I wanted to sort of get this out there and off my chest - and perhaps provide some insight to parents out there with kids that are college bound now or in the next few years!
I've been a little frustrated with my current job situation. I consider myself a highly creative person and work at a company where my creativity potential is far from being reached! (I work for a large development company in Florida as a Project Designer of large-scale gofl communities). This is one of the reasons I am doing cake decorating, in addition to scrapbooking. However, the difference between the two hobbies is that I'd love to do cake decorating as a full time job and source of income.
If you are curious, I majored in Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland. I was an OUT-OF-STATE student! Ouch. 
So the tuition each semester was intense. 
I had to take out THOUSANDS of dollars in loans to attend. I loved being a Terp, I really did. I think I appreciated it even more than most students because I specifically transfered from a school in upstate-NY to be there. I also had a lot of family in the area of the University of Maryland that I loved being near.
Here's where the advice comes to play! I am now paying off over $600 a month in student loans and will be until at least 2025. I'm actually not exaggerating. I will literally be paying off that much for that long...
If someone spelled it out for me a few years ago in high school, when I was deciding what to do "next", I'm not sure I would've done it. However, hindsight's 20/20 and I sort of feel like I'm in a Catch 22 situation: had I not gone to Maryland I wouldn't have the high dollar amount of loans to pay off, yet everything happens for a reason and perhaps if I didn't go there I wouldn't have come to realize my cake decorating dream!! I did get to intern for Walt Disney Imagineering (my dream job) and met my future husband there and I wouldn't trade that for anything! But I wish someone had said "You love baking - have you considered that perhaps CULINARY or PASTRY school is the route for you instead of a university?"
My brother is a senior in high school now and my parents knew he wasn't the type to go away from home and wasn't into "school" so he is actually going the route of a carpentry union 2-year program. Good for him! I don't blame my parents at all - they are amazing, encouraging and supportive and how could any of us have known what the future had in store?
I just wish that more parents out there would encourage their kids to look into various post-high school options. Perhaps I could've had 6 years of cake decorating already under my belt!
Thoughts?
Thanks for reading!
The thing is, few high school students really know what they want to be, so advising them is difficult. How could your parents advise you if you didn't know yourself? I think most parents just see the need to get their kid into college because more often than not, if you take a year off you won't go (hence, so many undeclared majors out there).
I was fortunate in that I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was also fortunate (to an extent) that I knew I would be attending college on my own dime. I took out the loans, but I also worked full time while going to college full time - and attended in state (which is where your expenses killed you). I didn't party, date much, or participate a whole lot in the "fun side" of college.
I'm willing to bet that you gained a lot of experience in those four years and had doors open for you that you otherwise wouldn't have open.
I'd still advise people to go ahead and get a four year degree if at all possible. It's the first thing employers look for when considering an applicant. The loans will stink for a few (or maybe more than a few) years, but consider your income level now in comparison to your income level if you hadn't attended school. It will work out in the end.
MikkelPaige - I could have written your post right down to those awful loans that I think I will forever have in deferral/forebearance. It's been 14 years that I've been out of high school and I am only now just starting to realize that I've taken a career path that was not really for me. I got my bachelor's in computer information systems *YAWN* because I thought that was the path with the highest income return. I could not anticipate the nosedive the economy took a year after I got out of college (2001) and right now I really don't make enough to comfortably pay those loans off.
I always wanted to do something creative, but pressure from parents, peers, ex-husband drove me to CIS and now that I see what has happened I believe that I might have been more successful career wise if I had followed my heart instead of my logical brain. I was getting out of the Air Force and had to make a decision and I let people who shouldn't have influence me, do just that. I don't regret it one bit, it's part of who I am now; but you are spot on when you say that parents should encourage their children to do what their children want to do. Not what YOU want them to do. My dad is only now just realizing the mistake he made by giving me guilt trips about the choices in my life.
Now I'm stuck. I can't very well leave my career, because it certainly pays better and has more income potential than cake decorating ever could (unless you are a famous chef or something). It's not that money is everything, but it matters when I've got this gargantuan student debt. How can I go run off and be a baker and forget about those loans? Ugh, I feel ya.
Mikkelpaige: I'm actually in the complete opposite situation as you. Me & my dad bought a coffee shop and started doing cakes ...I had just graduated high school. Ive been doing this for almost 10 years...and the decorating part for about 1 1/2 years and i've decided that i can't do it anymore. I really loved the decorating, but somewhere along the line I got burned out and its probably been about 5 months since i've even made a cake.
I just started school last month...i'm going for an degreein criminal justice and then i will be continuing on for a degree in another field. I've taken out thousands of student loans...and i'm thinking of eventually going to law school...so i'll be tacking on thousands more in loans.
I guess my point is that I thought i knew exactly what i wanted to do also, but people change. You could have gone to culinary school,etc., but its possible you'd be in the same situation and want to change careers.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
I never went to college and really had no desire or want to ... however my dh did go to college for four years and graduated with a degree in computer science, right after graduation he got a wonderful job making excellent money and paid off "most" of his college loans ... about a year later the company closed and he was left jobless ... now he works for a small automotive branch doing absolutely nothing connected with his college degree that we are paying off slowly each month .. it really stings when we pay that bill but we are grateful that we have the money to pay it off each month even without him working in the computer field ...
The thing is, few high school students really know what they want to be, so advising them is difficult. How could your parents advise you if you didn't know yourself? I think most parents just see the need to get their kid into college because more often than not, if you take a year off you won't go (hence, so many undeclared majors out there).
