Best college & education costs books according to redditors
We found 31 Reddit comments discussing the best college & education costs books. We ranked the 13 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 31 Reddit comments discussing the best college & education costs books. We ranked the 13 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
And, of course, college tuitions are high in the first place because they are [inflated by government guaranteed student loans] (http://www.amazon.com/Going-Broke-Degree-College-Costs/dp/0844741973)
I bought this book on a whim at my local Barnes & Noble
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Financial-College-Board-Guide/dp/1457303183/
The first third of it has very good information on the Financial Aid process.
I'd wager heavily that the same info is available on a few free websites, and I'd bet the book is available in school and/or public libraries.
I can't help you choose a career path. Your parents are pushing you towards careers where you are handsomely rewarded for the knowledge of the mind more than the strength of your back. Can't blame them for wanting their kid to live a better life. You'll no doubt want your kids to do the same.
Here are two thought-provoking websites:
http://www.payscale.com/college-roi/full-list/by-type/public-in-state/financial-aid/yes/by-major/Business
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm
Nothing wrong with a Business degree.
Now, how to make the most of the college experience?
My advice:
> It's impossible not to go in debt if you go to college and/or buy a home.
That's a bold, bold assertion. As an atheist, I have to ask: where's your evidence? Because I can find plenty of evidence that contradicts you. Here's some info just on the debt-free college thing:
Here is a woman who went to college on scholarships, for example.
This person had generous parents - who made her go to a state school.
This guy used a variety of strategies to avoid college debt (link goes to his book on Amazon).
I imagine it's a lot harder to do college (and buy a home) without debt. But it is surely possible.
read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980
also, consider trades or technical schooling. it's often cheaper and results in a better-paying job than a 4-year degree. for example, here in the states you can learn to be a diesel mechanic in 6-12 months, for a fraction of the cost of a bachelor's degree, and easily earn $40-60k to start.
I know exactly how you feel. I'm nearly halfway done with the DC program and frequently wonder whether it would be smarter to just quit. Evaluating all your options is never a bad idea. I used to assume that a mountain of debt was the normal way of life, until I heard about "Going Broke by Degree" (http://www.amazon.com/Going-Broke-Degree-College-Costs/dp/0844741973).
As others have said, there are a fair number of doctors who are very successful and make $200k, $300k, even half a million a year. Dr. Lona Cook wrote a book about how she paid off all of her student loans ($180k) in exactly 2 years after graduating. (Just Tell Me Where to Start: http://www.drlonacook.com/just-tell-me-where-to-start.html) I'll be interviewing her on my podcast in the next few weeks to learn more.
A cursory glance at these successful doctors leads me to a less favorable opinion, though. They seem to have subluxation-based, high volume practices, which is not very congruent with my preferred approach. I can't envision spending less than 15-30 minutes with a patient, which makes me wonder how I could ever make the kind of money they do. As jeep_thangs said, financial success is more about being business savvy than the profession you choose.
That said, don't rule out Athletic Training, or even PT yet. (You can take some time to meet the requirements or find another school.) The great thing about chiropractic, though, is the wide range of possibilities in how you practice, what you specialize in, and being able to work for yourself and be considered a primary care physician.
/u/tuckermalc and /u/pizzzahero both have great comments. I'll add a bit. Go to /r/stoicism, read [William Irvine's book] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195374614?keywords=william%20irvine&qid=1456992251&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1), then read [Epictetus's Enchiridion] (http://www.amazon.com/Enchiridion-Dover-Thrift-Editions-Epictetus/dp/0486433595/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456992275&sr=8-1&keywords=enchiridion). follow their guidelines. Also check out /r/theXeffect. The most important thing is controlling your habits. If you're in the habit of eating healthy, getting enough sleep, going to the gym, etc. then you're set.
