Seven Reasons Not to Send Your Kid to College

Parents Forum
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<p>[Seven</a> Reasons Not to Send Your Kids to College - DailyFinance](<a href=“Stock Portfolio & Tracker - Yahoo Finance”>Stock Portfolio & Tracker - Yahoo Finance)</p>

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<p>Here’s the college life thread… <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/973372-seven-reasons-not-send-your-kids-college.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/973372-seven-reasons-not-send-your-kids-college.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>And anyone here who wants it, pick which point you think is legitimate, and I’ll tell you why it’s wrong, silly, or irrelevant.</p>

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<p>So easy for James Altucher, an Ivy League grad with an advanced degree, to tell others not to bother with education. In his finance-minded world, apparently the value of anythiing (or lack thereof) can be measured solely in dollars and cents.</p>

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<p>I’m wondering how many people who have “traveled the world” or “got a home-schooled college education” on their resumes instead of a college degree he’s hired lately. Even if he’d hire someone whose major qualification for an entry-level professional job is started “one to five” failed businesses - how many other people will?</p>

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<p>I love this one:

So we’ll delay starting college and add on the cost of traveling the world. That will make it cheaper!</p>

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<p>I can see the traveling and “life experience” bit as long as you are working to support yourself and not exactly mooching off parents or other people.</p>

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<p>Wonder if Altucher has any kids and if he actually practices his theorem?</p>

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<p>^^ Part of Altucher’s personal finance plan is getting paid for writing columns that attract attention. As much of the American media has learned, one certain way to get attention is to offer an inflammatory opinion that runs counter to common wisdom.</p>

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<p>the lifetime income differential is based on current 2010 dollars (or even past dollars?) The interest rate on investments reflects the inflation that that the bond market expects. Is it realistic to assume zero inflation in nominal incomes for the next 30 years? And thus in the income differential?</p>

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<p>this experiment has been done. </p>

<p>I have relatives who don’t go to college as a matter of principle. They are hasidic Jews. Some of them, who have a head for business, have done well. Most of them do okay. A great many do NOT have a head for business, or a knack for one the skilled trades they can fit into, and have ended up on the edges of poverty. As the number of niches where they can do really well (historically the diamond business, photo equipment, and consumer electronics) have become saturated, they have slowly overcome their resistance to college. It has become increasingly common for them to attend comm college, privates with satellite campuses in their neighborhoods (mainly Truro college) and online colleges. I even know of one who has gotten an MA from Truro. None of these people is doing it cause admire the prestige of college, value a college experience, or look down on going straight into business. They go to college ONLY because of the most narrow financial considerations. </p>

<p>They still do not do as well, generally speaking as people on this side of the Jewish cultural frontier, who can be assumed to have similar native intelligence, and no more motivation, but who take the more conventional upper middle class approach to university. And these are not people who have the temptation to take the money saved by avoiding college, and say, spend it on booze or fast cars.</p>