A ? for SAHM's who have a degree

[mom2denj]

I was talking with some one the other day about this and I want to see what others think. If you went to college and then became a SAHM (and plan to remain a SAHM) do you think that the time and money that you spent going to college was worth it? What would you advise your daughters if they want to be a SAHM?

[4kiddies]

I am a SAHM who has a degree in English. I worked in my field prior to my oldest being born and quit when I eight months pregnant. I knew that I wanted to stay home with my kids. With that being said the experiences that I had working in my field prior to kids shaped who I am today and would not have happened if I didn't have a degree. I am of the mindset that education is never wasted and am proud that I got my degree ( I got my degree while working full-time so it wasn't always easy). My children are EXPECTED to go to college regardless of what their career path is--including motherhood.

[hornblower]

It was not a waste of time.

I advise both my kids to pursue a degree - has nothing to do with gender for me.

[mom2koh]

I am now a SAHM who has a B.S. and has done post baccalaureate work. I did work in my fields before becoming a mom. The funniest thing was I always wanted to be the one to go to work and have my husband stay home. But, once the first baby came my entire world shifted. ;) I would never take back my experiences in college or in the work force. They have helped shape me as a mom and made me more confident in who I am today.

 

My 6 year old DD tells me she want to be a palentologist and I encourage that to the fullest. I firmly believe you can go to college, do the work you got your degree in and then be a SAHM. I tell dd that she can have it all if she wants. I also remind her of that everytime she tells me she doesn't want to go to college. I remind her that life is full of experiences and she may choose to do college after her children are grown.

 

I don't believe we have to choose if we don't need to. As women, now, we can be educated, have the professional work experience and then be a mom. Or we can be a mom and go to college when our children are grown and then be a professional.

 

The big thing is to remember not limit the possibilities!:D

Edited January 18, 2010 by mom2koh

[Lisa in Jax]

The value lies in being a well-educated human being, not in what you do with it.

 

I have a Master's in Counseling. It has been helpful in so many ways -- in knowing about child development, in teaching math (lots of statistics in my area of focus), in understanding history, etc.

 

Having some education serves me well, too. It allows me to interact with dh's coworkers/bosses (who all have at least a bachelor's degree and in some cases, doctorate-level degrees), and puts me on more even intellectual footage with them.

 

My hope/intention is to be a stay-at-home mom until my kids are grown, but unforeseen circumstances might force me to return to work. So, having my degree allows me to get a better-paying job if I had to work outside the home.

 

Education, IMO, is *always* valuable, whether you use it for a paid career or not. My daughter wants to be a stay-at-home mom when she's married, but we're encouraging her to get her degree, regardless of her plans.

 

Lisa

[Mom-ninja.]

I agree that education is never wasted, nor is it a waste of time.

 

I always knew I'd be a SAHM (at least until kiddos started school cause I didn't dream of home schooling), and yet I went to college for my degree.

 

My in-laws, however, feel as if I wasted their son's hard earned money on an education I don't use. :glare:

 

I don't have daughters, but if I did she would absolutely get her degree.

[Jeanne in MN]

I've been a SAHM for 12 years and am grateful I have my degree. I even keep my licensure current. Why am I grateful?

 

1. If something ever happens to my dh, I have a means to take care of my family.

 

2. I have had the opportunities to work part time and my degree helped me get jobs in the field I enjoy.

 

3. I will go back to work someday and I want my degree to be there.

 

4. I like knowing I accomplished my college degree. I worked hard for it and it's meaningful to me.

 

5. In MN, because I have a degree, I don't have to send in report cards. Not like that's a big deal. :)

 

Whether it's a college degree, or some kind of training, don't shortchange daughters on an education because the reality is one never knows when they may need to support themselves or a family.

[stripe]

I don't think my education is a waste. It has helped expand my mind, worldview, and understanding, as well as subject knowledge. It comes in handy in teaching my children, too.

 

I have discussed with my daughter (and son) the issue of women's careers and children. I encourage her to think of various options including running a business, owning property, and selecting various methods of time management so that she spent plenty of time with her family and on anything she wants to do. I have pointed out to her working mothers. I don't have anything invested in her career path, or that she'd have to stay at home for her whole life (although I certainly think it's preferable when children are small and really need their mothers for so much). I would love for my children -- male and female -- to try to make the world a better place, in small orbig ways. And at any age.

[KIN]

I have my bachelor of science in nursing. I worked in my field before having kids and I keep up my license in case I need to go back sometime. I do not consider it a waste at all! My world became so much bigger because of college. I hope that all of my children attend college.

