave school as soon as they can and go on to be very successful. But they're the exception, not the rule.

"Street smarts" (as the latest series of The Apprentice so condescendingly put it) can get you a long way in life, and there are people who are far more successful than I will ever be who don't have paper qualifications. However, the fact is that there are many jobs and industries where you can't even get your foot in the door anymore without at least a degree.

I didn't mean to say, as jjmb read it, that I would pressure my kids into doing a master's or PhD. I just meant that if they chose to, I would support them. That's what my parents did for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way with my kids.

Guelder Rose

I didn't say that it is a bad thing for a child to go to college, but I do find it unsettling that in the US the children seem to take so much for granted. Many children I have met seem to take it for granted that their parents will buy them a car as soon as they reach 16 years old, and that they can then stay in education full time for several years ... as you say, this might sometimes mean 'keeping' them until they're 30 years old! It doesn't seem to cross their minds as to whether their parents can actually afford to do all this for them, and that I think is somewhat sad.

I would agree that there seems to be little opportunity here for those who don't spend several years in further education. In fact that is what surprised me more than anything else about the US ... so many people seem to think that 'America is the land of opportunity' or as another saying goes, 'If you can't make it in America, you can't make it anywhere', whereas in reality I think the UK actually has more to offer in this respect.

You can leave school at 16 years old in the UK, and still end up with a very good career (either working for yourself, or working for an employer) ... it's just a shame that the same opportunity is not available here. I'm sure there must be many parents in the US who simply cannot afford to 'keep' their children until they are 30 years old, and maybe they feel that they have failed their children because of that ... which I also think is somewhat sad.

Thydney

Yeah but only 43% are correct

dbj1000

I agree 100% with almost everything you say, and I agree that it is sad if parents find themselves in a position where they feel that they have failed their children.

The only thing I'm not sure I agree with is that it's better in the UK. Certainly it's better that university education costs a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, but even that won't be the case for long.

It would be rude of me to ask how old you are, so I'll just say that I don't think the current generation of kids leaving school in the UK will have much opportunity to be highly successful without a degree. Past generations (basically anyone over about 40 in the UK) had far more flexibility in terms of what they could achieve with limited education, but that was because in past generations a small proportion of the population had access to a University education. As access levels have increased, so have the demands for a degree.

On the plus side, it *is* possible to work full-time and do a part-time degree, both in the UK and the US, and I work with people who have chosen to do that relatively late in life in order to advance their career prospects. It's harder, and takes longer, but it can be done. My point was that given that I can afford to, I'll do everything I can to avoid my kids having to kill themselves trying to work a job and do a degree at the same time.

Guelder Rose

You're right ... I am 40 + !

However, even for the current generation, I still think that the UK has more to offer to those who have not been able to go into further education. I say this mainly because in the UK, if you have ability, you can start your own business relatively easily as you don't have to concern yourself with health care, or the fact that the big companies seem to monopolize everything.

Obviously, this is only my opinion and I will admit that it is based solely on what I have experienced since I came to the US ... when all is said and done, the tiny corner of the US that I inhabit (which seems to be completely controlled by the big companies) is probably not representative of the US as a whole.