Why is this board relentlessly focused on ROI?

[Anonymous]

The obsession with STEM, with CS, with Wall Street, with Investment Banking “target schools,” with MBB consulting, with Silicon Valley, with Ivies, with T10s… I don’t get it. I was a first-gen, low-income kid at an Ivy (went for free) and double majored in psychology and philosophy. I never once did a corporate internship in college and worked at an NPO for a few years after graduating. I got a PhD in Psychology afterwards and make around ~$180k/year in private practice.

I met my husband in college (also a poor kid on a full ride), and he double majored in visual arts and English. He went to law school on a large merit scholarship and is now a GS14. Sure, our combined HHI isn’t nearly as high as many people on this board, and a lot of our friends from college who went into more lucrative fields outearn us significantly. But it’s enough to give us a nice life in NoVa and fully fund our two kids’ 529s, retirement, our mortgage, and send some money back to our parents.

So what gives? Why are so many people on this forum obsessed with ROI and making sure that their kid makes as much money as possible?

[Anonymous]

Better question is why so many people think they know what is best for other people and what they like to talk about on a a board that is for talking about things you want to talk about.

[Anonymous]

Because college costs anywhere from 40 to 100k a year and for that kind of money people expect something. BTW, you and your husband make 320k a year combined and have federal benefits, that's a lot anywhere.

[Anonymous]

With all due respect, it sounds like you and your spouse went to college and grad schools on full rides. There was no "investment." What if you had taken out loans for all of that? Would you want a way to pay them back?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all due respect, it sounds like you and your spouse went to college and grad schools on full rides. There was no "investment." What if you had taken out loans for all of that? Would you want a way to pay them back?

+ 1
And also they were very low income to begin with. People who are MC and UMC do not want to become poorer because they paid $$$ for college and are only making $ after their education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because college costs anywhere from 40 to 100k a year and for that kind of money people expect something. BTW, you and your husband make 320k a year combined and have federal benefits, that's a lot anywhere.

+1 It's because college is extremely expensive and people save for decades to pay for it. After all that there's a certain terror around making a wrong move or having it all somehow be a "waste" and there's no way to account for intangibles, so any kind of tangible, no matter how invented by the college industrial complex, draws hyperfocus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better question is why so many people think they know what is best for other people and what they like to talk about on a a board that is for talking about things you want to talk about.

Oh, the irony

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all due respect, it sounds like you and your spouse went to college and grad schools on full rides. There was no "investment." What if you had taken out loans for all of that? Would you want a way to pay them back?

+ 1
And also they were very low income to begin with. People who are MC and UMC do not want to become poorer because they paid $$$ for college and are only making $ after their education.

+1. My dad was a surgeon who remarried when in MS. My step mother was a single parent nurse and came from economic instability. My stepsisters were my age. One killed herself to get into vet school, and then got a prestigious residency/fellowship in a sought after sub-speciality. I remember being shocked when my SM encouraged her not to take it because it would delay her earning “big money” by 2 years— even though she earned enough to be self supporting and it probably doubled her lifetime earnings. Even after ten years of economic stability, she had no ability to think beyond money coming in this month. It’s hard to look at the financial big picture when you’ve had to worry even single month about making rent.

[Anonymous]

“My husband and I went to college for free and we can’t understand why people who have to pay a lot for college are so concerned about value for money.”

Yeah I can tell you didn’t major in math, economics, or common sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“My husband and I went to college for free and we can’t understand why people who have to pay a lot for college are so concerned about value for money.”

Yeah I can tell you didn’t major in math, economics, or common sense.

+1

[Anonymous]

Why because I grew up poor. No food.

And while college is expensive it is worth every dime in my opinion. Not saying anyone needs to go to Weslyn at $70,000 or USC etc.

Perfectly fine to go to community college then state four year and then grad school or law school or med school or MS in textiles I don't care.

No substitute for opening your mind. Conservatives or MAGA do not comment on this part you are too stupid to know better.

Would I allow my kids to major in philosophy or art history nope not on my dime? But they could on theirs and I would not be mad. Because then it is a passion and they would work to make a career.

At this point we could afford any college easily we are very lucky. Education got me out of poverty. And no one can take it away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better question is why so many people think they know what is best for other people and what they like to talk about on a a board that is for talking about things you want to talk about.

Oh, the irony

Twice over.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, your decisions change when you pay $80k/year for something vs it being free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, your decisions change when you pay $80k/year for something vs it being free.

OP here. Look, I get that DH and I basically won the lottery by getting full rides to Ivies (fit being another matter -- I personally think I would've been way happier at my state school as my college was a jarring culture shock for me). But if you have the money to save up $300k (or $160k for being full pay at a state school) for college for each kid, isn't that a testament to your own economic privilege? You wouldn't have to be worrying about student loans as you've saved up enough for your kids to not have to take them out. And after that, if your kid learns to budget and live frugally, they should be able to support themselves on relatively low wages.

DH and I have saved enough for our two kids to be full pay at any VA state school (they will not be applying to Ivies as we can't afford those). We would be fine with our kids going to UVA or VCU or WM or wherever and majoring in something that might not initially have high wages -- we have full faith and confidence in our kids that they'd be able to make a living doing whatever they want. Sure, maybe they'll end up priced out of the DMV and have to move to a city with a lower COL. But I personally think that paying college tuition is a gift, and you don't attach strings onto a gift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why because I grew up poor. No food.

And while college is expensive it is worth every dime in my opinion. Not saying anyone needs to go to Weslyn at $70,000 or USC etc.

Perfectly fine to go to community college then state four year and then grad school or law school or med school or MS in textiles I don't care.

No substitute for opening your mind. Conservatives or MAGA do not comment on this part you are too stupid to know better.

Would I allow my kids to major in philosophy or art history nope not on my dime? But they could on theirs and I would not be mad. Because then it is a passion and they would work to make a career.

At this point we could afford any college easily we are very lucky. Education got me out of poverty. And no one can take it away.

I don't understand this. The philosophy majors I know (and I was one) have done very well, even without going to grad school. The major is rigorous and really teaches you how to think through a problem -- skills that are valued at any workplace.