McLean / Langley / TJ kids failure to launch? Did your kids move back in with you after college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a chance, you still are more likely to send your kid to TJ, Langley or McLean [i][u]than some other public school in the area. They don't guarantee a great life, but they help put most kids on the right path.

+1

I graduated from Mclean, attended Purdue U. Engineering school. I am working in IT and have my own company. I've hired and referred many former Mclean graduates just because they have the "Mclean" HS on the resume. Some didn't work out but most often do. I am not afraid to say that I am biased towards kids from Mclean HS. That's just the way life is. My kids attend Potomac school and I am sure working people who graduated from Potomac school will look at him favorably than let say someone from Wakefield. Nothing personal.

No serious job candidate puts their nonnmagnet public HS on their resume.

And man, if you're already looking sideways at a potential hire simply because they graduated from Wakefield, well ...it speaks to the kind of company you run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a chance, you still are more likely to send your kid to TJ, Langley or McLean [i][u]than some other public school in the area. They don't guarantee a great life, but they help put most kids on the right path.

+1

I graduated from Mclean, attended Purdue U. Engineering school. I am working in IT and have my own company. I've hired and referred many former Mclean graduates just because they have the "Mclean" HS on the resume. Some didn't work out but most often do. I am not afraid to say that I am biased towards kids from Mclean HS. That's just the way life is. My kids attend Potomac school and I am sure working people who graduated from Potomac school will look at him favorably than let say someone from Wakefield. Nothing personal.

No serious job candidate puts their nonnmagnet public HS on their resume.

And man, if you're already looking sideways at a potential hire simply because they graduated from Wakefield, well ...it speaks to the kind of company you run.

Students still in college might. In any event, I only read PP to suggest that he’d look favorably on someone who graduated from the school he attended (and knows), not that having gone to Wakefield would be viewed negatively.

[Anonymous]

We have lived in McLean for 25 years and honestly can't get over how many kids in this generation "fail to launch," usually boys for whatever reason. Maybe it is the "DS would never do anything wrong" and the "DS couldn't possibly have done that," and the "DS _______ (fill in the blank with an excuse of some sort) catching up with them when they try to enter the adult real world?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in McLean for 25 years and honestly can't get over how many kids in this generation "fail to launch," usually boys for whatever reason. Maybe it is the "DS would never do anything wrong" and the "DS couldn't possibly have done that," and the "DS _______ (fill in the blank with an excuse of some sort) catching up with them when they try to enter the adult real world?

Right, and there are *never* any girls who “would never do anything wrong” or “couldn’t possibly have done that.” Give us all a break. Plenty of girls have these issues too. Your daughter is probably not the perfect angel you insist she is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in McLean for 25 years and honestly can't get over how many kids in this generation "fail to launch," usually boys for whatever reason. Maybe it is the "DS would never do anything wrong" and the "DS couldn't possibly have done that," and the "DS _______ (fill in the blank with an excuse of some sort) catching up with them when they try to enter the adult real world?

Right, and there are *never* any girls who “would never do anything wrong” or “couldn’t possibly have done that.” Give us all a break. Plenty of girls have these issues too. Your daughter is probably not the perfect angel you insist she is.

+1

A stupid comment indeed.

FWIW, I graduated from Wakefield in 1986, came from Vietnam as refugee in 1983 and spent the first two years in ESL classes. I attended NVCC and then GMU, graduated with a BS in Computer Science in 1990 and MS in Computer Science in 1992. The economy was not great in 1992 so I wished I could have moved back home with parents. I eventually found a programming job and did well enough to buy a house in the Langley district. All of my Vietnamese friends that graduated from Wakefield are now living either Mclean or Vienna and are also doing well. Their kids, including mine, attended UVa, VTech or GMU and they all moved back home after graduation to save money. They all have good >90K jobs but they will stay home with mom/dad for a few years to put down payment on a house. That's how you build wealth.

