Baby Boomer Suggests Everyone Who Wants “Free” Education Should Join The Army, Gets Shut Down By Millennial
Baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and millennials (born between the early 1980s and early 2000s) don’t see eye to eye on many things. The price of higher education is one of them. To put it simply, millennials want cheaper tuition and baby boomers believe that they’re entitled to even think so. And this recent exchange on Facebook perfectly illustrates this conflict.
According to HSBC’s 2017 report, The Value of Education, The US again emerged as the top choice for parents considering university abroad for their child – but also one of the most expensive, with parents contributing an average of US$58,464 towards their child’s education in the US per year (including tuition fees, transport, books and accommodation).
According to Top Universities, the very top US universities (the majority of which are private non-profits), fees and living costs are likely to add up to as much as $60,000 per year, but it’s also possible to study in the US at a much lower outlay. “Those seeking a more affordable option will find lower tuition fees at US universities within the public sector. These are typically run as state university systems – collections of colleges within a state, which share some administrative aspects while operating as separate institutions.”
As College Board states, tuition fees for 2018/19 at state colleges are an average of US$10,230 for state residents, and $26,290 for everyone else. This compares to an average of $35,830 at private non-profit colleges.
To put things into perspective, the Bureau Labor of Statistics reports that an Average 20 to 24-year-old American working full time earns about $596 per week or $30,992 per year.
People had a lot to say about this subject matter
Do Millennials Have It Worse Than Baby Boomers?
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Share on FacebookI will never understand how our country has endless amounts of money to send our young people to die in wars, yet we seemingly never have any money to allow our citizens to better themselves.
I'm so grateful that I live in a country where education is free. Otherwise there would have been no chance in hell that I could have studied for 11 years at university, as my single mother of three was an low income taker. And no, we don't pay 65% tax, if you make a ton of money, then you pay 50%, the lowest rate (if you earn less than 19 247 kronor per year, it's tax free) is 29%. Even if 29% sounds like a lot, we have nearly the same percent millionairs in my country as in the USA. So obviously taxes doesn't effect the possibility to become rich.
Can you say that a little louder Lingon..I don't think the conservatives in the back heard you? I had friends that were freaking out about the possibility of Bernie Sanders becoming president of the USA. They were middle income families that were panicking about being taxed at 40%. Their theory "I shouldn't have to work my a*s off to have the same stuff as the lazy person who doesn't want to work." I tried to tell them how socialism works with everyone getting the same "vouchers" for living expenses..but the people that earn more can get bigger and better cars and houses while going on long vacations. I informed them that nothing of their lifestyle would change..what would change is who pays for it. It's still a situation of the more you work the more you get.
Load More Replies...I very much understand the Millennial angst and anger. I'm a late boomer (1960) who didn't get to go to college at 18, even though I had the grades (s****y parents who could've easily sent all 5 of their kids to college, but washed their hands of each of us when we hit 18). The bill for tuition when I was between 18-22 would've been so cheap, but because I was working full time and supporting myself on very low pay (rate of pay for my first job: $3.45/hour), and because I had no support system of people to counsel me on financial aid, I couldn't afford to even pay that little. It took being laid off at 51, going on unemployment for the first time in my life, and qualifying for a Workforce Development grant to pay for my Associates degree to get me started. On 5/22/19, I will be graduating with my Masters degree in Conflict Resolution. However, job hunting for me is even more difficult than for my much younger cohorts because I get to encounter ageism too.
Wow! That's an amazing effort, Kathryn. Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and all the best for your job hunting.
Load More Replies...This is why I loved Michael Moore's "Where to Invade Next". He showed the best policies from foreign countries that would be great for America. I watched that movie and was like "Why the hell don't we do that?". Things like universal healthcare, affordable/free higher education, better pay/employee health programs, and decriminalizing drug use with better rehabilitation programs to name a few. Watching that was an eye-opener for me.
Hi Brandon-Its amazing looking from the outside at just how far behind everyone the USA govt is. Come live in Australia for a year. Listen to the politicians FIGHTING EACH OTHER TO SPEND MORE on public health, education and welfare. Its completely normal all around the first world. So glad Im not American...The USA only cares about the 1%
Load More Replies...Why don't we start by fixing up our 1-12 schools so at least people will have a good basic education by 18 yo? Instead we have ghetto schools literally graduating functionally illiterates.
Good idea. America has this crazy system where schools are funded by local property taxes, so poor schools stay poor and rich schools stay rich. In countries like Canada, schools are funded at the provincial (i.e. State) level, so rich people have to fund schools for poor kids whether they like it or not. But good elementary education is about more than "fixing" schools. It's about safety, nutrition, community, etc. That would require a more just society, which doesn't seem like it's going to happen any time soon.
Load More Replies...Boomers created and pushed credit debt, teaching GenX (me, hi!) to buy things on credit. Now, enough GenXers are realizing we were blindsided by not really understanding the ramifications and we're teaching our kids, Millennials and GenZs, the dangers of credit in a world where prices are so astronomical that it's nearly impossible to buy even what you need without credit. I'm really scared for my GenZ kids. They're facing serious decisions right now about their future and the financial cost of any decision they make is high.
Using a credit card is a choice. Yes they are relentlessly marketed to everyone. Buying into that marketing machine is a choice. If you choose to use credit to live beyond your means, it's not someone else's fault. Facing serious decisions & the related financial cost of those decisions continue throughout life. For everyone. Not just GenZ kids. Teach your children about credit. Teach your children to recognize when they're being marketed to. Because they're ALWAYS being marketed to. Teach your children to take responsibility for their choices.
Load More Replies...how quickly the baby boomers seem to forget that their generation was the first generation to proactively rebel against the status quo, and started demanding more opportunities, more rights and more personal freedom.
