I find that in casual conversations with parents of kids in their junior or senior year of high school usually have absolutely no understanding of how financial aid works. They don't know what a Pell grant is, or don't understand the income limits. They have no idea that a financial aid package might well be mostly loans, that have to be paid back, not grants or scholarships that don't have to be repaid. They don't understand what fields of study lead to actual jobs, or jobs that pay well.
They've bought into the bullshit that everyone needs a four year degree. What's really needed are more people in the trades. THOSE are jobs that aren't likely to be outsourced (I can't ship my furnace off to China or somewhere when it needs fixing) and pay remarkably well.
Several years ago in a similar conversation here on DU someone defended getting a degree in something I don't recall (anthropology or 18th Century French literature or some other field that has essentially zero job prospects) because those four years were, as he saw it, the only time he'd have available to do that kind of reading and studying. Meanwhile, I haven't a clue how he expected to make a living once he got a degree.
You can ALWAYS go back to school to take courses that interest you, check books out of the library, take an online course, get those amazing Great Courses DVDs or CDs from the Teaching Company. I've done all of the above over the years.
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