[speaker001:] So, uh, let's see wh-, what was the topic, I forgot we are supposed to talk,
[speaker002:] Advice for people taking for parents, uh, help their kids through college.
[speaker001:] Yeah, do you have any children?
[speaker002:] No, I just graduated from college.
[speaker001:] Oh, did you?
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] Where did you go?
[speaker002:] I went to Clarion.
[speaker001:] Clarion.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Huh, uh, would you, I mean, if you had children, would you want them to go to a certain place or,
[speaker002:] Um, I would want them to make that decision and I would, you know,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] uh, I pretty much made my decision on my own and my b-, older brother, likewise.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, uh, you know, we, we were both pretty much happy with what we did.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So, I think, I would not push them towards any one place.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. Yeah, I know, I kind of feel the same way I, I just finished college a couple years ago and I, uh, you know, it was while I had my family and everything and it was a lot harder, but, uh, you know, I went to a college that was fairly local and I feel like my education, you know, you get out of it what you put into it, I think.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But, you know, I know, it's, some people are real adamant about, you know, going to a certain school or whatever.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] I do not know, I guess it, a lot of it would depend on maybe what your major was or something, I do not know. But,
[speaker002:] Yeah, exactly.
[speaker001:] But,
[speaker002:] I think one of the first things kids ought to look for is, first of all, they have to decide what they want to major in.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And then, you know, find a school that's good for that.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Is that why you picked the school you did or,
[speaker002:] Well I picked it for a couple of reasons, it was only about an hour and ten minutes away from home,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] so it was far enough away that I was away,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but yet close enough if I ever wanted to go home, I could.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Uh,
[speaker001:] So you lived there at school then?
[speaker002:] Pardon me.
[speaker001:] You lived there at school.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I lived up at school.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Uh, another reason was, uh, I paid for my entire education.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So I had to look for something that I could afford economically.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] You know, and, uh, Clarion was, oh, it was roughly around six thousand a year.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. And that was for tuition and,
[speaker002:] Yeah, that was for everything. And now, I did not go out a lot and I did not order out a lot,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I, you know, I did not spend money on myself.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] But, uh, then again, I was there for school so,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Uh, and then another reason was I was not sure, you know, I always wanted to go to school for nursing, and then at the last minute, I changed my mind.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And I knew that Clarion was known, you know, for two things, actually, for their, they are known as a teacher's school
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and also for their business. So, that's what I ended up going for is for business.
[speaker001:] For business.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] So, uh, are you working somewhere then or,
[speaker002:] No, no not yet, I am moving shortly, so I am not looking around here.
[speaker001:] Oh, I see, where are you going to move to?
[speaker002:] Uh, Maryland.
[speaker001:] Oh, are you?
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Do you have friends there or,
[speaker002:] My fiancee is down there [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh, I see. So, does he work for a company down there?
[speaker002:] Yeah, he works for the government.
[speaker001:] Oh, I see. Oh, the big company.
[speaker002:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] So, yeah, I, I have been working for T I for about twelve years, I guess. So,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But I am not originally, I am originally from Illinois, but, you know, I have gone to college, I guess a few different places, but I think, you know, mo-, for the most part, you know, the teachers have been pretty good and I have got out of it what I have, what I have put into it.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] So, but, you know, I think, I think that's most of it personally, but that's why I, you know, with my kids, I think that, you know, I am just going to encourage them to go. And I am going to try to help them financially but, uh, I think, you know, financially, I am, there's only so much I can do for them,
[speaker002:] Exactly.
[speaker001:] and I will say, here's what you have got, you can either, you know, go a couple of years locally and, you know, then if you want to move off to a more expensive school then, we might be able to handle it. But,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] otherwise, you can just go for four years, you know, somewhere and I will try to, try to help you. But, uh, I do not know, you know, the financial end of it, like you said. I put my wife through school too. Of course T I paid for a lot of the tuition and books and stuff, but, uh, it still was a challenge to do. And, uh, so, I think, you know, financially that's, that's one of the big aspects.
[speaker002:] Exactly, yeah.
[speaker001:] You know, you,
[speaker002:] It does have a lot of bearing on it, whether you are paying for yourself,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] or whether your parents are, you know.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Well, did you, uh, since you were paid for school yourself, do you think you had a different outlook on it, like your grades and things like that?
[speaker002:] Uh, yeah, because I was paying for it myself, I kind of slacked off, because I felt it was mine and I could do with it what I wanted.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I think if my parents would have paid for it they would have been on me, you know,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] uh, they pretty much got to the point, well, well, you know, you are at that age and you are going to have to decide what you want to do. If you goof,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] up, it's your fault, it's not ours, you know.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And then, lets me go and, I mean, I did not do poorly. I finished with a two five, that's not that wonderful either.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, yeah.
[speaker002:] But, uh, you know, I, I mean I worked, I did not, you know,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] goof around, I worked.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] It was just harder, you know, I do not know, I was used to being, you know, on top and when I started there, it was like, you are mediocre, so.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Well see, I think, you know, I have known a lot of people that would go to school and their parents paid for it and, and I guess it depends on the way you are raised too, but if you, if you grow to expect that, you know,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] you kind of go there as sort of a vacation, you know,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I, that's the way a lot of my friends did it and, you know, they were not, they did not take it very serious. I know I took it real serious, 'cause I did not start to college until, you know, [LAUGHTER] I was about eight or ten years and, uh, you know, out of what I should have been in school.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But, uh, you know, so I think that helped me be real serious about it. And I, I ended up graduating with like a three point six.
[speaker002:] Oh, wow, that's really good.
[speaker001:] Yeah, so I, you know, and that was hard cause I had two kids,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and, you know, a family and everything else, so I had a lot of different hats to wear all at the same time. But,
[speaker002:] Yeah. See, well I screwed myself up also, there was a point in time that I decided that I did not want to in school, and my parents never pushed me until my dad just said, what are you going to do and I said, well I am going to go because I have not whipping butter the rest of my life, you know.
[speaker001:] Yeah, you are right, exactly.
[speaker002:] So, I went and I just took business,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] well, being as I was paying for it myself, you know, I just kept, you do not get into your major until like your second or third year.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] And I am going into my third year and I decided, well I do not want to do accounting anymore, right
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I thought, oh, my God, I am paying for this myself, I am not switching completely because,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] I will put myself a year behind.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So I switched to finance, and I liked it better [NOISE] and I pulled myself from a two oh to a two five, you know,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] in my last year, my senior year.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But I would have really liked to go on, uh, secondary ed with math education,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] but it was just the fact I was paying for it myself, I was not going,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] to put myself behind another year.
[speaker001:] Right. Well m-, my wife, was sort of in the same situation, she was, she went to school to be a teacher just because she did not really know what else to go,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] for, and she did not realize until she got to be a senior and was doing her student teaching that she did not like it.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] But, you know, by then she had practically got her degree, so,
[speaker002:] Exactly.
[speaker001:] so, you know,
[speaker002:] I think if, uh, I would have went with the math, I think I would have done a lot better, because I was more interested.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And that's what I, I knew that's what I wanted. But, uh, I think a lot of kids that hold off a year or two,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] oh, my gosh, I would like to see the results on a study done. I think they would do a lot better. Because they are more focused.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] They know exactly what they want to do.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I think, I think you are right, when you pull yourself away and then you get out and you say, man I really need this.