Instead of going to college full time at 18, a wise student will seek employment by a company on a part-time basis and take his college work by examination. His college degree will cost him $12,000 instead of costing his parents $35,000 to $140,000. He can pay his own way through school. He can gain his independence at 18.
He will be trained on the job by people who know how to make a buck. He will have a four-year to six-year head start on his peers. At age 22 or 23, he will have a college degree and work experience that will impress a would-be employer. He will be in a position to rise in the existing chain of command because his employer knows he is now a marketable commodity in the business world. The employer will have to pay him more money.
Very few students do this, and very few parents even consider asking their college-bound children to do this. By the way, 60% of all students who start college fail to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. The money spent by their parents on tuition, books, room, and board goes down the drain. Talk about a high-risk crap shoot!
If parents would set aside half of the money they planned to spend on a child’s education and give the child this money as a college graduation present, the parents would be far better off, and the new graduate could make a down payment on a house or start a business.
