UO - 8/6

That was NOT my life at my job! We had about 28 stations on a busy day total. We all rotated all day long- every 5 stations you would be on "break" for a rotation. The breaks were supposed to be 30 min but by the time 5 stations got rotated and you were "pushed" to Break it was really like 20 min. Your first break was lunch and the rest of the breaks were inservice (practicing rescues and such) or cleaning- so it was really a break from being "on station" but not necessarily from work.

Clearly I got the wrong job as a LG haha. BUT it was more exciting than just watching a pool. We had rescues all the time. At the peak of summer when you were working the deep slides I would just stay standing because we jumped in so much.

Ah, I worked at a town pool (tag checker) where the most exciting thing that ever happened was ww had to close the pool because a kid pooped in it.

I agree.  I don't think they are related.  I appreciate all that my parents have done for me, but they were not in the position to pay for all of my schooling.  And I don't feel like we will be as parents either.  I guess what I was trying to say was that I had to work for what I have, and I want my sons to have that same sense of pride in their accomplishments.  If we are in a situation where we can HELP we will, but not fully pay for everything.  This goes for car, spending money, insurance, phone, etc.  My parents split most of my bills with me while I was in high school and then paid my car insurance until I moved out at 22.  I think they were the best of both worlds.  My DH had ZERO help from his parents as soon as he turned 16 and got a job, so he is a bit more uptight about the money thing then I am.  He believes we shouldn't have to give the kids a dime after they turn 18.  I don't feel that strongly.

I realize the last three pages have been about one topic but I think I have another UO.

I don't understand why women are so against telling people their age. I don't care at all if someone asks how old I am, I wouldn't think they were rude at all unless they were trying to be mean for some reason. I'm always curious how old people are because I suck at looking at someone and being even remotely close to right.

I can't imagine surviving college and working full time. So much of my time not in mass was spent studying and reading. Novels in a week reading. It was insane and really rigorous. I would have really struggled working full time.

S already has a college fund. We were gifted one from my in-laws and we have one set up as well. He's going to college. H is struggling with his poor decision of not going when he had the chance. He's a real life example of what not to do.

College was not a vacation for me. I had fun but I got a very rigorous, broad education. I know a 4-year liberal arts college isn't for everyone and there are serious flaws withe the costs but I really hope they never go away completely. We would lose a lot as a society.

ETA: also I don't disagree that cc's are a good financial decision. But I wouldn't say everyone should go there first. If I worked my ass off in high school to get good grades, take many AP classes, etc., why wouldn't I want to go to a school where I'd be immediately challenged by the coursework instead of treading water for a couple of years? You might get a BA from either school but that doesn't mean the quality of the education is the same.

I completely disagree that the coursework in community college is in any way inherently less challenging than at a 4 year school. In fact, you could make the argument that they're better. I took the same GE courses in CC that I would have taken at a 4 year school, except my GE courses were taught by a professor, not a TA, and the classes were small enough that my professors knew my name and noticed if I wasn't there. Why should a calculus class in CC be easier than one at UCLA? It's not.

I also think a person has the ability to work just as hard with online coursework than in a formal college setting, and I don't see what we'd be losing as a society if we moved away from the current college system except for the social aspects, which IMO are more negative than positive. That might be a UO too. I think the "college experience" is overrated and unnecessary.

I also think high school kids are under WAY too much pressure and work much harder than they should have to just to go to these schools. The high school workload is ridiculous. I just don't see the point. What exactly is it all for? Kids are going crazy stressing themselves out in high school to go to a prestigious 4-year-school straight out of high school to end up with the same degree (which doesn't even get close to guaranteeing you a job, btw) that they could have gotten without nearly as much stress. I guess this is my UO. I work with teenagers and see the ridiculous amount of pressure they're under, and it is so upsetting to me because I just think it's unnecessary. 

ETA: Checking my privilege, I realize that most of what I said mostly applies to high SES kids and schools with that population.

I think this depends on the 4 year college you go to. I went to a small private liberal arts college where I was never in a class larger than 30 students always taught by a professor. I also took a class at a CC during a summer and it was far less challenging than any of my other classes at my college.

Also, even if the education at a 4 year school WERE slightly better than taking those first two years of very important GE's at a CC, the price difference is so astronomical that I think it's still smarter to go to CC instead. I paid $12 a unit at my CC...with no tuition. Books were by far the most expensive part of those first two years. I think it's doubled since then, so a whole $24 a unit, but still. Come on. It's crazy to spend tens of thousands of dollars just for a better professor to teach you courses that aren't directly relevant to your major anyway--and that's even assuming that they ARE better. Which I wouldn't.

I really think most people don't take this option because it's not presented to them as a good option. But it is.

The value of college for me was probably only 50% what was taught in the classroom. The balance: a strong network, exposure to incredibly smart and committed professors, lifelong friends, a degree from a school that carries weight on a resume, social skills, learning to be away from home, life experience (albeit in a bubble). Most of these things I would not have gotten down the road at the community college. That said, I do think cc's are important and I think they are a good fit for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons.

Well you transfer out of a CC, so you do get the same degree that would look good on a resume. You can also make friends there and be exposed to incredibly smart and talented professors. I had a professor at my CC who left teaching at Harvard because, as he put it, he preferred to teach kids who actually wanted to be there instead of entitled kids who didn't know how to work hard.

I feel like the perception of CC in this thread is like a remedial school with reject professors or something. It's not.

Agreed. I know people who went to college because it was expected and had no clue what they wanted to do. They racked up debt/loans/wasted money instead of maybe taking a year or two (or more!) to figure it out. I think it's great if an 18 year old knows what they want to do when they grow up (I did) but I think it's ridiculous to expect that they all do and force them to choose something when they aren't sure. And then there are others who might never know and just need to experiment a little and take a few classes.

You can't force everyone into the same mold.  

Ok I have only skimmed this thread today but I do have a few little points to make.
My grandmother started a bank account for me when I was five. All of the money in was mine from birthdays and such. There is still money in it that I don't touch often. It was meant for school. I worked my ass off and got scholarships and financial aid when I could. My parents did not pay a penny for my education.
With that I go onto my next point. I didn't graduate from college. I do not have a degree. I had to work full time and the stress of that and my brothers death made me drop out in my junior year. MH went to a cc for two weeks. He was in the army national guard. September 11th happened and he got called to active duty so he never went back to school.
I do a job that maybe not a high schooler can do but maybe a person that just graduated from high school. I work in retail as a manager. I do it because I like it. It has nothing to do with what I do or do not qualify for.
MH makes triple what I do with less education. We are not rich but are comfortable.
We paid for most of our own wedding and didn't owe a penny to anyone on the day we got married. My dad paid for the guests he invited and my DJ. That's it.
I would rather help DD pay for a house than her education.

This. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do....still don't. But I have a degree and tons of debt to go with it.

However, I'm glad I went. I just wish I would have taken more general classes to start to figure out what I wanted to do. Maybe taken at a community college to save money.