Now for stuff that's harder to do. Go see a therapist. Or a psychiatrist. Try to find a [therapist who can do EMDR] (http://www.emdr.com/find-a-clinician/) with you, it's a very effective technique (I saw a clinician who uses EMDR for two years, and it changed my life-- and, importantly, it's supported by strong scientific evidence, it's not quackery stuff like homeopathy or acupuncture). If you decide to go to a psychiatrist, tell them you don't want SSRIs. Look at other drugs: Wellbutrin, tricyclics, SNRIs, etc (check out selegiline in patch form, called EMSAM, as well). Seriously, go see a professional and talk to them. I have no doubt that you're wrestling with mental illness. I have been there. For me, it just felt normal. I didn't understand that other people didn't feel like I did...so it took me a long time to go get help. But it's so important to just start working through these things and getting support. That's really the most important thing you can do. It will make your life so much better. If you aren't able to get to a therapist, do Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on yourself! [This is a brilliant program] (https://moodgym.anu.edu.au) that's widely respected. Do it over and over. Also read [Feeling Good by David Burns] (http://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Good-New-Mood-Therapy/dp/0380810336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456992639&sr=8-1&keywords=feeling+good+david+burns). It's a book on CBT, and can help you get started. There are lots of other resources out there, but you have to begin by realizing that something is wrong.
Finally, I'll talk about college. Don't try to go to fricking Harvard or MIT. You won't get in, and those aren't even the right schools for you. There are many excellent schools out there that aren't the super super famous Ivies. Look at reputable state schools, like UMich, UMinnesota, the UC system, etc. get ["Colleges that Change Lives"] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122304?keywords=colleges%20that%20change%20lives&qid=1456992746&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1), the [Fiske Guide to Colleges] (http://www.amazon.com/Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2016-Edward/dp/1402260660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456992768&sr=8-1&keywords=fiske+guide), and [Debt-Free U] (http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980/ref=pd_sim_14_15?ie=UTF8&dpID=515MwKBIpzL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=1VC3C23RJP6ZMXGG5QBA). One thing I realized after college was that I would've been happy at any of the school I looked at. People are fed such a line of BS about school, like you have to go to the top Ivies or something. No way. Find a good place at which you can function, learn as much as possible, and have a good social life. Like another person said, also look at going to a community college for a year and then transferring-- my relative did this and ended up at Harvard for grad school in the end.
Online Resources:
Big Future from The College Board
College Stats.org
My U Search.com
CollegeData.com
As far as books The College Board is still the best:
College Handbook 2013
Get It Together for College, 2nd Edition: A Planner to Help You Get Organized and Get In
Book of Majors 2012
Scholarship Handbook 2013: All-New 16th Edition
Read this. Don't go into student loan debt.
Debt Free U
The book is called Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents.
http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980
Concerning your sister's FAFSA, is it possible your mother didn't want your sister filling it out because she's not up-to-date on her taxes? The FAFSA would require your sister to enter information from your mother's most recent tax return.
FWIW, when I was your age, I found out my parents didn't have the money to help me get a car. So I got a summer job, and after the entire summer, had only been able to save up ~$300. I managed to find a 1978 Ford Fiesta on Craigslist for $200, and was able to get it running for just under $100 in parts and tools. Meanwhile, it took a few more months before I could enroll in drivers school. I was nearly 17 by the time I got my license.
Around the same time, my parents informed me that they hadn't been able to save anything for my college, and if I wanted to go, I'd have to figure it out. My dad and stepmother did buy me this book: How to Go to College Almost for Free. I read it cover-to-cover and it was very helpful. I quit cross-country my senior year in high school so that I could devote all my time to working and filling out scholarship applications.
I ended up getting enough scholarships and grants to completely pay for my first year, most of my second year, and about half of the rest. It helps to find a school that has a lot of its own scholarship programs, as those are the easiest to get (universities actually use scholarships as a way to entice you to pick them). I took out student loans to cover the rest (also without a cosigner).
You're obviously a bright kid with your 4.0 GPA, so you'd be well served to start applying for merit-based scholarships.
Also, I took my first Advanced Placement course in 10th grade. I highly recommend doing all the AP classes you can handle. At the end of the AP class, you sign up for the AP exam, which is less than $100. If you pass, most schools will give you full credit for the corresponding course, which would have cost you hundreds or thousands to take at the university. By the time I graduated high school, I had 28 college credits, 24 of which transferred in, and knocked an entire year off my degree program. Because of this, I managed to get 2 degrees in the normal 1-degree timeframe.
