https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:42:11 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2101674 Tue, 10 Mar 2015 00:00:57 +0000 Mrs.Someone 2101674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Woohoo, #10 public :) not STEM though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2101658 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 23:31:55 +0000 Mrs.KMM 2101658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer! DH is too! GT always ranks really highly on the various ROI lists that come out. Our degrees have served us well!</p> <p>Considering our personal interests and the interests of many of our family members, I'd be really surprised if our kids are not interested in STEM because they will be exposed to it constantly from a very early age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100794 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 13:37:13 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2100794@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't read the article, but I'm sure going to try to steer my LO into a career that allows her to support herself. I plan to explain the realities of life to her, and unless she has super exceptional talent in something she is passionate about but isn't lucrative, I wouldn't encourage her. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100731 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:50:33 +0000 ShootingStar 2100731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think there's a million things that go in to college and career choice. Do I want my kids to love what they do? Of course! But what if they choose to follow their passion and fail? My SIL is like this. She wanted to be a fashion designer and has mostly worked dead end, minimum wage jobs. If, on the other hand, she had chose a less competitive field maybe she'd have a job she likes and has a future.</p> <p>As for college choice, I think it's very important to consider the ROI. DH went to a very expensive private school and came out with $100k in debt. Even in his fairly lucrative STEM career, he could barely pay those loans. Meanwhile, friends of ours went to UMass and paid a fraction of what he did and have the same job, probably making similar money. </p> <p>I will encourage DS to have interests in STEM areas as well as artistic areas. I have a career that straddles art and technology, and as a kid I was into music and sports as well. If he insists he wants to be something like a classical musician, then he needs to be well aware how tough that life is, and how only a very tiny percentage ever make a livable wage, much less make it big. But I'm sure I'll be a tough sell, because in my mind jobs are for supporting you, and hobbies are for fun. If you can combine both, awesome. If you can't, well I'm not going to support you for the rest of your life so that you can follow your passion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100689 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:19:30 +0000 NCSUchick27 2100689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did not go to one of the schools in the top 10 nationwide, but I did go to the school that was ranked #1 public university for ROI in North Carolina.</p> <p>DH and I both went to North Carolina State University. I am an accountant and DH is an engineer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100671 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:03:26 +0000 hotchildinthecity 2100671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I went to a small school that's not on the list and I owe a gazillion in loans, so...</p> <p>I wouldn't really try to steer my child towards anything. I wanted to major in communications and my parents really wanted me to major in english. Im glad I went the comm route. </p> <p>That said, I will be actually saving money for my child's education and will be fine with them going to public or private school. No public schools in my state had a comm program when I was going to school so I appreciated my private school program. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100661 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 11:54:49 +0000 mrs.shinerbock 2100661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I went to the #1 public school on the list. The ROI is based on in-state tuition, which I did not pay, but even out-of-state tuition was much lower than some of the private schools I applied for. Because it only has engineering and hard science majors, the school has a strong desire to promote diversity on campus and has a lot of financial assistance available, so I had no loans coming out of school. I will also point out that several of the schools on the list have very lucrative, but uncommon degree programs such as petroleum, materials and mining engineering which definitely skew the numbers.</p> <p>Since DH and I are both engineers (and the majority of our siblings are in STEM fields), I would be highly surprised if our LO isn't interested in STEM. We certainly wouldn't force her to major in them, but we will definitely steer her towards something that can easily be turned into a career after graduation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100627 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 11:36:26 +0000 catlady 2100627@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I went to grad school at one of the private schools on the list (I also majored in a STEM field in college at a school not on the list). I think my parents sort of forced me into STEM because I was naturally good at math and science as a kid. I resented them for awhile but am now grateful about it because I have a job that I love. I am not going to force LO into anything, but I will try to expose her to STEM ideas when she is young, and I hope she will end up falling into it naturally. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100553 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:53:52 +0000 danda 2100553@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an engineer that went to a top 5 private school on the list. I selected my major based more on interest than on salary, although I justified my choice of an expensive undergrad by the fact that I expected to easily be able to pay back my student loans on an engineer's salary. I wouldn't have selected such a pricey school if I had been interested in a less lucrative field. For my kids, I will encourage them to focus on their interests, but if they can more easily earn a living on one interest vs another I will encourage them to take that into consideration. Personally I am not at all well suited for humanities types of majors...so it really was following my interests and the choice of engineering vs science was based on my thoughts of similar work but better salary in engineering. