College...not worth it....?

[OrganicKale]

I would not send my child to the military in exchange for an education. A college degree is very valuable, but not worth risking my child's life for. I would rather go into debt.

 

[Beekissed]

I would not send my child to the military in exchange for an education. A college degree is very valuable, but not worth risking my child's life for. I would rather go into debt.

Well...one can't actually SEND one's child to the military. It is entirely their choice and it's a choice many make when their parents cannot afford to co-sign college loans and scholarships are hard to find. The military is a good career choice for many and there is nothing wrong in a child learning responsibility and discipline military style and certainly nothing wrong with serving one's country~somebody has to do it. Dangerous? Maybe. Necessary to remain a free country? Absolutely. If not my kid, whose then?

If everyone felt it should be someone else's responsibility to serve their country, we wouldn't have any defense for our country and where would all the little rich college kids be?

I'm proud that my sons are/were in the military and if a college education comes along with it, all the better. Dangerous? There are certainly less noble ways to die then dying for freedom and the defense of one's country. Most military personnel can live to retire while still in their 30s if they join at 18..not a bad deal at all.

I say a big fat THANK YOU to all the parents out there who let their children go serve their country, even if it was in exchange for a college education. A college education is the least we can do for anyone wanting to stand and fight for all the people who "wouldn't risk their children's life".

 

[Wifezilla]

I say a big fat THANK YOU to all the parents out there who let their children go serve their country, even if it was in exchange for a college education.

You're welcome

But it wasn't a matter of "letting". My oldest decided on his own. Part of that decision WAS getting more education, but we all talked about the risks. I was very relieved when he came back from Iraq in one piece!

 

[Beekissed]

Same here....I never pushed my children into the military. They all decided without consulting me and THEN came and told me their intentions and why. I didn't discourage it because it is my belief that men should be willing to be a warrior for their country and women should support that. It is what men should be doing for their country and for their family, IMO.

I guess it's the same as all the people who nag at people who don't vote...if you don't condone having anyone fighting for freedom, then don't complain when you lose it.

If my son dies in service to his country, I can't imagine that I would be anything but proud of it. There are many ways to die but none so noble as dying for others.

 

[k15n1]

Last I checked, unemployment for those without post-hight-school education was a lot higher than for those with a degree.

 

[Britesea]

My son would have been happy to serve, but they would not accept him because he has no lens in his right eye, which means that without a contact lens he is blind in that eye. That's why he went into the Job Corps. He's not any safer though, considering all the ways there are for a civilian to die...

 

[dacjohns]

I would not send my child to the military in exchange for an education. A college degree is very valuable, but not worth risking my child's life for. I would rather go into debt.

You are certainly entitled to your own beliefs and values. I would ask you to remember that many are serving their country so your children don't have to go in the military.

 

[OrganicKale]

If my son dies in service to his country, I can't imagine that I would be anything but proud of it. There are many ways to die but none so noble as dying for others.

That is all well and good but I am not particularly interested in having my child die before me, not even in the interests of getting an education. It's a risk benefit thing in my opinion, and decidedly not worth it. If everyone felt that way, well, I guess the world would just have to stop having wars. What a tragedy that would be.

 

[FarmerChick]

if my kid WANTED the military for 'whatever personal' reasons, sure they could definitely go and with my blessing and reap ALL OF THE benefits affiliated with the military.

but I sure would not direct a kid not interested in the military at all to join JUST for any benefits the military could offer. I would also go into debt and help my kid any way I could before sending them into a military life they would NOT otherwise want.

Military is NOT the answer for everyone

edited to say a kid would likely leave the military pretty darn quick if they were not interested in it, then bye bye benfits lol

 

[Theo]

I have a liberal arts degree which led to a paraprofessional job in a library. Everything I learned in college, including a reading knowledge of 4 foreign languages, has been useful to me every day on the job. Excellent writing skills are another useful skill I learned in college.

My son just graduated with a degree in writing ... and he got a full time job with a publisher a month after graduation. Makes more money then I do. So don't rule out liberal arts degrees. It is a matter of what the student is suited to. My daughter is a senior in high school. She is going for a career in nursing. She will make an excellent nurse.

I am helping my children through college--but I too refuse to take out a parent loan. I know of a couple of people who are in debt for tens of thousands of dollars, whose children are currently back home in their old bedrooms, not working. I took a lesson from that: don't sign away your retirement money. If your kid wants the education, he or she is the responsible party, not you. But that doesn't mean don't help them--do what you can. Education is important.

My son took out student loans: he is on track to pay them off in 10 years. I don't think that is unreasonable. He also worked at a couple of jobs to get through college, and he received scholarships. My daughter will do the same. She has also thought about the military. It is her choice.