Son now wants to be a firefighter--what do I do?

[BradStevens]

Oh my god. No bullshit. I’m standing in line at a deli in the city right now and a hook and ladder with all the lights on and shit just pulled up. I thought wtf is the place on fire. They all just got in line. Half dozen of em 🤣🤣

Did they look at you in your LuLu's and just smirk?

 

[mcmurtry66]

Did they look at you in your LuLu's and just smirk?

Lmao I actually do have them on today 🤣

 

[BradStevens]

I disagree and think the stats back me up. A top tier school opens doors you don't get elsewhere. Is the education better? No, although you have a higher peer group to sit in class with and "compete" against, if that's your thing. But the connections and prestige of the degree are worth it according to economists who study these things.

Again, though, it would depend on the subject and her career path. For photography, she'd probably be better off at an art school.

Top 50 Best Value Colleges (Private Schools) | The Princeton Review

Find the right college for you. Search colleges by cost, size, location, and more to find your best fit.

www.princetonreview.com

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/02/is-an-ivy-league-degree-worth-it-report-finds-advantages-beyond-pay.html#:~:text=In%20the%20end%2C%20the%20group,statistically%20insignificant%20impact%E2%80%9D%20on%20earnings.

Here’s what the rich think:

Why some families will pay $500,000 for Ivy League admissions consulting: 'It’s worth the investment'

To get a leg up in the competitive world of college admissions, some families are spending half a million dollars or more on private consultants.

www.cnbc.com

 

[hoosboot]

I disagree and think the stats back me up. A top tier school opens doors you don't get elsewhere. Is the education better? No, although you have a higher peer group to sit in class with and "compete" against, if that's your thing. But the connections and prestige of the degree are worth it according to economists who study these things.

Again, though, it would depend on the subject and her career path. For photography, she'd probably be better off at an art school.

Top 50 Best Value Colleges (Private Schools) | The Princeton Review

Find the right college for you. Search colleges by cost, size, location, and more to find your best fit.

www.princetonreview.com

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/02/is-an-ivy-league-degree-worth-it-report-finds-advantages-beyond-pay.html#:~:text=In%20the%20end%2C%20the%20group,statistically%20insignificant%20impact%E2%80%9D%20on%20earnings.

Connections and rep can help in some fields and are completely meaningless in others. And none of it matters if you don't take advantage of the advantages.

End of the day, there are tons of different roads towards having a successful and fulfilling life. The key is finding what fulfills you and then pursuing the building blocks for what allow you to do that. Sometimes that's going to an Ivy, sometimes that's going to community college, sometimes that's becoming a plumber and going fishing on weekends. But the damn hard part is finding what fulfills you as we push a destination mentality on kids instead of a road one.

 

[ChicagoFineForNow]

My kid's two "highly unlikely but sure go ahead dear" schools are Northwestern and ND.

Honest question - do you think a degree from either is 3-4x better than a degree from IU, Purdue, Cincinnati, Tennessee (all schools she could get in state tuition).

I'm leaning no but I also don't have a degree from Northwestern or ND

I’m a bit of an expert here so sit back.

Ultimately it’s what you make of it. My parents were Northwestern grads. My dad had a very good, not great career, mom took a lower paying, lower stress job to be with the kids more. Neither of them felt any kind of allegiance or held the education they received in any kind of high regard.

I grew up obsessed with Notre Dame. Football games every fall with extended family. Fell asleep watching Rudy every night until about 12. First run in with police was being thrown in the Notre Dame Stadium drunk tank as a Senior in High School. First school I applied to.

I’ve seen duds and overachievers graduate both and they probably would have been duds or overachievers regardless of school.

The same phenomenon I’ve seen happen within IU. Tons of Kelley grads who are just piddling along while kids who didn’t get into Kelley with a chip on their shoulder are crushing it.

In summation, Notre Dame is still the 2nd best university on the planet and I should’ve gotten in. But where you went to school doesn’t matter. My sister just finished grad school at UPenn. She’s completely aimless, has no drive and makes peanuts.

 

[BradStevens]

I’m a bit of an expert here so sit back.

Ultimately it’s what you make of it. My parents were Northwestern grads. My dad had a very good, not great career, mom took a lower paying, lower stress job to be with the kids more. Neither of them felt any kind of allegiance or held the education they received in any kind of high regard.

I grew up obsessed with Notre Dame. Football games every fall with extended family. Fell asleep watching Rudy every night until about 12. First run in with police was being thrown in the Notre Dame Stadium drunk tank as a Senior in High School. First school I applied to.

I’ve seen duds and overachievers graduate both and they probably would have been duds or overachievers regardless of school.

The same phenomenon I’ve seen happen within IU. Tons of Kelley grads who are just piddling along while kids who didn’t get into Kelley with a chip on their shoulder are crushing it.

In summation, Notre Dame is still the 2nd best university on the planet and I should’ve gotten in. But where you went to school doesn’t matter. My sister just finished grad school at UPenn. She’s completely aimless, has no drive and makes peanuts.

You weren't Catholic enough?