[OrganicAnn]

I knew a guy many years ago who came from a farming family and was going to be a farmer. He was asked why he was going to college since he didn't *need* a college education to be a farmer. He said he wanted to be an educated person whether or not he *needed* the degree.

[Jenny in GA]

It's always bugged me mildly that people think that being an at-home parent means you don't work professionally. It's not always either/or.

 

I remember when my oldest was a baby, people would ask if I was staying at home, or working. I said, "Uh ... both."

 

My degree is in music education. For years when my kids were very little, I worked two afternoons a week, in my home, running a small piano studio while someone baby-sat my kids in another part of the house.

 

Now I no longer run the studio, but I play professionally from time to time (see here).

 

I don't make tons of money right now, but it's a field I've been in for decades and I take it seriously. I spent time not only performing and preparing, but recording demos, mailing out business cards, e-mailing local choir directors and musical theater groups for leads, drawing up contracts, designing the above website, etc.

 

But for some reason everyone thinks I "don't work" or "left work to stay home with my kids." When I was teaching music at home, someone even introduced me as "This is Jenny. She used to be a music teacher." It can be aggravating.

 

So, first of all, you can use your degree directly if you are a "SAHM."

 

Second, I did not become a SAHM the week I left college, nor (the Lord willing) will I be one til I die. Even I chose to completely put my career on hold while the kids were home, that would leave at least a couple decades for me to actively use my degree.

 

As far as what I tell my daughters, they've been to work with me (at rehearsal, concerts, and recitals for my students) and occassionally I mention something about college. I like for them to know and see that one can have a career and stay home with their children (even if they may not do both at the same time.)

[BikeBookBread]

I'll address just the feminine side of the question, and just one side of the argument as well: preparation for the possibility of having to support oneself.

 

I believe that women need to plan for every eventuality. I always wanted to be a SAHM. It is a high and noble calling. I wanted children right away. My mom and dad were older when they had me. Mom was 38. She had gone to college when most women didn't, and had worked outside of the home my entire childhood -- from the time I turned three on -- I didn't want this.

 

I went to college honestly hoping to find a suitable husband along the way. This did not happen. I earned my BA, went off to work for quite a few years, all along hoping to marry and have a family. Marriage didn't happen until I was almost 27, and children didn't come along until I was 37. I worked full time until 3 days before PDG was born, and then I came home to be full time SAHM.

 

While education is important for its own sake, and given the fact I would love for them to go to college, if they don't, that's their choice. DH and I will absolutely encourage it, but it's not the end of the world if they don't. There are other ways to educate ones self outside of college, and there are career paths that don't necessarily require college. College doesn't guarantee a successful career path, either. I am absolutely firm in the belief that that girls who do have the desire to be SAHMs need to be prepare for the possibility that it WON'T happen, though, and college seems to be the most efficient way to do this.

 

I also believe that I am much more prepared, as a college graduate, to home educate my girls in certain subjects, but not having a college education would not preclude one from doing so.

 

SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE!

Edited January 18, 2010 by BikeBookBread
more rambling...

[myfunnybunch]

I absolutely feel the time and money that went toward my degree was worth every minute, every penny.

 

I learned to study and work independently. College, to a much greater extent than high school, taught me the importance of rigorous study and high standards.

 

I was intellectually challenged and exposed to new ideas.

 

If I choose to re-enter the work force, whether through need or by choice, I have a degree to help me get a good job in a field I love.

 

I made friends with people from many walks of life.

 

I use the knowledge I gained, both general and specific to my field (education, specifically special education), as I teach my children at home.

 

I worked hard to obtain my degrees and I am proud of my accomplishments.

 

Cat

[Mandamom]

I am so glad I earned my B.S. degree. I stayed at home for years until my dh came home one day and said that he no longer had a job. He started looking and looking and looking but there wasn't anything available. I was able to get a job and the reason I qualified was because of my college degrees (2 B.S. degrees). Dh finally found a job 14 months after he lost his job and then after 6 months of work was laid off, which happened in November. He's still unemployed and he's struggled to even apply for anything.

 

My dh doesn't have any college and the jobs that he could get are all around $8-11/hour and with 3 kids in daycare that isn't going to bring us any money at home at the end of the day. Given that I work from 8am and don't get home till after 9pm and make about double what he could make (although still significantly below the poverty level) it has just made it that much harder to find the a job because we're not sending him to work unless we're going to make money.

