Anonymous
10/29/2025 11:46
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
How much do you have saved, what's your income, and what's your networth? It's all relative. I'm letting my kids go to a private college, but we have $350k per kid in their 529 plans (started early, and the market has been overall very good over the past 15 years).
Anonymous
10/29/2025 11:41
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
Anonymous wrote:doom and gloom?
If you have plenty of $ for college, no need to respond here.
Donut hole single mom here (dad exists but is not contributing) with a dc who wants to ED a private college. It is a good school (not Ivy or T10 but we are comfortable with it- and no I’m not naming it) and we are essentially assured admission if dc does ED (a coach referral) with some merit.
Dc has no particular major in mind right now.
I’m so worried about spending a bunch of $ for dc to flounder and to get out to a crappy job market with a useless degree. I think AI will take away many entry level jobs that used to be the way young adults gained experience.
I myself graduated into a crappy job market from a top SLAC and felt like I had to go to grad school. I will not have any money left to help my dc if that happens.
Thoughts? Anyone else feeling this way?
AI or not, a college degree will still be valuable. Just know how to leverage AI effectively.
Don't fall for the GOP anti-intellectual propaganda.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 11:33
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
I worry in general about the future, especially as it relates to my kids. AI is a concern, but also climate change, politics, unaffordable housing, etc. We're full pay at a Top 20 school. Sometimes I feel like a sucker -- it's a huge amount of money -- and yet I also feel like this is a no-strings-attached gift I'm giving to my kid.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 11:08
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
Yes, worried. But what other options do we have? I know some blue collar jobs get paid well. But it’s industries that no one in the family has experience or connection. Most people choose the path that they know better even if there is uncertainty because it’s even harder to try a totally unknown one. Thinking about when auto replaced carriages, when bulbs replaces candles. Many people lost jobs but the society created new needs too. I think it will be impossible that someone can do a job for the whole life after get some skills or licenses. They may face more changes and have to learn in their whole life to keep up with the changes. But they will figure out.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 10:56
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
Yes. and we are paying what is considered a low cost; 25k a year. But still worried because that’s quite a bit of money.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 10:46
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
OP, can you comfortably afford tuition with "some merit"? One of my kids was recruited at a strong non-Ivy private that cost more than we could comfortably afford.
DC ended up at our similarly-ranked state flagship that cost half as much, and also picked up a significant amount in private scholarships.
We now have some funds available to support DC in grad school. DC is wistful about letting go of their sport, but in the long run, this was the right decision for our family.
DC ended up at our similarly-ranked state flagship that cost half as much, and also picked up a significant amount in private scholarships.
We now have some funds available to support DC in grad school. DC is wistful about letting go of their sport, but in the long run, this was the right decision for our family.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 10:19
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
this is why I wanted my kids to go to a full meets need college. we're full pay and I'm happy for them to meet spouses or SOs, but I dont want them to be dragged down by someone else's debt. things will be hard enough
Anonymous
10/29/2025 10:19
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
Yes.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 10:18
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
Yes.
But I'm paying for a lot of this tuition out of gains from NVDA basically I've been living by the AI sword and may die from it.
This was always my hope: that for the 6 years my two kids were in college, my net worth would stay at least flat. I've done a little better than that.
But I'm paying for a lot of this tuition out of gains from NVDA basically I've been living by the AI sword and may die from it.
This was always my hope: that for the 6 years my two kids were in college, my net worth would stay at least flat. I've done a little better than that.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 10:13
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
OK so if AI takes everyone's job then no one can afford AI so people will need to hire people to satisfy their needs.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 10:11
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
AI is already eroding critical thinking skills in the college classroom. I worry less about jobs than I do about a generation of young people who can't read, write, or think.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 09:58
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would worry about their college major before I would stress about AI.
And what majors do you think will be most AI proof? Honestly I think many many white collar jobs will be affected given what I am using myself these days
It's a tough question...my kid is one of the kids actually working for one of these AI companies in CS and they pay him a ton to intern even during the school year (like $150/hour). However, even he has existential thoughts as to whether he is perhaps putting himself out of a job...though, his answer is to get experience and contacts and then go get VC funding to create a company to put someone else out of a job (not directly...but in theory that's what may happen).
I'm not sure any major is AI proof except perhaps nursing or physical therapy or similar. Safe to say, the most valued grads will be the ones who are experts at using AI, so you should communicate that to your kid.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 09:54
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
Anonymous wrote:I would worry about their college major before I would stress about AI.
And what majors do you think will be most AI proof? Honestly I think many many white collar jobs will be affected given what I am using myself these days
Anonymous
10/29/2025 09:52
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
I would worry about their college major before I would stress about AI.
Anonymous
10/29/2025 09:34
Subject: Donut hole families who are stretching to pay college tuition … are you worried it will be a waste especially with AI
doom and gloom?
If you have plenty of $ for college, no need to respond here.
Donut hole single mom here (dad exists but is not contributing) with a dc who wants to ED a private college. It is a good school (not Ivy or T10 but we are comfortable with it- and no I’m not naming it) and we are essentially assured admission if dc does ED (a coach referral) with some merit.
Dc has no particular major in mind right now.
I’m so worried about spending a bunch of $ for dc to flounder and to get out to a crappy job market with a useless degree. I think AI will take away many entry level jobs that used to be the way young adults gained experience.
I myself graduated into a crappy job market from a top SLAC and felt like I had to go to grad school. I will not have any money left to help my dc if that happens.
Thoughts? Anyone else feeling this way?
If you have plenty of $ for college, no need to respond here.
Donut hole single mom here (dad exists but is not contributing) with a dc who wants to ED a private college. It is a good school (not Ivy or T10 but we are comfortable with it- and no I’m not naming it) and we are essentially assured admission if dc does ED (a coach referral) with some merit.
Dc has no particular major in mind right now.
I’m so worried about spending a bunch of $ for dc to flounder and to get out to a crappy job market with a useless degree. I think AI will take away many entry level jobs that used to be the way young adults gained experience.
I myself graduated into a crappy job market from a top SLAC and felt like I had to go to grad school. I will not have any money left to help my dc if that happens.
Thoughts? Anyone else feeling this way?