Are there any Asians with no job prospects and move home after college? Heck yes, but those you can count on one hand. The vast majority of them, male and female, have high paying jobs but they will move back home to save money for bigger things in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in McLean for 25 years and honestly can't get over how many kids in this generation "fail to launch," usually boys for whatever reason. Maybe it is the "DS would never do anything wrong" and the "DS couldn't possibly have done that," and the "DS _______ (fill in the blank with an excuse of some sort) catching up with them when they try to enter the adult real world?

Right, and there are *never* any girls who “would never do anything wrong” or “couldn’t possibly have done that.” Give us all a break. Plenty of girls have these issues too. Your daughter is probably not the perfect angel you insist she is.

+1

A stupid comment indeed.

FWIW, I graduated from Wakefield in 1986, came from Vietnam as refugee in 1983 and spent the first two years in ESL classes. I attended NVCC and then GMU, graduated with a BS in Computer Science in 1990 and MS in Computer Science in 1992. The economy was not great in 1992 so I wished I could have moved back home with parents. I eventually found a programming job and did well enough to buy a house in the Langley district. All of my Vietnamese friends that graduated from Wakefield are now living either Mclean or Vienna and are also doing well. Their kids, including mine, attended UVa, VTech or GMU and they all moved back home after graduation to save money. They all have good >90K jobs but they will stay home with mom/dad for a few years to put down payment on a house. That's how you build wealth.

Are there any Asians with no job prospects and move home after college? Heck yes, but those you can count on one hand. The vast majority of them, male and female, have high paying jobs but they will move back home to save money for bigger things in the future.

+100
I applaud your work ethic and that of your kids. Our (non-Asian) family believes in building wealth this way too - by having our college graduates live at home for a while after graduation to save money. It makes so much more sense if you can send your kid out into the world with enough money for down payments on their own homes. I did it, and I hope our kids do as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in McLean for 25 years and honestly can't get over how many kids in this generation "fail to launch," usually boys for whatever reason. Maybe it is the "DS would never do anything wrong" and the "DS couldn't possibly have done that," and the "DS _______ (fill in the blank with an excuse of some sort) catching up with them when they try to enter the adult real world?

Right, and there are *never* any girls who “would never do anything wrong” or “couldn’t possibly have done that.” Give us all a break. Plenty of girls have these issues too. Your daughter is probably not the perfect angel you insist she is.

+1

A stupid comment indeed.

FWIW, I graduated from Wakefield in 1986, came from Vietnam as refugee in 1983 and spent the first two years in ESL classes. I attended NVCC and then GMU, graduated with a BS in Computer Science in 1990 and MS in Computer Science in 1992. The economy was not great in 1992 so I wished I could have moved back home with parents. I eventually found a programming job and did well enough to buy a house in the Langley district. All of my Vietnamese friends that graduated from Wakefield are now living either Mclean or Vienna and are also doing well. Their kids, including mine, attended UVa, VTech or GMU and they all moved back home after graduation to save money. They all have good >90K jobs but they will stay home with mom/dad for a few years to put down payment on a house. That's how you build wealth.

Are there any Asians with no job prospects and move home after college? Heck yes, but those you can count on one hand. The vast majority of them, male and female, have high paying jobs but they will move back home to save money for bigger things in the future.

Another ringing endorsement for Wakefield. I’m not sure we’ve had a thread before where so many successful Wakefield grads have chimed in. Seems to have more than adequately answered Op’s questions. Wakefield is clearly a great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have lived in McLean for 25 years and honestly can't get over how many kids in this generation "fail to launch," usually boys for whatever reason. Maybe it is the "DS would never do anything wrong" and the "DS couldn't possibly have done that," and the "DS _______ (fill in the blank with an excuse of some sort) catching up with them when they try to enter the adult real world?

Right, and there are *never* any girls who “would never do anything wrong” or “couldn’t possibly have done that.” Give us all a break. Plenty of girls have these issues too. Your daughter is probably not the perfect angel you insist she is.

