If you’re like me, you’ve been watching the news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. I know it’s a very volatile subject, but I came across this post on Facebook this morning by an anonymous student. I have to say, his or her parents must be VERY proud:
If you don’t want to reach for the glasses, here is the text of his statement:
I am a college senior, about to graduate completely debt free. I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hours a week making barely above minimum wage. I chose a moderately priced in-state, public university. I started saving money for school at age 17. I got decent grades in high school and received two scholarships which cover 90% of my tuition. I currently have a 3.8 GPA. I live comfortably in a cheap apartment, knowing I can’t have everything I want. I don’t eat out every day, or even once a month. I have no credit card, new car, iPad or smart phone–and I’m perfect OK with that. If I did have debt, I would NOT blame Wall Street or the government for my own bad decisions. I live below my means to continue saving for the future. I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my a** off for everything I have. That’s how it’s supposed to work. I am NOT the 99% and whether or not you are is YOUR decision.
At some point, we ALL have to claim responsibility for our actions. If you want your student to become an independent responsible adult, teach him that all actions have consequences and that he always has a choice. That is how to succeed in parenting responsible students.
I love this photo, it’s been passed around on facebook. I know that this child’s parents must be insanely proud.
The whole subject is controversial, but this student shows us that acting responsibly will produce positive results.
A public university education = an education that’s been heavily subsidized by taxpayers. The taxpayers are betting that this form of welfare will be repaid by the recipient over the course of his or her lifetime as tax revenue. It’s a decent bet, but it’s a bet, nonetheless, and for this individual to say “I expect nothing to be handed to me” is absurd. I ask: Does that include the publicly funded education that made this self-congratulatory rant possible?
Eric, I think you missed the point. The point is that the choices you make have consequences. If you choose to take out student loans to live, pay for a high-priced college, and buy a car, then you have to accept the consequences of that choice. Of course he took advantage of a state-funded education, but I’m sure his parents paid enough taxes throughout his life to subsidize whatever portion he did not pay.
Um, this photo is a fraud. Most of it doesn’t even make sense in the current environment.
Fraud or not it makes a good point. We all need to take responsibility for our own actions. I’m not sure what you mean by saying it doesn’t make sense.
This photo is absolutely a fraud. And what’s more, its smug, self-congratulatory tone is insulting. There are so many holes in this story you can drive a truck through it! “Decent” grades in high school = 90 percent scholarship? On what planet? Working 30 hours at minimum wage = enough income to pay rent, food, transportation, books, clothing? I don’t care if this student is living in a tent, using tin can and string instead of a cell phone and wearing ragged clothing … the math doesn’t add up. How can you say it “makes a good point?” It makes a phony point. This is the typical kind of response you get when you show someone who posts a screed of this kind that Snopes or some site has found it to be a fraud … “Well, it makes a good point.” What kind of point do you make when you skew the facts? Daniel Patrick Moynihan said it well: “You’re entitled to your opinion but not your own set of facts.”
The larger point it makes, whether fraud or not, is that there are ways to avoid going into debt for $100,000 for college if you make wise choices. And if it is a fraud, as you say, I would love to know where you found that information. I’m not above removing the post if it’s verified. However, I stand by the premise that you can get a good college education without going into debt. Just as Zac Bissonnette, author of Debt Free U talks about in his book.
Even if the math in the story did add up and she had recieved scholarships that covered 90% of her tuition- what happens to the 50 other students who applied for the same scholarships that this student recieved? I’m sure all with good grades, doing what their teachers told them was necessary to get into college. That wasn’t a CHOICE, it was luck.
Aside from the small loan I took out for school (for tuition and materials exclusively, I am relatively debt free (no new car, etc.)and I don’t blame my problems on anybody but the fact that I have a college degree and am certified in Radiography to work in the dental field and am still out of work- is not the result of my actions.
You’re right Cara. My point about this post was not that unemployed students are to blame. My point was that placing blame on others never solves the problem; and that parents should teach their children to make wise financial choices.