According to this article today, one father says he was appalled to find out his kids were interested in going to college, because it's a huge waste of money.

He says "somehow they’ve been brainwashed by society into thinking that college is a good thing for intelligent, ambitious young people to do." Then he emplores you do "do the math".

Read the article here and weigh in on what this dad has to say!

I believe that college is a personal decision. It is not one that a parent should make for a child, it is one that should be discussed and made together. I know that parents should have a big say since they are ultimately the ones paying for it, but I don't think any parent should forbid their child from wanting to pursue higher education. College is a good idea for some and a bad idea for others, and it is impossible to make generlizations about whether it is a good or a bad thing.

My father said these things back in the 1970's.  "You don't need to go to college to make a good living".  "You'll be in school for years and years and you'll end up making as good a living as working in a factory".  "You don't need college; that is what husbands are for".  The real reasons my dad said these nonsense lines was 1) he did not have the money to help us go to college and 2) his parents paid for his two years at Purdue, but he quit because he could not handle the curriculum.  As a result he ended up as a blue collar refrigeration mechanic making at the most $21.00 an hour during his carreer.  Hardly enough to even help send six daughters to any type of college.  Fact is, people need college to learn a profession or even a skilled trade in order to make a living in the world today.  The day of graduating high school and getting a good paying factory job is gone.  And that father's idea of starting a business is silly.  I have a photography business and I still had to go to college to learn photography and how to run a business.  And besides, how many parents today are really saving the money to get their kid into business?  Most kids who do end up in business either do so because a business has been in the family already or they get their degree's in business, work for a company, quit and then start a business.   Bottom line you need a skill and education to start a business. 

Additionally, a kid does not need to start at a high priced university.  There is what the community colleges are for.  I currently attend at 51, to get an RN degree.  And yes I am paying for it myself and I love it!  Without higher education to learn a profession in this world today, a person will not survive.  (Unless of course one can survive on minimum wage).  And no, the lottery, or working up through a company without an degree, or any of the old way's of doing it without a degree does not apply.   

SarahC1561 says ...

I'm glad that not all parents feel the need to force their children through higher education and are willing to encourage them to look at other paths. I'm even more glad that someone wrote an article about it!

I ran across parents like that when I worked in a factory setting.  Thing was they either had only an eigth grade education or did not graduate high school.  If a parent feels their child does not need to be forced into college, they need a reality check.

This father's logic only seems to apply to situations (like business) where you can blaze your own trail.  Many fields today require a college degree, and for good reason.  I want my doctors who have qualified training, experience, and background, not someone who just wanted to beat the system and did it their own way.  Higher education is a vital neccesity to anyone who wants to pursue a career in science, medicine, engineering, or just about anything.  Yeah it's expensive, maybe more than it needs to be, but the point of college is too gain knowledge and skill from someone experienced and qualified, and that's not free.

Lame... So where is this guy going to get the 104k to invest at 5% and how many years does he expect to live (He doesn't look that young)? And if he thinks his kids will be able to start saving that 104k right away he should think again.  He needs to move the decimal over one to the left and realize that 10.40 per hour is what his kids will most likely make after high school if their lucky. Oh... I bet he thinks they should start a vitamin, weight loss, or amway style business.  Good luck!

I just don't understand why this dad thinks that unless his children get full ride scholarships then University is not worth it. to me that sounds like a person who has had everything handed to him his entire life and hasn't really had to work for anything.

As a college student myself there is nothing that can take away the education and the experiences that I have gained from college life. I know that not all college experiences are the best as with life, but we need to realize that if you have the opportunity to go to school and you don't take it, then to me that is a sign of your ignorance and the ingorance of our nation as a whole.

People only know what debt is if they have ever lived. there is never a time when there will never be any debt that has to be payed. Even if you don't get a full ride to school and you have a little bit of debt will make paying it off that much better giving you a senseof accomplishment.

so to this dad I think you are doing your children a disservice saying that its only good when you have a full ride. I think its actually better when you have to work your way through and be a responsible adult. because too often in todays society we have people telling us that when we grow up we don't need to be responsible until we are thirty. That is WRONG. I believe you should become a responsible adult at age 18 and if that means getting a job to pay for school, WELCOME TO REAL LIFE. lets all get off our little American Dream bubbles and get back to the principles of HARD WORK AND GETTING TASKS ACCOMPLISHED.

