Private School Education Or College Student Loans?

[FLA]

A good college teaches more than just specific job knowledge because those can go obsolete. It also teaches ways to think and how to problem solve (i.e. continued learning); i.e. it is more an experience and IMHO it can influence you as much as the first 18 years of one's life.

agreed, a good college prepares you for career by instilling critical thinking skills

I choose public school and less college debt, that said, I moved us to a district with a better public school system than where we were living. Not that they couldn't have thrived where they would've been but I figured stack the deck.

[disneysteve]

A good college teaches more than just specific job knowledge because those can go obsolete. It also teaches ways to think and how to problem solve (i.e. continued learning)

Definitely.

I think people focus way too much on going to college to attain a certain job. Except for select careers like medicine or law or engineering, that really isn't the point of college in my mind.

I've read many times that a bunch of the most in-demand jobs today didn't even exist 10 years ago. That just emphasizes how your actual degree is far less important than learning how to learn and having a broad skill set that can be easily adapted to whatever the job market demands when you get out there.

[disneysteve]

Private school education is extremely important from a social capital standpoint. The people you meet in high school and college can give you access to capital, opportunities, jobs, etc - for the rest of your adult life. So, the intangibles alone are worth the additional cost.

So are you saying that private school is important because of who you might meet? Can't you meet people in public school just as well?

[sv2007]

I think the quality of the child is far more important than the quality of the school. A smart, motivated kid is going to do well no matter where he/she goes.

I'm not sure about smart kids;
but I think an average kid will drift toward the average of good or bad schools, so a good school is probably beneficial.

[GoodSteward]

Definitely.

I think people focus way too much on going to college to attain a certain job. Except for select careers like medicine or law or engineering, that really isn't the point of college in my mind.

I've read many times that a bunch of the most in-demand jobs today didn't even exist 10 years ago. That just emphasizes how your actual degree is far less important than learning how to learn and having a broad skill set that can be easily adapted to whatever the job market demands when you get out there.

Well, to be fair the whole pitch for kids to go to college is "Go to college so you can get a good job." I don't usually hear "Go to college so you can be a critical thinker and adaptive in this world."

What classes are offered at a four-year college that a two-year college(tech school) doesn't that enables students to be critical thinkers? I've always assumed it was based on how they are taught(the teachers), not what class they take?

[disneysteve]

Well, to be fair the whole pitch for kids to go to college is "Go to college so you can get a good job." I don't usually hear "Go to college so you can be a critical thinker and adaptive in this world."

Definitely. But it's "get a good job" not "get this specific job because you took these specific courses". Those are two different things.

A great many jobs require a college degree. They don't necessarily require a specific degree or major. That's part of why most people aren't working in the field that matches their degree. I think the one study showed that only 27% of grads work in the field of their degree. That isn't because college isn't important. It's because the specific field of study isn't nearly as important as the college experience and degree itself.

[snafu]

Understand... 'the greatest challenge we still face—understanding the old rules don't apply for the future.' [Toffler] We all need to demonstrate a willingness to accept life long learning as recently demonstrate by Disney Steve.

I'm still struggling to learn to use all the features offered by my 'smart phone,' sometimes clearly smarter than it's operator.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

public and college. but things change due to circumstances. who knows. I say that now and am doing public school but it can change.

[Outdoorsygal]

public and college. but things change due to circumstances. who knows. I say that now and am doing public school but it can change.

Good you're being flexible. I think it depends upon your child and the quality of your public & private schools. Some children do better in private school than public. We only had one descent private school in the area called Forest Lake Christian school. It was excellent for the Christian and Non Christian students. The other private schools were either Montessori or some Cultish private School linked to a Cult Church That type of "spirituality" we could do without. Our son loved the public schools he attended, and they offered some gifted classes which kept him from being bored