USC First Year Cost Of Attendance $114k

[Cold Front]

Many years ago a plumber charged me $1100 for changing a dripping faucet and dripping showerhead. When my central heater died last week, the HVAC (usually same as plumbing) wanted $550 for an easy half hour job I already diagnosed for him and could have done myself. I said no way.

I locked myself out of my apartment when I was a student in Boston. Keysmith guy comes over, charged me $150 for a 60 seconds job, and this was almost 10 years ago. Unions can shampoo my #%&-$@!

It's about $45-50 where I live here now. No unions.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Cold Front]

My nephew is in a 2-year welding program. Guaranteed employment after he finishes. At the local refinery, they start at $43,000/yr. If the Bakken ever makes a comeback, they were making $68,000->$100,000 for high pressure welders. Not a bad way to go. I think diesel mechanics (2 yr program) are doing similarly well.

Is it a recession proof profession?

 

[charlestweed]

Many years ago a plumber charged me $1100 for changing a dripping faucet and dripping showerhead. When my central heater died last week, the HVAC (usually same as plumbing) wanted $550 for an easy half hour job I already diagnosed for him and could have done myself. I said no way.

Why not hire an unlicensed plumber and pay a fraction of that? There are plenty of good ones out there. I remember one time I called a plumbing company to fix my hot water tank. The guy they sent to my house quoted me $3k to replace the tank. I didn’t believe him because my house was only 4 years old at that time. I then called an unlicensed Vietnamese handyman/plumber for a second opinion. He only charged me $120 to replace a “thermocouple” and I got the hot water in my house a few hours later. He currently helps me taking care of all the maintenance needs for my rental properties. It’s a hard job. There’s a lot of competition. Every time he gets a call, he tries to get to the job site as soon as possible to avoid losing customers. It requires a lot of driving and heavy lifting. He usually comes home very late and his kids are my kids’ age. Not sure if he can continue to do this in 10 years when he is 55-60 years old.

Many college grads are struggling to find good paying jobs and have to rely on their parents for financial support (Source: http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/10/pf/college/college-grads-parents/index.html) . My son’s tennis instructor has a MS in psychology. He’s in his 30s and still has to share an apartment with a roommate. My kids’ English tutor has a BS in education + 1-year teaching credential. She can’t find a teaching job after graduation. These are the reasons why I always convince my kids, my nieces, and nephews to pursue a career in healthcare such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy etc.

There aren’t many “easy” jobs out there that allow you to bring home $100k. Many of my older engineering friends quit their job to go back to school for dentistry. And they are all happy with their decisions.

 

[Confused321]

Running USC's numbers, I got closer to 485K owed at graduation (using a mere 7.3% interest averaged between 6.8% and 7.9%). This is also assuming they do not increase prices at all for the next 4 years. Considering how student who are entering now will likely experience at least a little price increase, I think they are already at that 500K mark.

Does that 485K with 7.3% interest include housing and living expenses?

 

[jokersmiles]

that 114K is actually 130K now......

 

[Cold Front]

that 114K is actually 130K now......

It will be about $135k in few months for the incoming class this summer (class of 2020).

As Tuition goes up, the unsubsidized interest will just make the raise slightly higher.

Let's say the tuition goes up 3% at USC, its actually going up 3.2-3.3% due to interest.

Similar thing happens every year at every school, and most students don't know the maths behind these numbers.

 

[allantois]

Are people realizing that their debts will NOT be forgiven? And no, inflation won't eat up your debt either!

 

[Incis0r]

Are people realizing that their debts will NOT be forgiven? And no, inflation won't eat up your debt either!

Psh- the government wouldn't lend us money that we couldn't repay....silly allantois

/sarcasm

 

[musicplease]

its crazy that schools can be this expensive