I was fortunate in that I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was also fortunate (to an extent) that I knew I would be attending college on my own dime. I took out the loans, but I also worked full time while going to college full time - and attended in state (which is where your expenses killed you). I didn't party, date much, or participate a whole lot in the "fun side" of college.
I'm willing to bet that you gained a lot of experience in those four years and had doors open for you that you otherwise wouldn't have open.
I'd still advise people to go ahead and get a four year degree if at all possible. It's the first thing employers look for when considering an applicant. The loans will stink for a few (or maybe more than a few) years, but consider your income level now in comparison to your income level if you hadn't attended school. It will work out in the end.
I couldn't agree more!! I just thought I'd spread "what I've learned" to those who may not think to encourage kids - their kids, nephews, nieces, step-kids, whoever! - to look at all options!
Yes, doors definitely opened for me that may not have otherwise been open and I didn't even think twice about not going to college in high school!
All great points!
MikkelPaige - I could have written your post right down to those awful loans that I think I will forever have in deferral/forebearance. It's been 14 years that I've been out of high school and I am only now just starting to realize that I've taken a career path that was not really for me. I got my bachelor's in computer information systems *YAWN* because I thought that was the path with the highest income return. I could not anticipate the nosedive the economy took a year after I got out of college (2001) and right now I really don't make enough to comfortably pay those loans off.
I always wanted to do something creative, but pressure from parents, peers, ex-husband drove me to CIS and now that I see what has happened I believe that I might have been more successful career wise if I had followed my heart instead of my logical brain. I was getting out of the Air Force and had to make a decision and I let people who shouldn't have influence me, do just that. I don't regret it one bit, it's part of who I am now; but you are spot on when you say that parents should encourage their children to do what their children want to do. Not what YOU want them to do. My dad is only now just realizing the mistake he made by giving me guilt trips about the choices in my life.
Now I'm stuck. I can't very well leave my career, because it certainly pays better and has more income potential than cake decorating ever could (unless you are a famous chef or something). It's not that money is everything, but it matters when I've got this gargantuan student debt. How can I go run off and be a baker and forget about those loans? Ugh, I feel ya.
AGREE! I cannot responsibly quit my job to chase what I love so I will do it on the side and see where it takes me. But agreed - I make a good salary for an entry level job for my field but there's that catch 22! I wouldn't have this high paying job if I didn't go to the school I did and take out loans, but if I wouldn't have needed those loans if I didn't go to that school!
Will you/do you do cake decorating on the side for a creative outlet and extra $$?
ge978:
GOOD FOR YOU that you're going back to school! I really admire those that choose to go back to school, or get a first degree even, years after high school!
Best of luck to you too!
... it really stings when we pay that bill but we are grateful that we have the money to pay it off each month even without him working in the computer field ...
Yes it does sting, indeed!!! I cringe when I immediately see $600 of my bi-weekly paycheck go STRAIGHT to loans! Oh well... Lotto anyone?
Oh I so agree with every single one of these post. It is a catch 22 for sure.
I had a mom who was highly encouraging (wanting to make the decision for me) about going to college. But I really had NO idea what I wanted to do. I was so burned out halfway through my senior year and I was stressing so much about what I was going to do that I started having some medical problems.
My dad on the other hand sat me down and told me I didn't have to make any decision about a career that day, that year, or even in the next 5 years. This was the best thing anyone could have done for me. From that day on I enjoyed the rest of my senior year, got healthier, and stopped worrying. I knew I was going to have to work to support myself, but I now knew it was OK to not know what I want to do.
I then took 4 years off of school. I worked in a bakery and found out I really enjoy doing it, however it wasn't what I wanted at that time as a career. So then I was offered a Sheet metal apprenticeship and I have one year left in that now. I am now starting to do more cake/cookies on the side and plan on setting up a business this year, but it will only be part time. Maybe someday I will want to do it full time again, but not now.
So not really sure where my post was suppost to put my support, but I so understand every single post so far. (My BF did go to school so he's working on those loans now... and he still has more test to take for more certifications so more $)
I really believe that college can be a great thing as far as personal growth and really decideing what you want to do. I just wish that it wasn't so darn expensive!!!
I went to school for music education, then switched to archaeology. Because of health problems I can't work in the field. Because of poor grades as a music major, I can't get into grad school to even be a researcher. 
But even with my hub and I's combined $60,000 student loan debt 
- I wouldn't have traded the experience for the world. Although like I said, a smaller price tag would have been great!
So now...I'm just trying to get things in order to go to a small local culinary school. Either to have my own personal chef service or my own cake place. 
Aimeestrange,
I agree with the personal growth remark!
And I will be looking into classes on the side while I have my full time job to see where cake baking and decorating can take me one day!!
DH and I both went to a private christian college...that is actually where we met. Between the two of us, we have enough student loans to buy a small house. We are 30 and our payments are still deferred/forebearance. I am a stay at home mom, and can't justify going back to work to pay a babysitter. It wouldn't be near enough to pay our massive loan payments.....almost $1600 a month between the two of us! On one hand, I wouldn't have met my wonderful husband, but ouch....those loan payments hurt. Especially when most of the total amount is interest! I really wish the government would come up with some type of program that allowed you to "work" off your federal student loans. DH is now in school again, but his employer is paying for this degree 
That's cool that your DH company is paying for his degree 
Yeah and it would be luvly to have something to "work off" some of that loan.....
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