+1

A stupid comment indeed.

FWIW, I graduated from Wakefield in 1986, came from Vietnam as refugee in 1983 and spent the first two years in ESL classes. I attended NVCC and then GMU, graduated with a BS in Computer Science in 1990 and MS in Computer Science in 1992. The economy was not great in 1992 so I wished I could have moved back home with parents. I eventually found a programming job and did well enough to buy a house in the Langley district. All of my Vietnamese friends that graduated from Wakefield are now living either Mclean or Vienna and are also doing well. Their kids, including mine, attended UVa, VTech or GMU and they all moved back home after graduation to save money. They all have good >90K jobs but they will stay home with mom/dad for a few years to put down payment on a house. That's how you build wealth.

Are there any Asians with no job prospects and move home after college? Heck yes, but those you can count on one hand. The vast majority of them, male and female, have high paying jobs but they will move back home to save money for bigger things in the future.

Another ringing endorsement for Wakefield. I’m not sure we’ve had a thread before where so many successful Wakefield grads have chimed in. Seems to have more than adequately answered Op’s questions. Wakefield is clearly a great school.

Try again. PP send to be saying that, once he and his friends had a chance to leave South Arlington, they did so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is kind of interesting how smart these kids were supposed to be and now they are lucky if they can snag a GS11 job.

Many of these supposedly brilliant kids in our "prestigious" neighborhood are still playing video games all day and night in the McMansions....

My daughter went to mclean HS and graduated from VA Tech with an Engineering degree. She is working for a government contractor firm at 90k/year IT job, much higher than GS-11. Yes, she is still living in my mclean home basement because she wants to save money in the next three years for a house down payment. She gets free rent, food and transportation from mom and dad.

Get her out of that job. That is a fate worse than death to be smart and capable and work for a Beltway bandit. Dead end career

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope my kid comes home and lives in the basement and saves rent for a couple of years. What's the point of blowing $1500 a month on an apartment and eating out?

Exactly. I agree. I feel really sorry for the kids whose parents refuse to let them come back home. Seems completely self-defeating and stupid.

It seems so stunted to me. It is not expensive to live in a group house in DC, and anyone who has graduated from college has the ability to regulate the amount of money spent on eating out. How does one ever learn to live independently without actually doing it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a chance, you still are more likely to send your kid to TJ, Langley or McLean [i][u]than some other public school in the area. They don't guarantee a great life, but they help put most kids on the right path.

+1

I graduated from Mclean, attended Purdue U. Engineering school. I am working in IT and have my own company. I've hired and referred many former Mclean graduates just because they have the "Mclean" HS on the resume. Some didn't work out but most often do. I am not afraid to say that I am biased towards kids from Mclean HS. That's just the way life is. My kids attend Potomac school and I am sure working people who graduated from Potomac school will look at him favorably than let say someone from Wakefield. Nothing personal.

I don’t know if you are still around, but my DC is currently attending Purdue engineering and is a graduate of McLean HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope my kid comes home and lives in the basement and saves rent for a couple of years. What's the point of blowing $1500 a month on an apartment and eating out?

Exactly. I agree. I feel really sorry for the kids whose parents refuse to let them come back home. Seems completely self-defeating and stupid.

It seems so stunted to me. It is not expensive to live in a group house in DC, and anyone who has graduated from college has the ability to regulate the amount of money spent on eating out. How does one ever learn to live independently without actually doing it?

A year or so at home after college is hardly "stunting" a young person's adult life. Deciding to save money is the smart decision of a mature person. Choosing to live from paycheck to paycheck, with no savings cushion whatsoever, is the decison of very young, immature person.

Plenty of roommate situations exist for young adults - but I hope my kids choose to start that life with some money saved up. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope my kid comes home and lives in the basement and saves rent for a couple of years. What's the point of blowing $1500 a month on an apartment and eating out?