Go to europe (not GB) if you want an affortable good education. If you are a citizen of the european union it might even be for free. If you decide to stay you also don't have to worry about health care, your finacial situation when you stop working or other problems the US seems to be unable to solve
There's nothing wrong with free education if it results in the person educated being significantly more productive over her work life. Education is a very sound investment. The irony is this same boomer probably thinks early grade education being free is perfectly normal. It's just free college that is offensive to him. How does that make any sense?
Military doesn't offer "free" college, they make you earn every penny. They work you like a dog for the first 3 years. I remember the first talk the RDC's gave us in basic training. He asked..."Who here joined for the college money?....you're going to find out that it would have been easier to just work your way through school....." and then just laughed. Let me tell you he wasn't wrong.
I will never understand how our country has endless amounts of money to send our young people to die in wars, yet we seemingly never have any money to allow our citizens to better themselves.
I'm so grateful that I live in a country where education is free. Otherwise there would have been no chance in hell that I could have studied for 11 years at university, as my single mother of three was an low income taker. And no, we don't pay 65% tax, if you make a ton of money, then you pay 50%, the lowest rate (if you earn less than 19 247 kronor per year, it's tax free) is 29%. Even if 29% sounds like a lot, we have nearly the same percent millionairs in my country as in the USA. So obviously taxes doesn't effect the possibility to become rich.
Can you say that a little louder Lingon..I don't think the conservatives in the back heard you? I had friends that were freaking out about the possibility of Bernie Sanders becoming president of the USA. They were middle income families that were panicking about being taxed at 40%. Their theory "I shouldn't have to work my a*s off to have the same stuff as the lazy person who doesn't want to work." I tried to tell them how socialism works with everyone getting the same "vouchers" for living expenses..but the people that earn more can get bigger and better cars and houses while going on long vacations. I informed them that nothing of their lifestyle would change..what would change is who pays for it. It's still a situation of the more you work the more you get.
Load More Replies...I very much understand the Millennial angst and anger. I'm a late boomer (1960) who didn't get to go to college at 18, even though I had the grades (s****y parents who could've easily sent all 5 of their kids to college, but washed their hands of each of us when we hit 18). The bill for tuition when I was between 18-22 would've been so cheap, but because I was working full time and supporting myself on very low pay (rate of pay for my first job: $3.45/hour), and because I had no support system of people to counsel me on financial aid, I couldn't afford to even pay that little. It took being laid off at 51, going on unemployment for the first time in my life, and qualifying for a Workforce Development grant to pay for my Associates degree to get me started. On 5/22/19, I will be graduating with my Masters degree in Conflict Resolution. However, job hunting for me is even more difficult than for my much younger cohorts because I get to encounter ageism too.
Wow! That's an amazing effort, Kathryn. Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and all the best for your job hunting.
Load More Replies...This is why I loved Michael Moore's "Where to Invade Next". He showed the best policies from foreign countries that would be great for America. I watched that movie and was like "Why the hell don't we do that?". Things like universal healthcare, affordable/free higher education, better pay/employee health programs, and decriminalizing drug use with better rehabilitation programs to name a few. Watching that was an eye-opener for me.
Hi Brandon-Its amazing looking from the outside at just how far behind everyone the USA govt is. Come live in Australia for a year. Listen to the politicians FIGHTING EACH OTHER TO SPEND MORE on public health, education and welfare. Its completely normal all around the first world. So glad Im not American...The USA only cares about the 1%
Load More Replies...Why don't we start by fixing up our 1-12 schools so at least people will have a good basic education by 18 yo? Instead we have ghetto schools literally graduating functionally illiterates.
Good idea. America has this crazy system where schools are funded by local property taxes, so poor schools stay poor and rich schools stay rich. In countries like Canada, schools are funded at the provincial (i.e. State) level, so rich people have to fund schools for poor kids whether they like it or not. But good elementary education is about more than "fixing" schools. It's about safety, nutrition, community, etc. That would require a more just society, which doesn't seem like it's going to happen any time soon.
Load More Replies...Boomers created and pushed credit debt, teaching GenX (me, hi!) to buy things on credit. Now, enough GenXers are realizing we were blindsided by not really understanding the ramifications and we're teaching our kids, Millennials and GenZs, the dangers of credit in a world where prices are so astronomical that it's nearly impossible to buy even what you need without credit. I'm really scared for my GenZ kids. They're facing serious decisions right now about their future and the financial cost of any decision they make is high.
Using a credit card is a choice. Yes they are relentlessly marketed to everyone. Buying into that marketing machine is a choice. If you choose to use credit to live beyond your means, it's not someone else's fault. Facing serious decisions & the related financial cost of those decisions continue throughout life. For everyone. Not just GenZ kids. Teach your children about credit. Teach your children to recognize when they're being marketed to. Because they're ALWAYS being marketed to. Teach your children to take responsibility for their choices.
Load More Replies...how quickly the baby boomers seem to forget that their generation was the first generation to proactively rebel against the status quo, and started demanding more opportunities, more rights and more personal freedom.
Go to europe (not GB) if you want an affortable good education. If you are a citizen of the european union it might even be for free. If you decide to stay you also don't have to worry about health care, your finacial situation when you stop working or other problems the US seems to be unable to solve
There's nothing wrong with free education if it results in the person educated being significantly more productive over her work life. Education is a very sound investment. The irony is this same boomer probably thinks early grade education being free is perfectly normal. It's just free college that is offensive to him. How does that make any sense?
Military doesn't offer "free" college, they make you earn every penny. They work you like a dog for the first 3 years. I remember the first talk the RDC's gave us in basic training. He asked..."Who here joined for the college money?....you're going to find out that it would have been easier to just work your way through school....." and then just laughed. Let me tell you he wasn't wrong.





























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