Usa Thread

[HSTEACH]

HSTeach specifically since its your field but Flash and others please feel free to chime in. Obama spoke about lowering college costs. http://swampland.tim...-tuition-bills/ The middle class is VITAL for any country to grow and succeed. A thriving middle class even moreso. That is disappearing in America. A quality college education is becoming unaffordable. I don't know the reasons. Is it merely just greed on the universities? Or is it like what's happening with GM and other huge companies in that there are legacy costs. These unis have a huge staff. Not talking professors, the people in the cafeteria, the administration. My school had 25,000 students and so you need a small army to run things. Michigan, Texas, Penn State have well over 50k or 60k students!! The workers get paid well, great benefits and never leave. So, they retire and that retirement pay eats at costs, is that it? Or is it mismanagement? I have no idea. I'm sure someone in academia has written about it. Someone in Congress needs to find it, dust it off and find out the reasons. One of other concerns is that American unis are now a security issue. WIth the need for money, they have expanded international admissions. Understandable. These are almost always the wealthy of foreign countries. However, China is sending an 'army' (pun intended) of students to American unis and they are primarily in the hard sciences, engineering, etc. Okay, what's the big deal? Not so much that (they are trying to catch up technologically) but Chinese front companies are making agreements with schools like MIT, Cal Tech, U of Chicago to fund research and get first rights or co-usage to discoveries, findings etc. Much of this are things that have military application. I've read that the Chinese' ability to now hit the western USA or will soon and their stealth technology was stolen or sold. Stealth technology was lightyears ahead of its time. If some of you older guys can recall, Carter spoke about it and we perfected under Reagan. Its 30 year old technology that neither the Russians or the Chinese could duplicate...until now. Just like how both of the aforementioned got nuke technology (partially stolen from us), the same is happening with stealth other technology. Basically our unis research areas should be more of a security issue. It is but not nearly as secure as it should be.

 

It seems the general consensus is everybody coming out of high school needs at least a BS/BA. I do not agree. How many people have you seen drop out of college after a year or two? They have no marketable skills and wind up working flipping burgers for minimum wage. The chances of advancing up the pay scale without some type of skill training is pretty slim. You cannot live on minimum wage. No way. They wind up on the public dole or worse get in trouble selling weed or crack.

 

I taught technical education, culinary arts, and those students that went on to graduate from a community college or tech school in culinary or pastry arts after finishing HS are for the most part making 45-70K a year. More than most four year grads, if they can get a job. The number of tech jobs that are unfilled is staggering. The reason... not many young people don't want a "blue collar" job. I guess these days it's embarrassing to say you're a chef, aircraft mechanic, welder, or machinist. That's America's backbone. Without those types of jobs the US folds. Look at the salaries of blue collar workers in 2013,it will surprise you.

 

As far as major colleges are concerned, they have almost priced themselves out of the market. I think I remember you're a War Eagle. Compare what you paid and what the current student pays. It's crazy. So the question is.. do you go get a BS/BA and have 30-50K in student loan debt when you finish with the prospect to getting a good job questionable or go to community/technical school for two years, have a much smaller debt, and have a pretty easy time finding a decent paying job?

[dean]

HS, congratulations on your wife getting US citizenship. My wife has been eligible to get US citizenship for almost 2 years but has no desire to get it. My 19 year old step son barely graduated from HS last May and had a laid back summer. He goes to court on Monday for kicking 2 holes in my house. I talked to the DA and have an understanding that the charges will be dropped on completion of some anger management sessions and paying court costs and joining the National Guard. He will never go to a 4 year college but maybe, givien time, a 2 year program may look good to him. The 23 year old step daughter decided to drop out of college after breaking up with herboy friend. As she had changed to hotel management ( her 3rd major change), I didn't try to stop her. She does have potential, so I hope that she will go back eventually. No such worries about the16 year old, who is both smart and determined. So far, she has straight "A"'s in college Advance Placement courses in Math and science. Hopefully, she will get a full ride somewhere, or she will be living at home and attending a local college