Exactly. I agree. I feel really sorry for the kids whose parents refuse to let them come back home. Seems completely self-defeating and stupid.

It seems so stunted to me. It is not expensive to live in a group house in DC, and anyone who has graduated from college has the ability to regulate the amount of money spent on eating out. How does one ever learn to live independently without actually doing it?

A year or so at home after college is hardly "stunting" a young person's adult life. Deciding to save money is the smart decision of a mature person. Choosing to live from paycheck to paycheck, with no savings cushion whatsoever, is the decison of very young, immature person.

Plenty of roommate situations exist for young adults - but I hope my kids choose to start that life with some money saved up. YMMV.

+1

I hope my kids will stay home with mom and dad for two years after college so that they can start life with some money for emergency situation and not living paycheck to paycheck. That is a mature person.

To the PP comments about "How does one ever learn to live independently without actually doing it", why don't you call a Certified Financial Planner (CFA) like Ric Elderman and ask him about having your recently graduate kid living independently paycheck to paycheck with little or no emergency fund or live at home with mom and dad for a year or two to build up the emergency fund before living independently, and Ric will tell you. Delaying a year or two of living by yourself will not stun your personal growth. Having that emergency fund provides a great peace of mind to a young person. It means he/she can take chances with the job and don't have to stick with a job that he/she does not like. That's call responsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope my kid comes home and lives in the basement and saves rent for a couple of years. What's the point of blowing $1500 a month on an apartment and eating out?

Exactly. I agree. I feel really sorry for the kids whose parents refuse to let them come back home. Seems completely self-defeating and stupid.

It seems so stunted to me. It is not expensive to live in a group house in DC, and anyone who has graduated from college has the ability to regulate the amount of money spent on eating out. How does one ever learn to live independently without actually doing it?

A year or so at home after college is hardly "stunting" a young person's adult life. Deciding to save money is the smart decision of a mature person. Choosing to live from paycheck to paycheck, with no savings cushion whatsoever, is the decison of very young, immature person.

Plenty of roommate situations exist for young adults - but I hope my kids choose to start that life with some money saved up. YMMV.

+1

I hope my kids will stay home with mom and dad for two years after college so that they can start life with some money for emergency situation and not living paycheck to paycheck. That is a mature person.

To the PP comments about "How does one ever learn to live independently without actually doing it", why don't you call a Certified Financial Planner (CFA) like Ric Elderman and ask him about having your recently graduate kid living independently paycheck to paycheck with little or no emergency fund or live at home with mom and dad for a year or two to build up the emergency fund before living independently, and Ric will tell you. Delaying a year or two of living by yourself will not stun your personal growth. Having that emergency fund provides a great peace of mind to a young person. It means he/she can take chances with the job and don't have to stick with a job that he/she does not like. That's call responsible.

Sometimes people need more time for their brain to mature too to make wise decisions living independently. Impulse control centrals on average are not fully developed until age 25. I'd rather my kid live at home, save money and keep working on skills of independence-paying some bills, cooking some meals, keeping a job, etc. Then leave the nest with savings, a stable job and a well-developed impulse control center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes people need more time for their brain to mature too to make wise decisions living independently. Impulse control centrals on average are not fully developed until age 25. I'd rather my kid live at home, save money and keep working on skills of independence-paying some bills, cooking some meals, keeping a job, etc. Then leave the nest with savings, a stable job and a well-developed impulse control center.

+1

After graduated from UVa in 2002, I got a job for 75k/year and moved back home with my parents in Mclean for two years so that I was able to save up 90k/year in the bank. With 90k in the bank, I knew I could take risk. After that, I quit my job and headed to Silicon valley and joined a startup there with virtually no salary for almost 18 months but with stock options. The company was later acquired by another company and I was able to cash out my share of company and I now live very comfortably in Mclean right next to my parents. None of this would have been possible had I not moved back home and lived with my mom and dad for two years.