College degrees and Wages

[fac]

BTW, do I think teachers could be paid more? Sure.

ITA. IF the teachers were doing a good job. Sometimes it is sad to read people getting nto teaching *just* to get a stable job, the vacation and forgot that they have the ability to influence the lives of many children.

DD5 studies in a private full day kindergarten. In the beginning of the semester DH responsibile for her homework and would always tell me there was nothing. I checked her backpack and did not see any correspondence from the teacher. In November, I met with her teacher and brought up my concern. The teacher told me, the students are supposed to read some of the words everyday, I explained to her, I have never seen the correspondence from her about the need to read the high frequency words, she told me the stundents are supposed to know because she told them I was speechless.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I personally only know one person with a degree that earns more than 50K per year. My standard salary is 35K plus incentive--the biggest perk right now is gas allowance. It's nice to run a small car, get reimbursed for driving it, and have enough left over to fill the tank of the Saturn Vue times a month. Free DSL at home is good too.

Again-50K in the big cities is chump change, 50K a year here gives you the ability to afford a 3000 sq ft home and a real nice living.

 

[HayGan]

I have a BSBA and a certificate in International Business. When I was a senior in college I took an intern position with a company which after graduation hired me for a full time position at the whopping salary of $14,500 (this was in 1994) I worked there for 5 years and left for a job paying $30k (I was only making $25k when I left.) I'm still with the second job (which is really a career) and I have almost tripled my salary in almost 8 years. I have a great career that I love and gives me a great balance between career and family. I wouldn't have it at all if it wasn't for that degree or that low starting salary. Every penny that I have paid in tuition (and student loan interest) has been well worth it!

I went to a fairly expensive university and I was shocked by the number of people there studying to be teachers. I couldn't imagine why anyone would pay $20k plus a year to earn a minimal salary especially when there are a number of great state schools in PA with great reputations in education for less than $10k a year.

No comment on the SAHM vs. WM debate as I have all the responsibilities of a SAHM and I contribute a vast majority of my family's income (so you could probably guess where I stand on the debate )

 

[MrsPete]

Life is never fair as I used to tell my kids. I got to wash dishes and they got to eat. LOL !! University is different, they emphasize on research. A faculty member got tenured by publishing papers. Some people, after they got tenured, only work two days a week drawing a full salary. I had seen a professor using the same multiple choice exam paper every year. It is not uncommon for students to be taught by TAs, whom are Ph.D and master students and have a very busy workload themselves. Apparently, the better students can learn by themselves, in particular, when they are in college.

You teach elementary school because you like children.
You teach high school because you like the subject.
You teach college because you want the opportunity for research.

 

[MrsPete]

While it truly is sad to see so many college educated people earning less than 50K/year, I don't think the reverse is also true. How many millionaires do you think don't have college educations? I know more than a few millionaires (think the millionaire next door, not Paris Hilton) and all of them went to college. I just don't want high schoolers reading this thread to think they have the same chance of making it as a person who is college educated. Without an education, it's a greater uphill battle.

I think there are just enough "accidental millionaires" out there to make some people say, "But a degree isn't all it's cracked up to be." You know what I mean by accidental -- people who didn't get an education and fell into a great idea that (with work) grew into a business, or sports stars, or whatever. I'll even throw out an example: a business friend of my husband's invented a product; actually, he didn't invent it, he just put two items together in a unique way that was genius. He produced the product for a while himself, then he sold the idea for $$$$ (and retired) when he realized he didn't have the resources to make it grow. I guarantee you've seen his product! However, that's an ACCIDENT. He made waaay more money off his one idea than he ever earned in all his years as an engineer.

But the truth is that these people are one in a million. It's not something you and I can count upon!

Another thing to consider is the age of the "accidental millionaire". I think a generation ago it was easier to make it without a degree. I have a good friend who's in business administration. She works very hard in a high-profile business, she has job security and a pension, and she earns a very good salary -- all this despite the fact she didn't finish college. However, she will be the first to admit that she was "in the right place at the right time" and she fell into a lucky starter job. She excelled there and was promoted from within the company. She also says that this type of luck would be entirely impossible for our daughters; a person in their generation would never be allowed to get her foot in the door towards her job without the degree.

Thus, what worked for grandpa (or even for those of us who're 40ish) isn't going to work for our children. They need the degrees more than we did.

 

[MrsPete]

i think it's hard for kids to grasp the idea of what a good wage is. i made $6.50 an hour in high school at a local record store. if you told me at 16 that i'd be making twice that in 7 years, i would have been very impressed it wasn't until i was already living and working on my own in my early 20's that i started to 'get' what it's REALLY like to be a grown-up and what kind of money is needed to get by in the city i live in.

This is why I'm not thrilled with the idea of my girls having jobs as teens. In my very touristy area, it's easy for a teen to get a job at the mall, etc. that pays $10 an hour, and all that pocket money gives teens the idea that earning a living is an easy thing. $10 an hour is a lot of money when you still live with mom and dad, and they pay all your real expenses.

I think it's setting kids up for unrealistic expectations.