Buying Fleetwood Mac music at Wal Mart

[Vianna]

I was the first on my father's side of the family to go to college and the first to get four years on my mother's side-she got two then the Depression came and she had to leave-and it was something I wanted very badly. I was able to get a scholarship for the tuition by agreeing to teach in the public schools for 2 years, and the rest of the expenses I paid for by working in the college library. It was not easy-I had to take 6 courses a semester to get out of school in 4 years, and my parents made it very clear that 4 years was all I got. Period. Then I was to go to work.

I think you have to want college pretty badly. It's hard work academically and yes, you are treated as an adult-in other words, expected to have some sense of responsibility regarding getting your work done and showing up for class and things like that. I know it takes a lot of motivation. There are people that just don't have that motivation for that particular thing. Maybe they have it for something else, and maybe college isn't for everyone. It's one of our misconceptions in America, I think, that we all have to follow the same path.

[strandinthewind]

Amen Sharon!

Seriously, here is an article from yesterday's Atlanta Journal Constitution about what the great financial benefit the lottery (like or not ) has done for education availability in GA.

http://www.ajc.com/print/content/epa...ac1451052.html

[gldstwmn]

Vianna I think you have an excellent point. College is not the answer for everyone. I'm not saying that college is the be all and end all. I don't think it's fair to point fingers at people who did go and say they have a better shot in life because...
Carne, I'm sorry I couldn't phrase my slogans any more eloquently but they are truly my personal beliefs. As far as finding out otherwise, I've had plenty of otherwise so I'm not sitting here in some ivory tower. Part of succeeding in life is the belief that you actually can. There I go again.

[CarneVaca]

Sounds like Georgia has some excellent programs going. That's wonderful.

Gldstwmn, I know people who simply haven't had the opportunity, and in some cases didn't know they had the opportunity. That was my point. What we are taught to believe we can make of ourselves varies depending on our environment. Everyday I pick up my cup of coffee from very pleasant Latino and Filipino women behind the counter at my favorite caffeine station. They smile pleasantly, say, "Good morning, sir," and anticipating what I am going to order, they add, "Small coffee?"

Do you or anyone else honestly think those wonderful working-class women have the same kind of opportunity as middle-class kids in suburbab neighborhoods?

I might add that their pleasant demeanor early in the morning often sets the mood for my day. Can you imagine what they might think if they ever heard me complain about this or that in my moderately comfortable, well-lighted cubicle where I don't really break a sweat?

[Wild Heart]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Yeah, it's easy enough to dismiss an entire discussion with a little "dig." But do you really have something to say? I suppose you can prove to us that the media really is liberal, like that idiot Limbaugh so loves to tell us while he uses the publicly owned airwaves to do so?

Little digs are fun and cute. But do you actually have anything to say?

No Carne I don't have anything to say. As I said in my post I have no intention of discussing politics with anyone on this board and will not get into a mudslinging political debate. I think there are other boards on the net that are better places for those discussions. The comment you quoted was meant as a lighthearted friendly jab, that's all. Don't go postal on me!

[gldstwmn]

Originally posted by CarneVaca

Gldstwmn, I know people who simply haven't had the opportunity, and in some cases didn't know they had the opportunity. That was my point. What we are taught to believe we can make of ourselves varies depending on our environment. Everyday I pick up my cup of coffee from very pleasant Latino and Filipino women behind the counter at my favorite caffeine station. They smile pleasantly, say, "Good morning, sir," and anticipating what I am going to order, they add, "Small coffee?"

Do you or anyone else honestly think those wonderful working-class women have the same kind of opportunity as middle-class kids in suburbab neighborhoods?

Well Carne, how do you know that these women don't OWN the caffeine station? Maybe that speaks more to your view of women. Now don't get in a dander, I'm just busting your chops. The reason those women are here from another country (God bless them) is because that was what they wanted. They believed they could do that and they did it. I'm sure they worked damn hard, too.
Do I think they have the same opportunities as middle class kids? No I don't because they're not middle class suburban kids. They do have the opportunity to start a business, go to school, change occupations, etc. It sounds to me from your description as though they are satisified with their position in the world. If they're not happy and they're not doing anything about it, that's on them.
I do think you are right about some people not know about their opportunities. But isn't it up to them to find out?
For the record, I was blue collar up until about two years ago.

[Sugar]

As far as I know flylirefly never expressed a desire to go to college, so this may all be for naught. I, for one, went to a small liberal arts college that ONLY gives out need based scholarships, and I got quite a bit, but I still had to work all through college. My niece wants to go to college, but my sister is on welfare and has been raising the kids on her own with no child support, so I'm not sure how that's gonna happen. We're lucky in this area to have an excellent community college, so I keep telling my niece that she may have to start out there and transfer later. What the hell, her diploma won't look any different than that of anyone who was there for 4 years. Almost makes me wish I did the same thing!

When I was editing for Petersen's Guides I learned that there are options for low-income people to go to college. There's a college in KY (Beara or something?) that is free for anyone who gets accepted. I actually heard on NPR, I think last year, that there's a college in a farming community in Misourri that has started taking pigs (yes, real. live, oink oink, pigs!) as tuition! Some people have more hurdles than others, sure, but the options are out there.

[Sugar]

And another thing...

I too am sick of EVERY kid being pushed into college because other options are poorly presented. Some of the dumbest people I've ever met I met in college and probably never should have been there! Conversely, I just got done putting an addition on our house, and I paid a bunch of intelligent, skilled people who never went to college a lot of money to do it! Believe me, there's been more than one day I've been staring at my computer at work on a beautiful day wondering if I wouldn't rather be a carpenter!

[strandinthewind]

Originally posted by Sugar
And another thing...

