Should you Pay for your Kids' Education?

The cost of a college education increases from year to year, much faster than almost anything else. It will become increasingly hard to afford going to college as time goes by, even if you are going for an online bachelors degree. When you have kids close to finishing high school, or even young elementary age kids, you start to feel the pressure of how you will pay for it. It could cost over one hundred thousand dollars just for the education of one child. How can you pay for this?

A better question to ask yourself is, "should you pay for it"? Some parents are wealthy enough that paying for college is like paying the phone bill. It's no big deal. For the rest of us, it's a very big deal. If you are smart enough to start a savings account for your kid's college when they are young and fortunate enough to contribute a lot to that account over their lifetime, you will have a good amount saved up for them. Others are unable to do this.

You do not have to pay for your kids' college education. You do not have to give them a dime. It is not your obligation to do anything for them once they have hit age 18. You are no longer responsible for them once they are no longer a minor. If you feel this is harsh, there are ways to help your kids out and help them pay for college even if you aren't very wealthy.

Teach your kids how to decrease the cost of their education. They don't need to go to a private school. State schools are much cheaper and often just as good. In fact, many state schools give a much better education and have a higher quality degree upon graduation than many private schools. Encourage them to choose a states school. Also, starting out at a community college will save a lot, too. If they go to a community college and then attend the college of their dreams, they will get the same degree for a much lower price than those who attended the more expensive college for four years.

Another way to save a lot is for your kids to stay home and commute to a local college. If you are fortunate enough to live near a great school, take advantage of the situation. If they live at home, they don't have to pay room and board. Also, by living at home, you will continue to support them and help them out even though you can't afford to pay for their tuition. This is another way you can help even if you aren't financially able.

Have your kids apply for every scholarship they can find that they qualify for. The more they apply for, the more chances they will win one. A full scholarships is excellent, but even a few hundred dollars worth will help you out. Also, have them work full time over the summers and part time during the school year if possible so that they can pay for their ordinary expenses. Only use student loans as a last resort and try to use federal loans if at all possible.

What if you can afford to pay for your kids' entire education, should you? Many parents will disagree on this, but a great idea is to not pay for everything. Don't pay their tuition, fees, room, board, and books as well as give them an allowance during school. If they don't learn how to support themselves in any way, they will never be able to survive when they are living on their own. They will constantly come to you to help.

Compromise with them. You will pay for their tuition and room and board, but they have to pay for their regular expenses and books. Maybe they don't have to get a par time job during school, but have them work over the summers. Work out a plan with them so that you won't pay for everything but that you will only help. Even if they aren't happy with it at first, they will learn to appreciate what you do for them more, and they will assimilate into a lifestyle after college more easily and be more financially responsible.

Summer Jobs

Now that it's summer, you probably have more time on your hands. That means you can work more and make more money. Where can you find good summer jobs that pay well and are interesting?

Summer camps are a great place to get a summer job. Some are day camps and others require you to live there all summer. If you are good with kids and enjoy the outdoors, a summer camp could be a great job for you.

If you are older, a really cool job you might be able to get is on a cruise ship. If you've ever been on a cruise, you know that there is a huge staff and they get to go on the cruise too, even though they are working a lot of the time. It could be a really fun job and a great experience.

Amusement parks are another fun job. If you are lucky enough to live close by to one, you could get a job there. Look for something you think you would enjoy.

If you like the part time job you have, ask your boss if you can increase your hours over the summer. It will help you to make more money while you have the time.

Working at a Restaurant

When it comes to finding a job at a restaurant, there are several different ways to work at a restaurant and several different kinds of restaurants. Some make great first time part time jobs for teens, others, not so much.

A common kind of restaurant for first time workers to hold a job at is at fast food restaurants. Fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Burger King don't require many skills to get hired. If you can take someone's order or fill an order, you shouldn't have trouble.

This job can be great, or it can be horrible. Try it out, but don't feel bad if you don't like it. It can be stressful, especially if you have a lot of unhappy customers. Don't get yourself frustrated, you might be better with a different job.

There are also restaurants that are sit down and serve restaurants. The kind that a teenager would most likely be able to get work at is a diner, but even then, they'd probably be clearing tables or washing dishes. After a while, you could move up to serving or hosting.

The fancier restaurants are not good first time jobs. You won't get hired as a waitress unless you have experience. You could work at as a prep cook, but this is a hard and demanding job. You might want to stay away from that.

Other than that, you could try an ice cream stand or dunkin donuts, which is along the same lines as fast food. Give it a try and if it's not for you, look for another job in a different area.

Working at a Department Store

There are many different jobs available for teenagers. If you are still looking for money making ideas for teens, consider working in a department store.

There are a variety of different jobs you can hold in a department store. Most starting jobs that a teenager could get would include being a cashier or working merchandise assist where you keep the areas looking good and fold and put away clothes.

You could also work in shipping and receiving where you may help unload trucks or open boxes.

If neither of these jobs interest you, you might want to go into sales. There are several different areas in department stores where you can work on commission.

The shoe department is usually a good place for the younger crowd. You can help customers with shoes and often get paid by commission. Working in appliances, tools, or electronics you will usually get paid by commission as well and can possible earn quite a bit of money.

If you like working in a department store, you may even consider working your way up through management. It just might be a career you want to continue.

Part Time Jobs for Teens

Are you a teenager who is looking for work? Have you ever had a job before or are you new to the job market?

There are so many teens out there looking for work. Fortunately there are lots of part time jobs for teens available that other people aren't willing to take. As a teenager, you need to be willing to work for less if you want to make some extra cash. You can find more job ideas if you click here.

Finding a Job

What kinds of jobs are available? I can tell you right now, you won't find your dream job. But that is why you are going to college. While you won't find a dream job, you don't necessarily have to settle for a job you hate.

Look around and apply at many different places before you land at any one job. Shop around and take on several interviews before you accept any job offers.

Some good places to look include just about any job at a mall such as at food courts or department stores. Supermarkets hire a lot of teenagers to stock shelves, collect carts, and work as cashiers.

Try small businesses. They may be hiring people to file papers or clean. This could be anything from a hair salon to an insurance office.

If you don't like any jobs, consider starting your own business car detailing, mowing lawns, babysitting, etc.