You also might consider going to a community college for the first 2 years, and then transferring to your university of choice. The first couple years of college are typically general education and introductory courses that you can take at any community college for a fraction of the price anyway. Just look on your desired university's website to see which local community colleges' classes transfer (or call them and talk to an admissions advisor at the school if you're unsure).
I chose to go to a fully co-op school (if you're not familiar with cooperative education, check it out). A semester for us was 3 months in the classroom and then 3 months at a paid internship (which the university helped find) that counted as credit toward my degree. This helped me pay living expenses at college and gain valuable experience toward my career before even graduating.
Anyway, my point to all this is, it IS possible. You can do this. I know it seems like the cards are stacked against you, but this is exactly what makes you stronger. Believe it or not, in the not-too-distant future, you'll actually look back and get some sick satisfaction from the childhood you survived. My childhood was a bit rough, but it wasn't even close to what you're describing. For this reason, you can come out stronger than I did.
The world is not going to give you what you want. If it did, you wouldn't know what to do with it. You gotta take it. It's time to overcome the odds and make life your bitch, not the other way around.
P.S. If for some reason, 2 years from now, college just doesn't become a reality, please don't let it get you down. I have plenty of successful friends without a college degree. You just have to go out and make it happen.
P.P.S. What exactly do you mean, you don't know how to drive at all? You're obviously intelligent and internet-savvy. Look it up, take some online courses. Watch your mom and sister drive. There's honestly not much to it. If you're worried about driving a manual, look up how a clutch and transmission work, and it will make a lot more sense. I had always been a major car and engineering nut as a kid, so I had a pretty good understanding before I ever sat in the drivers seat, and it already felt natural the first time I did.
Investing in your education, given that you study something that will help you get a job, has one of the best returns on investment (ROI) that you can find anywhere. That said, going into debt for an education is a Really Bad Idea. Do you really want to start life after college, looking for a job with $60,000 of debt hanging over your head? Instead, consider going this route. Attend your local community college (junior college) for two years while living at home. Most community colleges have automatic transfer agreements with your state universities. After two years transfer to the state university. If it's close enough, stay living at home. During this entire time, work a full-time job at $10/$12 an hour and pay for your education as you go along. It is doable. If you insist on going into debt so you can go to college and live in a dorm, you just went into debt for the college party experience, not for an education. If that's what you want to do, at least don't lie to yourself that you're going into debt for an education. You're going into debt so you can party.
The education that you receive from a community college or from your local state university will be the same quality as a more expensive university. Effectively, it will not affect your ability to get a job and earn money with your degree.
Consider reading the book Debt Free U: How I Paid for An Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching Off My Parents by Zac Bissonnette.
This is probably the book you're talking about, right? This is the 2013 version of The Ultimate Scholarship Book. The Amazon link lets you sample much of the book if you click "Look Inside". If you click around, I think you'll be surprised how few of these scholarships have race or gender eligibility requirements.
There are about 2700 or so scholarships in there. If you click to the index, you'll see that they call out the subset with racial criteria. If you go there, you'll see that, for instance, about maybe 250 are listed under the "African-American" heading. 250 out of 2700. (And this includes scholarships targeted at minorities generally rather than blacks; a lot of scholarships for minorities are listed multiple times under each ethnicity.)
If you jump into the actual pages of scholarships, try a few random pages -- you'll see that relatively few list race or gender eligibility requirements. Searching randomly, it took me a while to find one that did.
Take christmas break and do scholarships, they can help you. Here's the book I would advice you to get [Ultimate Scholarship Book] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Scholarship-Book-2015/dp/1617600458) I was recommended this book by my Universities engineering advisor.
You have a narrow mindedness about you, but I'll see if I can help clarify things for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooruG2zK1XY
And here's the link he's talking about.
http://www.holtcat.com/careers.aspx
So, tell me again how there's only 2 ways out of a blue collar worker job?
If it was easy, people would find even MORE things to bitch about.
You want $15 an hour up from $9-$10 an hour, you better bring me that much more worth of "employee" to the table.