I too am sick of EVERY kid being pushed into college because other options are poorly presented.

I know. I am just so torn because I think college allows people to free their minds as opposed to going straight from high school to the workplace. But, I do know it is not for everyone. In fact, I learned that when I was in college. It just killed me to see people refute the path that had been so obvious to me at that time as the "only" path. What I did not realize was it was the only path for me. Interestingly, despite my seemingly prophetic sermons to one of my friends that went something like this "You idiot - You are going to dig ditches for the rest of your life and die young and broke without an education" (hey - I was 19 give me a break ) - he is now a multi millionaire. He got that way based on skills he learned in the oil fields on and off shore in Louisiana and he could not have developed his new process which made him so rich anywhere else. So, now who is eating crow. We laugh about it often!

[DownOnRodeo]

I totally disagree with them selling guns too (the same reason I hate K-Mart).

OMG - K-Mart sells guns in the US? Wtf.

[strandinthewind]

Originally posted by DownOnRodeo
OMG - K-Mart sells guns in the US? Wtf.

That is why Rosie O'Donnell gave her $10 or million ad fee to charity. Now THAT took balls!!!!!!

[flyfirefly]

Originally posted by Sugar
As far as I know flylirefly never expressed a desire to go to college, so this may all be for naught.

I'm in college. Not that the above had anything to do with anything, but yeah, I was in the top 10% of my graduating class, got distinguished honors, et al. I was in various organizations, and after filling out about half a million scholarship applications was consequently denied all of them. I got into an Ivy League school but couldn't go because the government wasn't providing me with enough money (loans aren't everything, and you can only get so much), so I went to a medium-sized liberal arts school in the middle of Tennessee, the < insert sarcasm> education capital of the world < /end sarcasm>, because it was in-state, which makes the tuition about 10 to 13,000 dollars less depending on wherever else I was planning to go. So now, in addition to financial restraints put on my family by the government again (this is what happens when a member of your family goes to war for an "indefinite" period of time), my Mother works full time, I work full time, and I may have to drop out next semester because we can't afford to make any more loan payments.

But, yeah I guess everyone does have an equal opportunity to go to college and better themselves (should that be their goal), but I had a 14% tuition raise last year, and a 16.5% one this year. That's fair enough for everyone.

[Lisa]

Originally posted by sulamith I know it is true that alot of folks aren't able to do what I did, for whatever reason, but I guess I feel because I went through that to get my degree, then anybody can.

I personally think it's great that you were fortunate enough to be able to do that, but that still doesn't give you the right to look down upon other people who aren't as highly educated as you and/or who care about saving their pennies. For someone who was so poor once, I would think you would be more understanding of those who prefer to shop at stores whose prices are lower than others.

My husband and I have an M.S. apiece (and the student loan debt to prove it), but that doesn't make us any better people than those who don't. It doesn't make us any richer either

-Lisa

[gldstwmn]

Originally posted by DownOnRodeo
OMG - K-Mart sells guns in the US? Wtf.

Yeah they do or they did. I don't know anymore. There's a movie called Bowling For Columbine which addresses that very subject.

[GardenStateGirlie]

Originally posted by Sugar
And another thing...

I too am sick of EVERY kid being pushed into college because other options are poorly presented. Some of the dumbest people I've ever met I met in college and probably never should have been there! Conversely, I just got done putting an addition on our house, and I paid a bunch of intelligent, skilled people who never went to college a lot of money to do it! Believe me, there's been more than one day I've been staring at my computer at work on a beautiful day wondering if I wouldn't rather be a carpenter!

Now i'm a fairly intelligent person who has consistantly been obsessed with achieving goals and working toward a career. However, because I couldn't afford to go to a big name school, I had to go to county college for two years. People would ask me, "oh, where do you go to school?" and when I replied with _________ County College, they'd have this look of "oh, i'm sorry," on their faces as though to say I must not have a brain in my head. Needless to say, many of those who went off to college in my high school ended up in county several months later because they partied too much and probably never should have gotten into college in the first place. There's nothing wrong with spending two years at a county college and I'm tired of people thinking there is. I received a decent education and was able to complete my core courses for a fraction of the cost that most people spend to take and fail out at some schools.

Right now, i'm in a rather difficult position. I'm 19, an only child, I live with my parents, I have a car and a cell phone and I make $7.35 per hour working in retail 35-40 hours per week. I applied to Ithaca College, Rider University, Montclair State and Emerson College and was accepted to all of them. I won't be receiving financial aid based on what my parents make and they REFUSE to help me fund ANYTHING and they don't make so much that they can help me out either.

Emerson is the school that I have decided upon because it's best for me as far as what my major is. Tuition at Emerson is currently $30,000 per year. Housing is not available to transfer students who I am told make up 55% of the student population at the school. The cost of an apartment in Boston, MA is $600-$800 per month not including amenities such as electric, phone, water etc. This also does not include my transportation around the city. However, we live in a world where i'm told if I do not seek the best education possible that I will not be able to obtain the career of my desire.

Channel One news (a channel shown across the country in junior high and high schools on closed circuit TV) is currently seeking an anchor and experience is not required. I have experience. However, you must be in school in order to apply. I cannot afford to go to school and it's too late for me to get in anywhere for the fall. I have to take a year off, find someone who will hire me full time in a job market that currently sucks without anything but an associates degree and concurrently figure out how to emancipate from my parents so that I may receive some sort of aid. This is the story of my life and the story of a lot of other college students. College is for me but I can't go. The buisness (and it is a buisness) of college and higher education is RIDICULOUS. That's my rant. I'm not happy these days and it's causing me many a sleepless night because I don't know how i'm going to react not being in school.