My DH and I both have advanced degrees in fairly specialized fields. Both of us have been quite gainfully (and stably) employed in related (but not integral) disciplines. Considering underemployment, either one of us could land a job in materials, chemistry, physics, related engineering disciplines, pharmaceuticals, toxicology, environmental science, or grant/technical writing/editing within DAYS, and that job would pay well enough to support a family adequately.
That kind of stability is an amazing force in one's life, honestly. It enables things.
My DD sees that very clearly. We want her pursue what she loves, of course... but perhaps more to the point, we want her to be sufficiently pragmatic as to choose wisely, too. Some 'loves' are better left as sidelines.
THIS. Exactly. (One of the reasons I'm filled with regret for not going). And how lucky is your DD to have this modeled for her
I do not buy all the hype surrounding elite/not-quite-elite college admissions, however. I simply do NOT think that an additional 40K annually can be justified over what the local state university costs. DD might apply just to prove to herself that she's good enough to get in... but I for one am not going to encourage (or even stay silent) if she proposes racking up more than 10K in loans. No way. You're borrowing against your future at the company store, kiddo...
Agreed. Also, if they're local, they're close by. My kids are still young, but I don't ever see a time when I'll be ready for them to be thousands of miles away.