 

All that to say, I have no idea where we'd be right now if it wasn't for my college. I can't regret that at all.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Mandamom
clarification

[Gretchen in NJ]

It was not a waste of time.

I advise both my kids to pursue a degree - has nothing to do with gender for me.

:iagree:Plus,if I did not go to college, I would not have met my husband. I met him at my first post college job. My dh is a college snob. He wouldn't have asked me out if I didn't have a degree.

[lisabees]

I'm a little surprised by the question. ;) Of course, an education is never wasted. College gave me much more than a degree. I chose a city school, because I wanted to get out of my little town and see a little more of humanity. I wanted to be exposed to people who didn't think like me, look like me or act like me. I wanted to understand and appreciate them. I got all of this and more from college. I am more confident in who I am, because of my experiences (even the bad ones) and people I met - one of which is my dh of 20 years!

 

How can a young girl know for sure she wants to be a SAHM? Maybe she'll never get married, have kids or have a dh who can support them? I swore I would never get married and four kids later...

 

To me, it's important to be open-minded and knowledgeable about the world around you. It's how we become better people and make this world a better place. College is a great start. :001_smile:

[qfbrenda]

My degree was not a waste, especially since I met my husband in college. :D But a huge reason it wasn't a waste is that I got through with no debt. I can't take credit for that since my parents paid for it. But if I had gotten out with tens of thousands in student loan debt hanging over me, it would have been a waste because I then couldn't have afforded to be a SAHM. All I wanted at that point was to stay at home, so going to school and having a huge debt load would have prevented me from doing what I really wanted.

[jenL]

I have 2 degrees, and I do not regret for a moment getting either of them. My college experiences have helped shape who I am, not only in terms of me being better educated, but in terms of life experience, independence, etc.

 

I don't have daughters, but if I did, they too would be encouraged to go to college. Learning is never a waste.

[freetobeme]

i graduated from college with no husband or children.

neither of these is a promise. and even though i haven't worked outside our home in over twelve years, i don't feel my degree was a waste. . .for many of the reasons already stated.

at this time in my life, i am acquainted with several wonderful young women who are single and supporting themselves. the majority of them want to be wives and stay-at-home moms. it just hasn't happened for them yet.

[Aggie]

A neighbor once told me that her dds wouldn't go to college because they would all be SAHMs.

 

What if one doesn't get married? Dh and I were 32 when we married. That 10 yrs between college and marriage I had a good job, bought a home, traveled quite a bit, and developed hobbies, all of which would have all been near impossible if it hadn't been for my education. Several of my friends never did get married. Their lives might have been very difficult without their college educations.

 

Like pps stated, what if one HAS to support herself and her dc at some point? I know more than one woman who was trapped in a bad marriage because she knew she couldn't support herself and dc.

 

Not a waste of time ime! :)

[....]

I have a Bachelor of Science and a degree in Middle Eastern Studies. I've been ALL over the world. I've worked oversees, studied oversees and actually saw some incredible things.

 

I also spend my days taking care of a 2, 4, 6 and 8 year-old, doing schoolwork, finishing laundry, planning dinner, buying diapers, etc.

 

So, would my entire life before I became a SAHM been a waste then?? :confused:

 

My kids (the boy, especially) have a LOT of respect for the stuff I've done. They are constantly asking me to tell them stories about places I've been or things I've done...or even meeting Daddy in college. I think our pasts have a huge effect on our children's personalities, their daydreams and their aspirations - and it gets them thinking about what THEY can do when they're adults.

 

Is any learning experience wasted?? :confused:

 

Everyone of our kids is going to college. No exceptions. I'll pay for it, but they're goin'. :auto:

[Hoggirl]

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[creekland]

The value lies in being a well-educated human being, not in what you do with it.

 

I have a Master's in Counseling. It has been helpful in so many ways -- in knowing about child development, in teaching math (lots of statistics in my area of focus), in understanding history, etc.

 

Having some education serves me well, too. It allows me to interact with dh's coworkers/bosses (who all have at least a bachelor's degree and in some cases, doctorate-level degrees), and puts me on more even intellectual footage with them.

 

My hope/intention is to be a stay-at-home mom until my kids are grown, but unforeseen circumstances might force me to return to work. So, having my degree allows me to get a better-paying job if I had to work outside the home.

 

Education, IMO, is *always* valuable, whether you use it for a paid career or not. My daughter wants to be a stay-at-home mom when she's married, but we're encouraging her to get her degree, regardless of her plans.

