use Perl

• generational differences (Score:3, Interesting)

  by lachoy (1663)

  <generalization mode="on">
  I sometimes wonder if this debt accounts for some of the differences between my generation (graduated from college 10 years ago) and my parents' (baby boomers). When they went to college they generally didn't have to worry about being $20K in debt after graduation -- and that's just for undergraduate education, in a public state school! So they were freer to mosey around the country, go to rock concerts in new york, fart around for a few years trying to experience life and
  • Re:generational differences (Score:2)

    by ziggy (25)

    Speaking with my Merican hat on...

    There are a lot of differences between the generations. The economy was way different a generation or two ago. Colleges were a reasonable way to absorb a large number of GI's coming back from WWII, and they were also a haven for those who didn't want to go to Vietnam. What was once a blessing became a luxury, and is now almost a requirement to participate in the economy.

    Of course, this too shall pass. When I was in high school, practically everyone was preparing to
    • It's not quite as bad as made out to be (Score:1)

      by Wodin (1395) on 2002.03.04 19:24 (#5463) Homepage

      Well, at least not if you're ingenious. My college [macalester.edu] just crossed the 30K a year boundary. Of that, I pay 6 or 7K, my parents pay 5 or 6K, and scholarships, grants, and work study pick up the rest. Admittedly, I'm something of a special case because I get $18K in academic scholarships from various sources, but it's still doable even if you don't have that.

      The problem is only going to get worse, because these days you essentially need some sort of graduate degree to get the really cool jobs that you used to be able to get with just a BA or BS.

      Thankfully, graduate school is sorta paid for by the schools themselves. That makes life easier.

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      • Re:It's not quite as bad as made out to be (Score:2)

        by ziggy (25)

        $30,000/year! Kee-rist! I laughed when my dad predicted that he'd need to cover $100,000 for tuition alone for my two brothers -- at a cheap school! Sad thing is that he was right, but that was just a ballpark figure.

        When I started, my school was fluttering just over $8,000/year for tuition. Upperclassmen were complaining about how high that was. When I left, tuition was pushing (or just over) $13,000. Oh, and this was the original Macintosh University, so lots of people were complaining about the o