Why is this board relentlessly focused on ROI?

[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.

Yes, we recognize this and are very grateful (especially because we both grew up poor). But that's a testament to how thinking about ROI is short-changing your kids from doing something more meaningful -- I wasn't thinking about making lots of money while I was in college or right after, but I still ended up fine.

[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.

Wow, you sound like a swell person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Yes, we recognize this and are very grateful (especially because we both grew up poor). But that's a testament to how thinking about ROI is short-changing your kids from doing something more meaningful -- I wasn't thinking about making lots of money while I was in college or right after, but I still ended up fine.

Maybe, just maybe, because you went to an Ivy and grad school for free?

[Anonymous]

*Hits the lottery of free elite education and doesn't know what everyone scrimping, saving, and paying off their own loans is so uptight about.*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Yes!!! Thank you. Completely agree. I have a theatre degree. Currently make less doing a variety of P/T or self employed gigs (while I take role of primary parent) than my stem husband, but at one point, earned significantly more. Even both FT, we didn't make a ton, but our kids have great college FA options, and we saved a decent amount. We have a great home and community but live somewhat economically. It's all good.

Kid #1 in first year of college currently taking courses in math, music and theatre.
Kid #2 likely to study engineering

Both aware of earning potential, puvot options, etc etc. It's time to explore and for them to decide how important all that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*Hits the lottery of free elite education and doesn't know what everyone scrimping, saving, and paying off their own loans is so uptight about.*

OP here. I get what you're saying but just wanted to add three comments:

1. I think everything that everything that DH and I accomplished could've been done at a state flagship. The vast majority of my grad school cohort (a fully-funded PhD in Clinical Psychology) came from state schools or SLACs, and I was definitely one of the small handful that went to an Ivy for undergrad. And law/med schools don't care about where you went to college -- only GPA and standardized test scores.

2. Most DCUM children have no loans since this board is predominantly UMC. Graduating debt-free gives your children the liberty to take low-paying jobs that they'll enjoy.

3. Even UMC people I know who never took out student loans are freaking out about ROI and CS and Wall Street. I know tons of people in my neighborhood whose parents paid for their schooling or who went for free (especially if they are immigrants who went to undergrad in their home country for a really low price) who obsess over job placement and STEM majors for their kids.

I just don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

OP here. Yes, you nailed it. Terror, hyper focus, and degradation of anything as that doesn't give off immediate ROI as "waste." It seems like a lot of parents on here (and in my neighborhood) are hyper focusing on ROI and missing a lot of other valuable things in the process.

[Anonymous]

Because it's literally the most important factor for most normal people?

Is this even a question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Have they ever published demographics on the DCUM user base? I bet very few entrepreneurs or other careers that require some risk-taking. I doubt Dave Grohl's mom is on DCUM (does she even live in NoVa anymore).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

LMFAO you majored in philosophy and claim that you learned how to think, yet come to a conclusion based on a few samples like yourself and a few you know??

[Anonymous]

Everyone I know who works in medicine, consulting, corporate law, and investment banking is miserable and burnt out.

There are so many careers out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who works in medicine, consulting, corporate law, and investment banking is miserable and burnt out.

There are so many careers out there.

Tech. Tech is the best. Good work-life balance and little burn out.

[Anonymous]

New PP here. OP, I totally understand where you are coming from. I think people are getting sidetracked by your pathway While I do see how they find that pathway ironic to your post, they are missing the main point (which you could have made without giving your story, btw). Not every degree needs to be STEM with a $$ value assigned to it. Nor does it need to have some direct line to medical school or to a high paying tech job immediately out of college. Students with liberal arts majors also succeed in life....and some even go on to be doctors and tech people!! My undergrad major (which was STEM) had nothing to do with the consulting job I got out of college. I went back to grad school (fully MERIT funded - paid $0 and received a stipend) and that consulting job helped me a ton in both grad school, and even more so in the jobs I got outside of school. I think people focusing on STEM and ROI have a limited view on life and the range of job opportunities out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who works in medicine, consulting, corporate law, and investment banking is miserable and burnt out.

There are so many careers out there.

Tech. Tech is the best. Good work-life balance and little burn out.

And potentially very boring and not rewarding on giving back to society. Not judging....just sayin.

I had a tech job right out of college (with no tech degree - it's easy to teach this stuff on the job via training programs). I decided to go back to grad school and was able to use that tech experience with a social science discipline to end up with a much more interesting and rewarding career. One that also has great work-life balance and little burn-out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1 Philosophy is not an easy degree and I'd bet many of your STEM majors would have a very difficult time with it.