I recommend reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980 He makes a lot of really good points about choosing and paying for university! Also a very quick read.
Don't judge it by the cover.
See if you can find a copy of this book in your local library: https://www.amazon.com/Debt-Free-Outstanding-Education-Scholarships-Mooching/dp/1591842980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465576495&sr=8-1&keywords=debt+free+u
No, that is not the book. The book you linked to only began publication in 2007, whereas the book I used was from 1998.
So...your refusal to believe my memory was based on an incorrect assumption?
I don't recall the exact book, but it may have been Peterson's Scholarships, Grants & Prizes. Looking through the pages on the "Look Inside" option, I found 2 race-dependent scholarships on the first random page I looked at.
I then quit looking, because I realized it was ridiculous for me to try to justify myself to you. Why are you so dead set on not believing what my specific situation was over 17 years ago? Neither of us are going to convince the other.
This is pretty good too.
Are there any scholarship websites/ books in particular that you'd recommend? Last week I bought a scholarship book, but the results have been disheartening. Most scholarships in the book are for low-income or minority students, neither of which apply to me.
They have quite a big mix if I recall
Its changed a lot over the years since the 1960s
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Student-Loan-Mess-Intentions-Trillion-dollar/dp/0520276450/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486456963&sr=1-4&keywords=student+loan
That book is quite informative, read it about a year ago or so but don't recall much
Honestly, yes. You're not the first person who wants to start a business and there are programs (here in the US, anyway) at the full Uni level and at lower levels like community colleges (not sure the Aus equivalent) that don't break the bank but still give you an education.
The thing is, in the 21st century, if you don't have a degree, you will have trouble getting a job. Not saying it is impossible, but just high school isn't good enough anymore. A great way to learn about business is to work in one, and you'll be limited in the types of jobs you can get (and thus, learn) if you don't go to uni.
You can get scholarships, you can get grants. Put your energy and ambition into getting your uni degree for free. People have done that, like this guy.
and for what it is worth, I'm getting an MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship and innovation. I'm learning a lot!
College is a waste of time for many or most students and a massive reform is long overdue.
We're facing a looming student loan bubble to rival the housing bubble. Just like the housing bubble (promoted on the idea that everyone deserves a home and should use their welfare checks to qualify for a mortgage -- thanks for nothing Dodd and Frank!), the college bubble is predicated on the idea that everyone needs to go to college to earn a bachelor's degree, and that the government needs to pay for it by subsidizing the loans and removing the risks that normally cause lenders to be cautious.
It's a recipe for disaster. England is facing a similar crisis, because back in the 1990s Blair et al. arbitrarily decided that 50% of their population needed college degrees. Now, England, like America, is swamped with people who believe they're special and intelligent because they have a college diploma, and who refuse to work at entry-level jobs they consider demeaning, when they're actually not that bright and were the beneficiaries of grade inflation and lowered standards.
In the meantime, America is dreadfully short of high-paying jobs like certified welders, because a generation of students have been brainwashed to believe that trades and tech education is for losers. They'd rather get a college degree and work as a cashier for $8/hr (with student loan repayments) than go to 6-12 months of welding training, often on the employer's dime, and earn $20 per hour in a high-demand job.
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Education-Bringing-Americas-Schools/dp/0307405389
http://www.amazon.com/Going-Broke-Degree-College-Costs/dp/0844741973
Thanks for the reply. Not trying to start a confrontation, but rather I'm trying to gauge what you think about this whole thing in detail (since you and pretty much everyone else in this thread have been short on details).
>That's called an internship. Many skilled jobs have them.
Yes they do. And most of them are unpaid. I can't afford to work for free, even if it will increase my wages in the long term. In the short term, I will be homeless.
>Google, Microsoft, even my company offers paid internships for people interested in the fields that our respective companies need.
However, there are stipulations for paid internships. Certain requirements and criteria you must meet. Therefore additional training and education must be attained before hand, no?
Without that additional training and education, you don't qualify for these kinds of internships. Can't get that additional training and education without an income, this creating a catch-22 and making you stuck.