Paying too much for college is a waste of money, however if you don't go to college there are a great many jobs and relationships closed to you unless you are statistically very smart (and by definition most people are average). Considering that people make huge financial decision just on the marriage market being 'undesirable' in this regard is a huge financial liability as some of the households that adapt best to changing economic norms tend to be dual income. While someone with an undergrad degree might marry down to a high school graduate, typically graduate students and higher degree students will not. This means you are all but closed off from those dating fields, and this is at a time when we are separating out into social classes.

Other than that, there are many ways to get scholarships to university. So while it is a waste to take out a mortgage to attend college, which is all but necessary for many private colleges. Going to a community college for 2 years and transfering to a 4 year institution and making sure that you are keeping in touch with the admissions officer so everything transfers ok, is a good and cheaper way to attend college. Going to college is still very relevent in todays world, and moreso than it used to be. It is also important to make sure you have a smart investment strategy as college costs varying amounts of money for just about everyone, so just be careful of that. As long as you pay a fair value for the education, schooling at the university level is a good investment. Also you need an undergraduate degree before you can go further in school so for time also this is a good investment as long as you don't muck up your grades. If you aren't mature enough to get good grades right out of high school it might be better to wait until you don't end up wasting your time and money.

Bargaining is a good idea in any case. Perhaps that is what was meant by the article, that the dad thinks his kids are above average and will be able to get  a free ride. This is true of some people. For other people it won't be. It depends a lot on how good your high school was and how well you as a student did in past educational settings.

College is not for everyone. For those who know what they want to do, if they can get there without a college education, they should do so. Their money would be well spent investing in their certification program, business venture, or innovative idea. For those who do decide to go to college, if they want to start their own small business when they graduate, they should consider going to a state school. The majority of millionaire small business owners did. They took the money they saved on their education and invested it in their business. Also, no one should go to a school that will put them more than $20,000 in debt. That is around the average debt that a college student graduates with. If they are going the service route, such as teacher, police officer, or military personnel, and these are their life goals, meaning they will do this until they retire, though it is becoming increasingly necessary to have a college degree, they may not need to pursue a degree from a top ten university. If they get a full-ride from a highly competitive school, they should seriously consider taking it because not having to worry about money enhances the college experience.  If they are going to college with all intention to go to graduate school, it is more important to do well in undergraduate school. The name is not as important. However, the name/program of the graduate school is important. If a student is going to school to "find themselves" and wind up with an undergraduate degree in history, psychology, or english among many other majors that have very few job offerings for those with only a bachelor's degree in the subject, it may be more beneficial to take a year off before starting college. This way they can explore their interests in order to figure out what they want to do in life. That way, when and if they do decide to go to college, they will have a better idea of who they are and what they want to pursue. A lot of students add an extra year to their education because they have repeatedly changed their major because they didn't know what they wanted to pursue. Parents, paying the entire tuition for a child that is not interested in being in college, may not be in your best interest. Chances are your child will not appreciate the opportunity and you will have postponed your retirement for several years.

I disagree with the opinion that in general, college is a bad investment.  There are many, many professions that require a college degree of some sort. For example, I plan to be a nurse practitioner--therefore I must attend nursing school and then obtain a Master's degree. I already have a B.S. in biology, the result of four years (yes, only four years thanks to a few summer classes at a community college) at a fairly espensive private institution. My parents paid none of my tuition. They could never afford to with 8 other children to care for. However, I applied for numerous scholarships and  received quite a bit of financial aid and although I did have to take out one loan, my total debt after graduation was only about $13,000. Not bad when the total cost of my college education was over $100.000. My biology background allowed me to exempt out of all of my nursing prerequisites, so that means a shorter time in nursing school, which means less money out of my pocket. Of course, if you go off to college "just because" and goof off the whole time, then perhaps it is a waste of time and money. But with the proper attitude and perspective, the college experience can foster both academic and personal growth. I formed lasting friendships, had many wonderful opportinites to travel, and developed valuable leadership skills. I don't believe the writer of the article is right to deny his daughters the chance to attend college if attending college would help them to obtain their future career goals. He assumes his children would be better off starting a business. Well, what if they would rather be teachers, or doctors or architects? There's a lot to be said for choosing work that provides financial stability (although with the current economy, I'm not sure that self-employment is better than any of the other options), but why not also choose a career that you will actually be good at and even enjoy? Besides, we can't all be entrepreneurs. Someone needs to be a lawyer, a chemist, a social worker. College isn't for everyone, but it shouldn't be ruled out based on money alone. This dad needs to help his children evaluate their goals and take practical steps to achieving those goals. There are a variety of schools to choose from and many options for paying for college expenses  Unfortunately, all this man seems to see are dollar signs.