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100526 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:41:43 +0000 sarac 2100526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will certainly not try to steer her towards any lucrative career, because I think that loving what you do means far more than making a lot of money. In terms of colleges, though, I plan to save for a state school. If she wants to go to something else, I'm going to really encourage her to seek grants and work, because coming out of college without any debt would make a huge, huge difference in a young person's life.</p> <p>I will make paying for college contingent on her coming out of it with some useful, employable skill, though. So she can either choose a major that leads right to a career or to the next step in school (any health professional, teaching, prelaw/premed, etc), she can study something and work in the field afternoons or summers, or she can study art or something, and go to a community college during the summer and get some kind of useful training in something like phlebotomy or paralegal or whatever. I'm for sure not going to save my money up now to fund her degree in art later without knowing that she'll be able to support herself with it someday. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100512 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:36:37 +0000 PurplePumps 2100512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sunny: That is definitely true. There's no denying there is some serious brain power going on in those top tier engineering school and at Google, Tesla, etc. However, I'm not even going to pretend, though we are all "engineers" by title, that I am even in the same league as those brains. For the everyday engineer, which is where I happily sit, I think it's all the same. For those striving to truly revolutionize the industry, then yes, it may make a difference. But at the end of the day, I think they will find a way to strive no matter where they attend school too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100509 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:35:45 +0000 blackbird 2100509@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sunny: Oh i think that's the case, particularly depending on what company is recruiting (i work for a top engineering company). But I've also my fair share of recruiters contact me, and I didn't go to MIT. I did, however, attend a well known state school for engineering. But at my company, we all start on the same page and it really doesn't matter where you go. The experience you gain AT the company matters more after a few years. But also, those elite schools have more money for the fancy research projects that look good on resumes.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100500 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:30:20 +0000 PurplePumps 2100500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: lol, especially since I don't remember anything that I learned in school! If I actually had to use any of it, I'd have to relearn it all over again. The only thing I feel like the degree does is show that one has the ability to learn and grasp the concepts required for the field. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100499 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:30:15 +0000 sunny 2100499@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PurplePumps: @blackbird: I think going to an elite school opens doors that may be harder to open if you didn't attend one. It's not to say it's impossible because top employers like Google, Facebook, etc. and brilliant entrepreneurs come from a variety of schools. </p> <p>However, there is no denying that top employers specifically recruit from Stanford, MIT, Caltech with larger recruiting organizations. There may be 1 recruiter staffed to handle students from "all other schools in the states WA, ID and OR". </p> <p>In my experience employers are viewing my LinkedIn profile and cold calling me because of where I went to school and I have had interviewers comment on my school as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100490 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:22:28 +0000 blackbird 2100490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PurplePumps: I have the same experience. The guys with MIT degrees are on the same page as me. I find that where you go doesn't really matter....in this field, if you have good social and soft skills, it bodes you far better than any technical expertise you may have gained in school </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100468 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:07:19 +0000 PurplePumps 2100468@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just saw this article too. DH and I are engineers too, I went to a private school and he went to a state school... and now we're at the same company making the same amount. Personally, I would encourage a state school and don't think that it really matters after a few years of work on the resume anyways. I work along side people from MIT and CalTech to unheard of school to state schools. My 100k+ education vs my husbands 40k got us to exactly the same place. I think the article is misleading. The reason the engineering schools made the list is not cause of the school, but just the fact that it's a higher earning profession. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100434 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:51:26 +0000 blackbird 2100434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@avivoca: Oh i know, i waited my fair share of table! But when you also say the market(s) is/are saturated with applicants in your field, that says something to me, too....and as more and more people go to college, it's a valid concern.</p> <p>One of my coworkers has a daughter who majored in opera but refuses to move to a big city to sing. So she's living at home still. Wtf? