Is it parents' responsibility to pay for kids' college?
 

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Is it really the responsibility of the parents to pay for their children's college when they grow up? Why or why not?

I would say yes, but only if the parents have good reasons to believe that said path in College would lead to their child's future career prospects being fruitful.

Also, I believe it would be a kid's responsibility to work hard towards their paid for education.

Isn't this expected? I went to College almost for free, but my parents always said they saved up money for me to use for it.

Unless you're working a part time job, there's no way anyone can afford College at only 18-22. When you're that young what kind of money do you expect to have in the bank?

Are you trying to imply that government should foot the bill? If you are then that's bs too

I paid for my own. Worked full time through both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I come from a poor family. If I wanted better I had to do it myself. So I did.

No. Not at all.

I was expecting most of the poll to be in the No :lol:

Where's the individualism everyone?

Honestly I don't even know if a college education is worth it anymore. I feel like the American public education system has been so watered down over the years that now colleges have to teach things that should have already been learned. It can be a valuable life experience in itself but it can also be the perfect opportunity to waste a lot of money.

If parents want their child to go, then it would make sense for them to pay for it. If the child isn't sure they want to go then the parents probably shouldn't force it. The child can take time to make a decision and go later if they want.

Really up to the parents. If they choose to create a college fund, good for them. If they feel their kid should work through school or use loans, their prerogative....that is of course if college is needed for their future. Maybe a trade school is a better option.

The trouble with that the majority of jobs in America now require a college education.

As for if the parents should pay for it or not, it's not a "yes or no" question. It's a situation that's up to the family. Everyone has different needs and for many, it's a better option. Likewise for others, it's not.

Well maybe that's just the problem, either the HR departments are worried about the type/amount of sheepskins or the amount of past experience/history one has, if it's not one it's the other. The point is they spend too much time focusing on a person's profile than if the person can actually do the job or not, maybe it's their priorities that need to change. And no matter how many sheepskins one has under their belt, or none at all, either way they have to start from the bottom & work their way up.
My belief, many (governments included) should stop spending so much on non-applicable formalized ed altogether, and focus more on training programs.

I can't answer a straight yes for no, some parents can't afford it and aren't going to be able to cover all the costs, however I'd think they would still help as much as they could, depending if the child would put in the effort. If the parents can afford it and the child will put in the effort, yes, well, at least for a good part anyway.

Ideally I would expect to be paying a good part or most of the fees for my children if I can, I wouldn't want to see them stuck with massive student loans and having to work too many hours whilst trying to study. I'd expect them to take a little responsibility though, they need appreciate that they have to make an effort too and not be expected to be handed everything.

This question is so alien and weird cause here in Norway, public primary, secondary and tertiary education is free (tertiary might have a semester fee you have to pay for yourself).

But in a country that don't invest or care in their youth and education, I'd expect a parent would take a precaution early in the child's life to set up a education fond so that the child have the necessary funds for future education. And if the child finds stable livelihood without paying for education those money would give the child a good start at their independence anyway such as money for a vehicle, home or investments of sorts.

That said, not everyone have the luxury of setting aside a sum for saving. Like I know my mom would have had some serious issues saving up a education funds for me, being a single mom working several jobs to make ends meet.

Yes, the teenagers should focus on their study not struggling to pay college.

I think something like...

If you're upper class, yeah, you should definitely set aside at least enough to ensure the kids have college "taken care of." Plus, if the parents make too much money, the kids are ineligible to receive most grants/scholarships anyway.

Where it gets muddy is with middle to lower class families that are struggling. If after bills, mortgage, and all of that... is it really on them to also set aside tens of thousands of dollars for a college tuition the kids may not even end up needing or wanting?

And nobody wants school loans haunting the kids... but whether the kid isn't paying for it with them or spending some time in the military to pay for it (or any one of a few different options available)... then it's the parents' forking over their own money for it, isn't it? It's not like this money isn't burdening anybody or it's just money laying around. Maybe Mama Betty hands over $30,000 to pay for Little Betty's tuition and the next month, now she's got no money to pay for Mama Betty's quadruple bypass surgery. You know what I mean?

Though above anything and everything, I'd really love to take a really long and hard look at how and why college education costs as much as it does nowadays. I'm not certain how it can be justified that college tuition, books, etc., have risen up about 3000% since about the '70s. It used to be kids could work a summer job and put themselves through college... now that's completely unthinkable.

I think an interesting question would be whether parents should pay for degrees with questionable career prospects such the Liberal Arts.

What's wrong with theater, mathematics and religious studies?

Yes, they should.

Kids have not decided to be brought in this world, it was decision of their parents, hence they take responsibility for the well being of their kids.

Naturally not every degree is gonna have the smae demand out there... but I don't get why so many people think only Engineering, Medical and Law degrees are worth pursuing. I mean, if everyone was an engineer, a doctor or a lawyer... who'd do every other job on Earth? Also, many people don't want to be doctors, lawyers or engineers.

Dunno if that's FWL's case, but people who have this kind of mentality tend to be engineering students, who believe anyone who isn't an engineer is an idiot who made a wrong career choice in life.

I don't mean in that sense, but in the sense that a young person really wants to do something they love but the parents know the future career prospects are extremely difficult.

What would be a reasonable solution in this case?