[TheCorinthian]

HS, congratulations on your wife getting US citizenship. My wife has been eligible to get US citizenship for almost 2 years but has no desire to get it. My 19 year old step son barely graduated from HS last May and had a laid back summer. He goes to court on Monday for kicking 2 holes in my house. I talked to the DA and have an understanding that the charges will be dropped on completion of some anger management sessions and paying court costs and joining the National Guard. He will never go to a 4 year college but maybe, givien time, a 2 year program may look good to him. The 23 year old step daughter decided to drop out of college after breaking up with herboy friend. As she had changed to hotel management ( her 3rd major change), I didn't try to stop her. She does have potential, so I hope that she will go back eventually. No such worries about the16 year old, who is both smart and determined. So far, she has straight "A"'s in college Advance Placement courses in Math and science. Hopefully, she will get a full ride somewhere, or she will be living at home and attending a local college

 

National Guard? I would send him to the Marines where they appreciate that stuff.

[dean]

Being in the National Guard while living at home and working at McDonalds doesn't appeal to me. His email address is Ming_Rider@hotmail.com. Please send your suggestions to him.

[TheCorinthian]

Being in the National Guard while living at home and working at McDonalds doesn't appeal to me. His email address is Ming_Rider@hotmail.com. Please send your suggestions to him.

 

Sent you two questions by pm

[Flashermac]

I thought immediately that Marine Corps boot camp might be the kid's salvation. Nothing like having some discipline crammed down your throat.

 

I trained with a guy from South Carolina who had gone through Parris Island right after high school, but was medically discharged after 5 months for bad hearing in one ear. Five years later Vietnam was going full blast, medical standards changed, and he was drafted into the Army. He told me that our Army BCT (in 1968) was almost the same as Marine Corps boot camp, though a couple of weeks shorter. Unfortunately, it sure as hell isn't any more. Our drill sergeants would be sent to prison for some of the things they did to us. The Army had to go PC and from what I hear, except for combat arms (male only), Army coeducational "initial entry training" is a walk in the park. Some folks need to learn the hard way.

[unit731]

College Education.

 

I'll have to disagree. College degree in any form is required today. Without - all that will happen is one junk job to another junk job or worse.

 

Sure there are Bill Gates - Harvard dropout. Exception though. He did make it into Harvard.

 

There will always be jobs for plumbers, electricians, etc. But those DO require advanced training - classroom and on the job.

 

A good two year college - Associate Degree - is just fine. Those will get the jobs above other with just a high school diploma.

 

Sure there are low paying jobs. Convenience store cashiers. Mostly dead ends.

 

Granted some can overcome the disadvantage of no college degree - but they can only go so far. Rarely do they go beyond a shift manager with a couple dollars more then minimum wage.

 

College can be expensive.

In my state attending any state community college, state 4 year college, or state university - tuition is free for veterans.

I highly suggest to any young person wandering aimlessly - to join the military - from a state that offers free tuition to veterans.

A bonus of joining the military is that the military will train in just about any trade.

The Air Force would be my first choice. They sleep is real beds with clean sheets.

[Flashermac]

I know a guy from Mississippi who enlisted in the USAF to become a photographer. He learned everything he could about his MOS, and when he got out four years later he opened his own photography studio. He ended up doing all the class photographs etc for every high school within about a 200 mile radius! By all means serve, but choose some training you can use once you are out of uniform. (My discharge says "civilian occupation equivalent - none".)

 

p.s. Nice about no tuition for vets. I didn't get that from California.

[dean]

Living in KC, I checked both Kansas and Missouri for tuition assistance to Vets. Kansas not so good but Missouri surprisingly generous, even at the University of Mizzo. It would be a reason to move across State Line Road.

[Flashermac]

In today's US military, the GI Bill is not automatic. You have to sign up for it when you enlist. You contribute a part of your pay, but the military contributes much more. Some people do not opt for it, since the prefer the immediate cash in hand of the salary. Bad mistake if they ever plan to go to a university or college.