Sense of Entitlement

Parents Forum
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<p>In addition to the networking opportunities, I would think that college level courses would totally benefit an aspiring actor or photographer. Unless the teenager is already a (financial) success in those fields, wouldn’t learning more about art, history, literature, psychology, other languages, not to mention technique and critique, be of benefit? Even “a natural” needs context. I agree that going into debt is short-sighted for most any field but why is it either/or? It’s a huge leap, for most kids, from high school to Broadway or a cover on National Geographic.</p>

<p>I think sometimes it is easy to advise in the abstract. But I couldn’t consider telling my children, “Skip college. Go to New York. The world is your oyster. You’ll land that Boardway play in no time.” Now, if they have the drive to do that all on their own, more power to them.</p>

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<p>I don’t think college is necessary at all, especially for those kids who might be competing with my kid for admission.</p>

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<p>Maybe college shouldn’t charge so much. Of course grads want well paying jobs when they have to pay an ass load for an education. If students weren’t taking out loans, no one except the rich in this country would be getting higher education. I don’t think wanting a well paying job is stemming from a sense of ‘entitlement’ but out of a sense of wanting to survive. You are barely treading above water if you are a new grad making $50 k but are buried under $50k in loans.</p>

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<p>Maybe I am naive or maybe I live in an area with low starting wages (but a relatively stable job market in relation to other areas of the country.) But where/what are the jobs that 22 year olds get with no experience, beyond perhaps an internship, that pay $50k+ a year?</p>

<p>I think the entitlement comes when kids feel that they can have the same lifestyle – the car, the cell phone, the electronics, the house, the dining out, etc – that their parents have worked years to afford. </p>

<p>Fresh out of college, I had a crummy studio, no cable, homemade lunches. Free Happy hour buffets for dinner. And felt great that I was supporting myself. Yeah and walked 8 miles uphill both ways in the snow.</p>

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<p>Before the housing market collapsed a friend of mine who is a lender told me that young couples weren’t interested in getting a “starter house.” They all wanted and expected to be allowed to get a bigger home like their parents (after many years of hard work) had. We all know where that type of thinking got us.</p>

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<p>My parents just stayed in an apartment and waited to have kids until later so that they wouldn’t have to get a “starter house” and uproot their children, which is also what we plan to do. We may have to go the starter house route anyway but I am hoping if we stay in an apartment longer it can be avoided, or perhaps we will be renting our starter house. Not sure yet.</p>

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<p>

Love that one Hunt!</p>

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<p>perhaps it comes from looking at their elders…</p>

<p>the elders who “deserve” a big house and our now defaulting like crazy</p>

<p>the elders who make good money but still live paycheck to paycheck because they spend like crazy</p>

<p>the elders who spend more than they make</p>

<p>the elders who demand lower taxes and at the same time increased government benefits</p>

<p>the elders who demand extensive medical care that they cannot afford, but think that someone else should be responsible for paying</p>

<p>the elders who threw all their money in the stock market and watched themselves become rich between the end of the cold war and 2008, only to find themselves unable to adjust when the market tanks</p>

<p>… etc.</p>

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<p>Stillnadine - I loved those happy hour buffets! That was a staple for me when I was right out of college. Or I would try to get a “date” to take me out to dinner for a real meal.</p>

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<p>Getting a college degree may not help all that much, but not getting a degree hurts. (I believe, in economics, that is called a dissatisfier, rather than a satisfier.)</p>

<p>A salary of $35k sounds pretty good to me for a new grad. Many are working in stores and restaurants for a lot less than that.</p>

<p>I supervised some people in their early 20’s, in a social service context. One employee, who, it turned out, had a degree from a well-known college, kept complaining that she was bored with the work and wanted something more interesting to do. The other employee did everything she was asked, with no complaints, and when something came up that was extra, volunteered cheerfully to do it. She had never gone to college.</p>

<p>Guess who got promoted?</p>

<p>Things have changed a lot since then, however.</p>

<p>So many people now get BA’s and even MA’s, that in some ways the value of the degrees has done down (while the price goes up!). I often wonder if things are going to change, and people will start taking more alternative paths. Originally, college was not for career preparation, but for learning, and yet most schools now have a strong careerist atmosphere, even some of the Ivies.</p>

<p>I am thinking about all this a lot lately, because, in the late 60’s, I rebelled and did other things besides college, which felt more useful and constructive. Now that I am in my 50’s, without a degree, a lot of my experience will help me a lot in the job market, but a lot of want ads do require a BA. I have a lot of skills, but am shut out from those jobs.</p>

<p>And one of my kids was not going to go to college (she is a dancer). Now, she is rethinking.
It is scary to specialize in any thing so young in life, whether dance or carpentry.</p>

<p>The main problem may be that society is now used to kids around 22 entering the job market. At 18, young people just seem too young, no matter what you are doing. So colleges can serve as a holding tank while kids get a little more mature. Moving to a city on one’s own is a tall order for kids in their late teens these days.</p>

<p>I too take exception to the post about actors and photographers. These fields deserve the depth and breadth of any other educational endeavor. Training in these disciplines greatly improves skills, but also studying history, art history, literature and many other things only adds to the person and the work.</p>

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<p>

Oh, Yes….I love watching “House Hunters” and “My First Place” on HGTV, where the young 20-somethings, MUST have granite counter tops, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, a big fenced back-yard, media room, walk-in-closets, 2-3 car garage, finished basement and lets not forget the guest suite for the parents/in-laws ……… who will visit often to take care of the baby on the way.</p>

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<p>There are some younger people I work with who are like this, but some arent. I often thought it was hard on a guy coming up with the 2 carat diamond ring. the house etc…
My D has loans but she also got a large scholarship but she will have no debt as we will pay them. that is our desire for both kids.<br>
AT times I have been sucked into worrying that she would meet more people at a more prestigous university and this thread helps.
I also think there are jobs out there that dont require a college degree that are highly valued. most require an education and apprenticeships its about what you are skilled for.</p>