>There's also grants, loans, and scholarships that cover expenses during college years. You can even get a book that shows you tons of ones that you may not know about. http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Scholarship-Book-2016-Scholarships/dp/1617600709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463516571&sr=8-1&keywords=book+of+college+scholarships This makes college relatively inexpensive. Of course, if you want to make college even cheaper, go to a community college for 2 years, then transfer to a 4 year to finish out your degree.
Ah yeah! My wife is doing this.
Here's the problem- those scholarships, grants and loans also have certain requirements.
But even if you meet those requirements, you've still gotta pay the rent and bills. Those loans, grants and scholarships, in most cases, will not pay for that.
I don't have the priveledge of living with my parents and freeloading. So I would need a full time job, AND go to school full time. While not impossible, it's improbable for most people.
The only way my wife can do it is because I work as a truck driver and make decent money, so I can handle all of the basic expenses. Even so, she will still need a fat student loan on top of her grants and scholarships, because I simply don't make enough to pay for an additional 2 years at a university (but I make too much for her to qualify for anything).
BTW, my wife did go to a community college for 2 years first. We did this entirely out of pocket. It was killer for my budget, and really made things tight. Yes it's much cheaper than going to a university for 4 years, but it ain't cheap.
>Luck had ZERO to do with my success. I've been "stuck" in many jobs before. Jobs that I hated, needed, and couldn't afford to be without. I simply used my time after work to gain better skills through various methods, and applied for other, higher paying jobs. There's nothing preventing people from doing the same.
Luck had a lot to do with my success. Even things as simple as being at the right place at the right time or just so happening to have enough money in the bank on a certain date to acquire a liscence of some sort.
Hard work plays an important role as well, but that's not the whole picture.
People in subsaharan Africa are some of the hardest working people out there, but without any luck, they're still stuck.
> The story is about automation replacing minimum wage workers. This is absolutely on point with the discussion. You need to explain how that's a fallacy.
It's confirmation bias. Just because everything worked out for you, means that it can work out for everyone. That's basically your entire argument.
> Where's my fucking cookie!
Haha
> If you didn't get the skills you need for joining Job Corps, why didn't you try other places? Why didn't you ask others what they did? You didn't push hard enough forward.
Uhhh yeah I did. I gave 2 examples of what I did.
My point there was that government "training", in my experience anyway, is bullshit. Job corps wasn't my first state funded training program, but it was my last.
I didn't get any real training until I started paying for it out of pocket or through contracts.
I probably should've explained that better.
>And finally, you throw your hands up in disgust and give up.
No I'm still here. I just was waiting for you to reply in detail.
>Let me point you to a little video by our good friend Mike Rowe.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooruG2zK1XY
> And here's the link he's talking about.
> http://www.holtcat.com/careers.aspx
Yeah that's basically what I did. Now I'm doing fine. I make good money as a truck driver.
I do want to note a couple of things about that second link-
129 jobs? That's not very many.
Also I noticed that many of those jobs don't list a salary range, which concerns me.
>So, tell me again how there's only 2 ways out of a blue collar worker job?
That's another fallacy. I just described two ways that I personally did it. It's pretty obvious there are more ways.
>If it was easy, people would find even MORE things to bitch about.
You want $15 an hour up from $9-$10 an hour, you better bring me that much more worth of "employee" to the table.
Tl; Dr Something something lazy millennial welfare Queens. Your argument completely broke down here.
Sorry man, but as someone who went from being homeless to working hard and making good money, you just have no idea how lucky you are. You completely take it for granted, and you look down upon those who may be working hard, but are stuck.
Do lazy people exist? Sure they do. There's plenty of people out there who don't have any aspirations beyond mc.donalds or jack in the box or whatever. But they're not nearly as common as you think.
EDIT- since you brought up minimum wage, I'm just gonna come out and say that IMO, local minimum wage should be 3x the price of a shitty studio in the ghetto. If that studio is $500 /mo, then minimum wage should be around $1500 /mo (assuming full time).
If it's $1000 /mo (like where I live), well, it should be higher.
Federal minimum wage should be enough to have a basic living standard in, say, the Ozarks.
Of course it never turns out that way, but I digress.
Try this book or something similar. If you get the e-book they are usually searchable.