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100417 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:44:37 +0000 Adira 2100417@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swurlygurl: I'm with you! Both my husband and I are engineers, so I'll be surprised if my kids end up being more interested in liberal arts. I'm totally fine with it, but I will be confused and not have much advice for them! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100406 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:40:17 +0000 avivoca 2100406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The school my husband and I graduated from was not on that list. It is a fairly small state school here, but I loved it there and we are still very committed to our school. I did not study math or science (Comm/Ad/PR), but my husband is a biologist and was very happy there as well.</p> <p>We won't be steering our children into lucrative careers. I want them to do something they are passionate about. </p> <p>@blackbird: I was a hostess at a restaurant for a year after college while I applied for jobs in my field. Waiting tables isn't necessarily a bad thing, and while we didn't have much money (my husband was a grad student and we had just gotten married), we were able to support ourselves for the most part. I just wanted to throw my two cents in there, waiting tables doesn't always mean you have to move back in with mom and dad and I know a lot of people who support themselves that way because the market is saturated with applicants in their field. :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100405 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:40:02 +0000 sunny 2100405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I went to school in Canada so my school is not on the list. The school I went to is top 1 or 2 for my stem program.</p> <p>I would encourage my LO to choose a field of study where passion and practicality meet. One of my mom's greatest wishes for me was to be self sufficient and not to have to rely on a man or anyone else. I want the same thing for my daughter. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100378 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:30:19 +0000 swurlygurl 2100378@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>#10 Public was always my dream school - still sad I didn't go there.</p> <p>Neither my or DH's Universities were on either top 10 list (not surprised though).<br /> We are both engineers, and will definitely encourage our children to follow suit. Not because we deem it more lucrative than other majors, but because it's just what we know. If either child wanted to be an art/english/history major that'd be fine, we would just have no idea how to help them </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100339 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:15:24 +0000 Anagram 2100339@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Neither of us went to the schools on the list, but in general my philosophy would be to steer my child into a career-appropriate school. They can pick their own field of study, but if they want to be a teacher like me then I would encourage them to go to a cheaper state school. If they wanted to go into a higher-income field, I would probably still encourage them to look into public schools or at least private schools that would give substantial scholarships.</p> <p>My husband and I both went to state schools for undergrad and our masters--he has no college debt (his parents helped him and his schools were cheap), and I just have a bit left (no parental help).</p> <p>I have a teacher coworker who has 1,000 of student loan payments each month. I think that's totally insane when we make what we do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100328 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:08:17 +0000 aegie 2100328@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i graduated from one of the top 5 public colleges. I didn't study math or science though, so i'm not sure if I can chime in on this topic. BUT considering it's also a state school and I paid very little for my education, the ROI on my education is very high. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100192 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 08:10:08 +0000 looch 2100192@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have my masters from one of the top 5 private colleges, but I am not an engineer.</p> <p>My family's lifestyle is very STEM-centric. It's my husband's thing and my son already expresses interest (at age 4) in hands on, mechanical type "work." I will absoultely support my son in whatever it is he wants to pursue, but with the guidance that comes along with having 2 parents in lucrative fields. I want him to be his own person, but I also want him to have some financial security and not have to backtrack in his formative career years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100179 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 07:57:32 +0000 blackbird 2100179@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I graduated from one of the top 5 public colleges. </p> <p>Honestly, only if he/she was truly interested in the field. Many of my friends became engineers, though, because they were dirt, dirt poor growing up (electricity being turned off, etc), and never wanted that lifestyle for their own families. </p> <p>I'll try to steer them away from any field, though, that makes it likely they have to move back in with me as an adult, or wait tables....like many of my coworkers' kids. I just want them to be able to graduate and support *themselves* </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/college-bang-for-your-buck-roi#post-2100171 Mon, 09 Mar 2015 07:52:46 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2100171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The lists show which colleges have the best ROI. STEM majors at STEM focused schools do very well on both lists. </p> <p>We have a bunch of engineers on HB; any alumni from these fine institutions? </p> <p><a href="http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/college/2015/03/07/private-colleges/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/college/2015/03/07/private-colleges/index.html</a></p> <p><a href="http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/college/2015/03/05/public-colleges/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/college/2015/03/05/public-colleges/index.html</a></p> <p>Will you try to steer your child into a lucrative field of study? </p>