 

Lisa

 

:iagree: 100% with everything you said, except my degree is in Physics. My kids are going to college (4 year school) no matter what (since they have the ability). I don't care if they end up using their degree or not. There is value enough in being well-educated. Besides, I loved college - and I know they will too.

[gingersmom]

I absolutely want my daughter to go to college and get a 4 year degree and then continue on and get her Masters.

 

I have a 4 year degree and have been a SAHM since my daughter was born. I do not regret it for a minute.

 

Who knows what the future holds? That degree you thought you would never use might just come in handy.

 

I would have hated to go back to college at 40.

[TravelingChris]

I don't think that one can plan to be a SAHM. WHat if you don't get married? What if you don't have children? What if you do get married but only when you are in your thirties?

 

I hope my dds are stay at home moms if that time comes. In the meantime, they will be going to college. For many of the reasons others said before- education, being able to converse with their future husbands, career, fall back if something happens to their husband, enjoyment, and greater opportunities. I have never regretted my education.

[lovetobehome]

I have a BS and an MS. I traveled to other countries, and all over the US. I had a professional career (I was both a teacher and a university career advisor).

I plan to stay home now, but I do feel all of this shaped who I am. I have friends who did not get a degree, and are every bit as qualified to teach their children at home, but I know *they* seem to have a bit of a complex about not having a higher degree. In all honesty, I think it helps me tremendously to know that I had many options, a promising career, etc--- and I chose to be with my kids over all of that. It is infinitely more rewarding, IMO, to be with my little ones!

I have children of both genders, and we absolutely will encourage each of them to pursue whatever their dreams might be. I won't push anything for them...but I will encourage all of them to get a degree.

[....]

:iagree: 100 gazillion percent!

[PinkTulip]

For me, it's all about having choices.

 

In my family, not only was going to college not optional, but going to graduate school was not optional either.

 

I have a law degree, and worked in a large firm for several years before having children. Once my oldest son was born, I made the conscious choice to forego the financial opportunities that the law firm life gave me, because for me, being there full-time for my children while they are growing up is more important.

 

Over the years, I have done some legal work here and there as time permitted, just to keep my knowledge current. When my youngest starts high school, I will probably ease back into the workplace, but keeping in mind that my kids are my highest priority.

 

I look at it like this: I'm not a SAHM because I have nothing else to do, but I am a SAHM because, although I had something great to do, I have consciously chosen the most important thing in my life to do instead. I feel like I have set the example for my children, and expect them to go both to college and to graduate school.

 

On the tombstone of my great-great-great-grandfather: "Learn thy lessons well, education is thy life." This is pretty much the philosophy of my family for generations: learning is a life-long project, not an attainable goal to check off.

[Heather in WI]

I was talking with some one the other day about this and I want to see what others think. If you went to college and then became a SAHM (and plan to remain a SAHM) do you think that the time and money that you spent going to college was worth it? What would you advise your daughters if they want to be a SAHM?

 

Yes to the first question.

 

If I had a daughter, I would absolutely encourage her to get her degree and wait to get married until after college. This is the advice we've given to our sons, repeatedly, already.

 

I don't think it's about "using" her degree, necessarily, but about being an educated person.

[kmacnchs]

I had to go to college - there was no other option and my parents are not very happy that I am not a "career woman". 20/20 hindsight, I wish I would have gone to a C.C. and gotten a degree for a job that I could eventually do at home (like medical transcribing or something like that). However, that is hindsight. I enjoy learning but sometimes I feel as though most of my education was a waste b/c it took me until my senior year to realize what I liked and was good at and by that time, I already had my degree. :glare:

 

Oh well, I agree with others that education is never a waste but a 2 yr degree that ends up being more useful rather than a 4 yr degree of book smarts could be wiser. It depends on the person. Like pps, I worked in my field (taught Elm. school) until I started having kids (about 2 yrs).

[G5052]

I married late and had kids late, and wanted to be able to support myself in the interim.

 

I work part-time now to cover outside classes, co-op, field trips, and curriculum.

 

And DH may retire early, and I'll need to go to work full-time at some level if that happens. In our area, even the administrative assistants/secretaries have bachelor degrees.

[meet me in paris]

Well, I'm one of those SAHM's that actually went back and finished her degree while being a SAHM. 2 degrees later, I still consider myself a SAHM, even though I have a part time job outside the house and teach online classes from home. While we wouldn't be starving without this income, it sure makes life a lot easier, and I definitely like having some interests outside the house and kids.

