Taking a paycut

I plan on doing what my dad did. Started a college fund before I was born for me and sister (we already did this and have about 2 years of money in it). I had the option to play soccer at a bunch of schools and soccer/basketball at 1, but I wanted to play at a bigger school. So I tried to walk on at Indiana. Didn’t quite make the cut, but I was not going to go to college at anything but a bigger, major university after going to the smallest damn school in Ohio k-12.

He was fine with that decision, and helped with the amount he had saved away. I am almost done paying off my student debts, of which I had to pay the rest that he couldn’t afford. I forget the exact amount but it was a little over 1 years worth of the 4. 

I got a raise, but cost of living was higher. The raise probably didn't offset the cost of living, but I did it to get closer to family, less travel, less stress, etc.

To me, working in colleges is cake. Do it. Free college is worth it. If the kids choose not to go, that's their fault. I'd take free college too -- especially if it had what I wanted to do (which is mostly any college these days for just being a "general student"). The other thing to ask about is the tuition remission with other colleges -- surely they have the possibilities of going to other schools for free too. It's fairly commonplace anymore.

I quit working as a college coach, but could see myself going back at some point just to get free tuition for my kids (I have 13 years minimum before that happens though).

posted by OSH

The other thing to ask about is the tuition remission with other colleges -- surely they have the possibilities of going to other schools for free too. It's fairly commonplace anymore.

That's interesting.  Would be pretty cool if they could get that.

I'm not an undergrad snob, but I wouldn't go to some small private college no one heard of.  I don't think undergrad matters all that much, but I'd much prefer a good, sizable state college over just about everything else.  Somewhere strongly respected, at least regionally.

posted by OSH

I got a raise, but cost of living was higher. The raise probably didn't offset the cost of living, but I did it to get closer to family, less travel, less stress, etc.

To me, working in colleges is cake. Do it. Free college is worth it. If the kids choose not to go, that's their fault. I'd take free college too -- especially if it had what I wanted to do (which is mostly any college these days for just being a "general student"). The other thing to ask about is the tuition remission with other colleges -- surely they have the possibilities of going to other schools for free too. It's fairly commonplace anymore.

I quit working as a college coach, but could see myself going back at some point just to get free tuition for my kids (I have 13 years minimum before that happens though).

Yeah they have a tuition exchange program where you can goto a different school if someone from that school wants to go to yours. 

I mentioned my wife taking pay cuts before. She just took a small pay cut to start working at a bigger university (probably easy to guess which one), but the job is exactly what she wanted and she was miserable at her last place. I plan on taking advantage of the tuition benefit at some point.

posted by Laley23

I plan on doing what my dad did. Started a college fund before I was born for me and sister (we already did this and have about 2 years of money in it). I had the option to play soccer at a bunch of schools and soccer/basketball at 1, but I wanted to play at a bigger school. So I tried to walk on at Indiana. Didn’t quite make the cut, but I was not going to go to college at anything but a bigger, major university after going to the smallest damn school in Ohio k-12.

He was fine with that decision, and helped with the amount he had saved away. I am almost done paying off my student debts, of which I had to pay the rest that he couldn’t afford. I forget the exact amount but it was a little over 1 years worth of the 4. 

I think all parents should do this, and I plan to do this too.  I would still "influence" my kids to go to a school if it were free.  They can keep the money that was saved for them.  

For the right circumstances, sure.