NDSU retirements

[BigLakeBison]

With the economic gap between blue collar & white collar diminishing, and costs of education increasing I can envision colleges struggling to maintain enrollment. With selective student debt being absolved, students are going to be reluctant to take on student debt without a re-assurance that theirs will also be wiped clean.

I think the economic gap between white collar and blue collar isn't really diminishing as much as the costs of education are essentially offsetting that gap for a number of degrees. When it costs $80K+ for a four year degree, you have to make sure that your income earning potential the first ten years of your career is going to pay for your college investment without re-allocating money from other parts of their budget.

[TransAmBison]

With the economic gap between blue collar & white collar diminishing, and costs of education increasing I can envision colleges struggling to maintain enrollment. With selective student debt being absolved, students are going to be reluctant to take on student debt without a re-assurance that theirs will also be wiped clean.

That's funny right there. The economic gap between blue & white collar is significant...and even if it is "diminishing", it is far, far, far from diminished.

[NDSU_grad]

That's funny right there. The economic gap between blue & white collar is significant...and even if it is "diminishing", it is far, far, far from diminished.

In western ND entry level blue collar jobs pay much higher than entry level white collar jobs. Many kids in my son’s graduating class either went the trade school route or skipped college altogether.

[GreenfieldBison]

In western ND entry level blue collar jobs pay much higher than entry level white collar jobs. Many kids in my son’s graduating class either went the trade school route or skipped college altogether.

That’s just “stinkin thinkin” or “myopic” or “short term” thinking. Got to see beyond that entry level.

Curiously enough this malady pervades Wall Street and a large chunk of the investor class as well although in another guise, aka “quarterly EBITDA”.

[TransAmBison]

That’s just “stinkin thinkin” or “myopic” or “short term” thinking. Got to see beyond that entry level.

Curiously enough this malady pervades Wall Street and a large chunk of the investor class as well although in another guise, aka “quarterly EBITDA”.

Again...silly arguments bringing up entry level. A college education is an investment in the future. There is a need for both and I don't see anything wrong with blue collar work...just saying more times than not the white collar will pay dividends in the end.

[BigLakeBison]

In western ND entry level blue collar jobs pay much higher than entry level white collar jobs. Many kids in my son’s graduating class either went the trade school route or skipped college altogether.

When I graduated from NDSU, my first job paid me $35K per year. My high school buddies who didn't attend college were making $20 per hour at that time. Which is $41K+ per year. Many of those same guys are still working at the same company or in similar fields and they might be making $35-40 per hour. This is $72K - $83K. Most of my college cohorts are making well above those amounts annually and have been for awhile now. The gap isn't decreasing significantly but if you have a $1000K per month student loan payment for ten years it can definitely make the college investment less financially beneficial for some degrees/careers. This is why I cringe when I see what typical teacher pay is...especially in my home state of South Dakota. Crazy to me that it is even remotely viable to spend $80K on a four year degree that has an annual salary of $53K.

EDIT: And to add, that is just sad to me given how important teachers and education are in the outcomes of our society.

[NI4NI]

[GCWaters]

The tower was built about 5 years ago. Its a mess right now. BTW, the tower was largely privately funded by pharmacists. Yet, NDSU does not seem to understand the importance of that major to the school..... Its a long story, but if you want the scoop, come see me at tailgating.

I don't think pharmacy has this administration in its pocket they way it seemed to have the previous administration, but it's hard to have that kind of influence when your numbers have dropped by more than half. And pharmacy is an extremely expensive program, even with its differential tuition. Under a budget model where programs are expected to pay their way, that's two strikes. Yes, the industry and the pharmacy board have contributed a ton, but they're not the only player like they once were. Challeys have donated a huge amount to COB, and are now funding a new music building--for a program that has barely 100 majors. The playing field is a little more crowded than it used to be.

[GreenfieldBison]

Again...silly arguments bringing up entry level. A college education is an investment in the future. There is a need for both and I don't see anything wrong with blue collar work...just saying more times than not the white collar will pay dividends in the end.

Yes and I also know plenty of electricians, plumbers and other licensed tradesmen who own their own shops and are multi-millionaires (assumption on my part based on what i can observe.) Four of my closest neighbors have amassed significant assets without need of a four year education (painter, pizza shop owner, low voltage wiring contractor, dirt/fill/mulch/aggregate supplier). Another one is a bricklayer but he is also a beneficiary of a large inheritance.

But for most of us I think, me especially, that undergrad degree was a magnificent investment My entrepreneurial bones are very weak.

[BigLakeBison]

Yes and I also know plenty of electricians, plumbers and other licensed tradesmen who own their own shops and are multi-millionaires (assumption on my part based on what i can observe.) Four of my closest neighbors have amassed significant assets without need of a four year education (painter, pizza shop owner, low voltage wiring contractor, dirt/fill/mulch/aggregate supplier). Another one is a bricklayer but he is also a beneficiary of a large inheritance.

But for most of us I think, me especially, that undergrad degree was a magnificent investment My entrepreneurial bones are very weak.

The common denominator of success is ambition, determination and investment in one’s self. Education doesn’t guarantee that. However, there are a lot of those things that are nurtured while obtaining an undergrad degree.