 

A degree is never wasted. The knowledge and experience are priceless, and you just never know what the future holds. I like having the fact that I'm completely employable in my back pocket.

[2cents]

The college degree did help me get to a higher level in my job but overall my degree wasn't that monetarily helpful. I have a BS in Business Admin. and to really make it worth it I would have to finish my Masters (stopped over halfway through when I became preg). Psychologically however, it did wonders for my confidence. I found that I could do anything I really put my mind to. I did poorly in school when I was growing up and always felt somewhat inferior based on those bad experiences-but nevermore! That was the true value and well worth it. One of the best things I've ever done. :001_smile:

[Mom0012]

I haven't read all the replies, but I only used my degree for 5 years before becoming a SAHM. I feel that it gives me options that I wouldn't have if I ever need to return to the workforce for some reason. Also, in the area I live, it's almost a stigma to not go to college. A degree opens doors socially as well as professionally. I can't imagine not sending my children unless they just truly did not want to go and certainly not because they might become a SAHM.

 

Lisa

[dirty ethel rackham]

I don't feel my degree was a waste for one minute. I have a BS in Mathematics. Do I use that every day? Well, I am not proving advanced mathematical formulas, but I use the logic skills I mastered every single day. Logic is very useful when dealing with children who want to negotiate, btw:). Like pps, I learned a lot about myself, I broadened my world view, met some wonderful people who encouraged me to stretch beyond my perceived limits, tested myself and became a new person.

 

Although I knew I wanted children and planned to be home to raise them, I am glad I had a career before they were born. I was on my own, made my own decisions and grew as a person. If I had been in my parents house all this time, I would have been a very different mother than I am now. I may have perpetuated some family dysfunction (or at least more of it.)

 

Life doesn't always go as planned. What if you don't meet "the one" or don't meet him until later in life? What if the economic realities mean that you need more than one income? What if the husband leaves, dies or becomes disabled? What if Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Angry-Controlling-Abusive-Jerk? What about after the kids are grown?

 

I hoped to meet Mr. Right in college. That didn't work out, since I didn't meet him until I was 26, we got married at 28 and started having children at 30. Having a career helped me enter the marriage with earning power to build up assets so that when the children came, we had some flexibility about work options. I was able to work part-time after ds16 was born and I quit that job for good when ds13 came along. I have since started 2 part-time businesses and have the flexibility I need to work around my family.

[Carrie12345]

Coming from the other side of the bench (sahm without a degree), I hate that I haven't furthered my "official" education. I hope to figure out how to manage a degree even though I don't have any real plans to join the work force.

[Greta]

I haven't read all the replies yet, but I agree with the general sentiments in the ones I did read. In a nutshell: education is far more than "job training". The analogy that comes to my mind is that traveling to a foreign country is not a wasted experience just because you don't end up moving there. There are valuable insights and changes that come from things like both education and travel that can make us better, more well-rounded people, and therefore better mothers too. My dd may very well end up being a SAHM mom too, but I am strongly encouraging her to get a degree regardless of whatever career goals she may have.

[ktmo]

I guess my question would be - what will she do until she finds "Mr. Right". I didn't get married until I was 31, so if I hadn't gone to college and got a job, what would I have been doing for those 13 years until I found my husband? What would she do if she falls in love with someone who is unable to support the family financially so that she can stay at home? Will she not marry that person because he can't provide for her to stay at home?

[sleepymommy]

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

:iagree:

[Carol in Cal.]

Pretty much I agree with them.

You just never know.

And education is never wasted.

[SquirrellyMama]

Yes, I do feel I wasted 4 + years and $30,000 on 2 degrees I have never used. Am I against women getting degrees and being SAHM's? No! Our children will all need to do something after high school but it doesn't have to be a 4 yr degree. I'm happy if it is 2 yr or trade school of some sort.

 

I just don't want them to end up $30,000 in debt like I did and not even want to use the degrees.

 

Kelly

[dangermom]

I have a BA in Comparative Literature and an MLIS, which is a Master's in Library Science. I always knew that I wanted to be a SAHM (though probably not forever), though I only got the homeschooling bug when my oldest was two.

 

I loved college and would never say it was a waste of time or money. I would be a much poorer person, in mind and spirit, if I had not gone. I would not be nearly so capable of doing this homeschool thing without my own education! And I have worked in my field since graduation, and expect to do so again.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

..

