School Daze

In this day and age, we all know how important it is for our youth to get an education. Starting as early as Kindergarten, we are encouraging kids to stay in school  so you can go to college and get a degree and get a good job.

We need to stop telling our children this.

Screeeeeeech!!! Pump the breaks! What did she just say?

Yes, you read that correctly. We need to stop telling kids that they need to go to college. Yes, I firmly believe that education is a key to success. However, there are many different ways they can accomplish their goals without going to college.

Most educators know, and as parents we must realize, that every child is not cut out for college. By stressing college to these children, we are already setting them up to fail or at best, struggle excessively unnecessarily.

We must and should encourage our children to go for their dreams, but we must realize that every dream may not include a stint at a university obtaining a Bachelor’s degree.

There is nothing wrong with a trade or vocational school. There are many areas that they can be trained in and still have a successful career. Look at a fraction of the different career paths available:

·        Health Care: Medical and Dental Support, Massage Therapy, Nutrition, Optometry

·        Creative: Architecture, Cosmetology, Design, Fashion, Graphic/Computer Design

·        Food: Culinary Arts, Restaurant Management

·        Other: Construction, Electronics, Mortician, Trucking

As you can see from this sampling of careers, they can be successful without going through a five year college plan.

Wait a second. Did she just say five years? I thought college took four.

Surprise! If you haven’t been keeping up, most Bachelor degree programs take a minimum of five years to complete. So keep that in mind when budgeting for those college expenses.

If your child isn’t sure if university life is for them, have them take some courses at the local community college . This can be a great way to get the basics under their belt and also determine if college life is for them.

So parents, encourage your kids to chase their dreams and help them find a path that will help get them there.

Click here to read a transcript for "Is College Right for Everyone?" (from the Diane Rehm Show via NPR)

[I found this link after I had typed this up, but if you google this topic, you will find many articles about this subject and how many experts feel that promotion of college for everyone is not the right road to travel]

Bills, Bills, Bills

"Can you pay my bills? Can you pay my telephone bills? Can you pay my automo-bills?

This was the chorus to a song by Destiny's Child in 1999. Twelve years later, I want to revamp it? The question I ask is, "Can you pay YOUR bills?"

Working in a bank for the past 15 years has opened my eyes to a lot of things and one of them, sadly, is that some people can't (or won't) pay their bills. One might say, "Well it's because they don't have a (good) job...besides times are bad." And I will have to interject and say, "That may be partially true, but for the majority of people, it's because of bad choices."

And what's really sad is that some of these choices were made when they were younger and now that they are older and need to do "grown up" things, their past has come back to haunt them. I have seen many times where folks have called in to get a car loan because they need the car so they can go to work, but they can't get the loan because of outstanding bills on their credit.

That cell phone bill for $200 that you decided to walk away from 2 years ago, has now been sent to a collection agency and is on your credit report. Remember that store credit card you got when you were 20 and you were late making the payments for the stuff that you didn't need in the first place. Well, it's still causing you trouble now that you are 26.

Not paying your bills causes you trouble on so many fronts. It keeps your from getting favorable rates and deals. It requires you to put down higher deposits for utilities and other services. It keeps you from obtaining credit when you really need it - buying a car or renting a house. And nowadays, it can keep you from getting a job!

What does your credit have to do with your ability to work a job you ask? Well, by looking at your credit history, it gives potential employers a story about your character. It tells about your dependability and accountability. Plus, if you can't handle your business, how are you going to handle their business?

So what to do?

If you have not found yourself in financial dire straights, great! Make sure you pay your bills by the due date every time. If you know ahead of time that you will not be able to pay something, call them beforehand and try to make arrangements. Most companies will work with you. Don't spend money you don't have. Take care of your needs first (shelter, food, necessary clothing, transportation to get to work) before you indulge in your wants (high fashion clothes and shoes, eating out, vacations, rims for your car, HDTVs, etc.). Live within your means.

Now if you have found yourself in the position where things aren't looking so good, don't fret. You can work on it. First, face it. It's yours. You did it, so own up to it. If you can't remember who and what you owe, go out to http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ and pull your credit report from all three credit agencies (it's free). See what is being reported for you. Collections and charge offs? Contact the company and see if you can work out a payment plan. Again, most companies will work with you (because they want their money). If you can only pay $25 a month for now, let them know that. At least you are attempting to make it right.

It will take time and sacrifice to get your credit back to life, but it will be worth it.

So pay your bills. It can save you so much heartache and disappointment in the future.