[abbeyej]

I'm *deeply* grateful for my education. I draw on it daily in teaching my kids (and more now, as they get older)!... But I'm also grateful that I came out of school without tremendous debt. Due to scholarships, work, and pre-planning on the part of our families, dh and I did not begin our adult lives in debt. And that's a tremendous blessing.

 

But I'm absolutely glad for all of the education I received. My only regret is that I could have squeezed more learning out of those years! ;)

 

On the other hand, I'm not sure about your part of the question about "always" being a SAHM. When my kids are out of the house? I expect I'll be doing work outside the home of some sort or other as well...

[RoughCollie]

I would advise my DD to become an R.N. That way, she'd be prepared to support herself before she had a child, and she would probably be able to get a job with good hours if her family needed her income in later years.

 

If she didn't want to become a nurse, I would encourage her to go to college and to prepare for a career in a field in which she could make more money than she could as a secretary. I worked full-time while I attended college, and I noticed right away that all the secretaries in my department had B.A.'s in English, except for me. I was unwilling to put forth the time and effort to get a degree in order to be qualified for a job I already had. I changed my major from English Literature because of that.

 

I would not advice her to get a degree just for the sake of having one, because the cost of a college education, plus the opportunity cost, is just too high. If she wanted a degree in something like English Lit, I would ask her to declare a double major, with one being geared toward being able to get a good job.

Edited January 18, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Tess in the Burbs]

It was worth my time and money and I am encouraging my kids to go to college regardless of stay at home dreams :-)

[In the Rain]

The value lies in being a well-educated human being, not in what you do with it.

 

...

 

My hope/intention is to be a stay-at-home mom until my kids are grown, but unforeseen circumstances might force me to return to work. So, having my degree allows me to get a better-paying job if I had to work outside the home.

 

 

:iagree: with both of these points.

[Rosy]

I didn't finish my education and wish I had.

 

I am a (very part-time) photographer and could probably make decent money that way if I had the time to invest in my business, so money isn't completely the issue. I don't really want to run a photography studio, but it is satisfying for now and occasionally brings in $$.

 

I intend to work at least part-time after the kids graduate and am hoping to finish my degree before that. But I am uncomfortable with the idea that if something happened to DH I wouldn't be able to provide well for the kids. That is what happened to my mom--my dad passed away when I was 9 and she spent the rest of my childhood juggling single parenthood, finishing her education and working. My sister and I went from having 2 parents, 1 being at home full-time to having 1 parent who was rarely home and busy doing homework when she was. I hope to never do that to my kids...but college is out of the question for me right now.

 

Anyway, I do expect my girls to get their degrees, but I also plan to counsel them to seek careers with some flexibility, so they have the option of staying home if/when they have kids.

[Donna T.]

I was talking with some one the other day about this and I want to see what others think. If you went to college and then became a SAHM (and plan to remain a SAHM) do you think that the time and money that you spent going to college was worth it? What would you advise your daughters if they want to be a SAHM?

 

No, I do not think it was worth the time and money that I spent to earn any of my degrees. I feel quite sick to my stomach each time that I send in a payment on my student loans. If it weren't for that debt, I'd be able to afford a newer vehicle (my car is over ten years old), hire a Latin tutor, get new carpet, whatever. I have sons and I will prepare them for college. If I had daughters, I'd do the same thing. I'd prepare them for college and make sure they were able to go if they wanted to. However, I would strongly discourage them from acquiring any debt to make their college educations a reality. Well, I'll discourage my sons from doing that also but I think that would be more important to me if I had daughters.

 

I plan to go to work when the children have graduated from high school so that my income will help them to pay for their college educations.

[littlebug42]

Yes, I do feel I wasted 4 + years and $30,000 on 2 degrees I have never used. Am I against women getting degrees and being SAHM's? No! Our children will all need to do something after high school but it doesn't have to be a 4 yr degree. I'm happy if it is 2 yr or trade school of some sort.

 

I just don't want them to end up $30,000 in debt like I did and not even want to use the degrees.

 

Kelly

 

I pretty much agree with this. I have been out of college since 1994 and have never used my degree. I went into a totally unrelated field until I had kids and became a SAHM and am now in another unrelated, non-degree field as part time employment. With all of this, I am repaying $45,000 in loans. That being said, I will certainly encourage my children to seek some sort of post-HS education. It may not necessarily be a 4 year degree but some kind of education/training. I am however going to do everything in my power to ensure that they are not a slave to their college loans as I am.