Welfare Mom to College Grad
With Updates: Multiple Posts...Cool!
It's been almost two weeks since the Enquirer printed anything I've written for them. Vacations and business reorg have been playing heck with their schedule, but finally this one is out.
It's a nice making good story about a welfare mom who graduated college. The original story was 500 words cut down by the editors to 135. Ouch!...but it pays the same.
The bits that were cut was some specifics of her travel agent job and how the state of kentucky will pay welfare benefits to people getting their degree. Also, the younger daughter pictured in the background photo has an anxiety disorder called selective mutism. The kid hasn't spoken in 3 years. The most she's done is some closed mouth "ehum"s. Sad.
The story also brought to mind my self debate about the worth of a bachelor's degree - at least in today's public university system. I'm not sure if it's the end all and be all that it was sold to me as. I'm not impressed with some of the kids coming out of the local universities and I'm seriously impressed with alot of people I work with doing demanding jobs without a degree. There seems to be something about a "degree" that robs people of iniative and drive. That being said, I will insist both daughters get a good liberal arts education. that's invaluable. But my accounting degree? Couldn't I have learned the same things in a 2 year trade school? Gotten to work that much quicker?
Stay You.
Back to Main Page
It's been almost two weeks since the Enquirer printed anything I've written for them. Vacations and business reorg have been playing heck with their schedule, but finally this one is out.
It's a nice making good story about a welfare mom who graduated college. The original story was 500 words cut down by the editors to 135. Ouch!...but it pays the same.
The bits that were cut was some specifics of her travel agent job and how the state of kentucky will pay welfare benefits to people getting their degree. Also, the younger daughter pictured in the background photo has an anxiety disorder called selective mutism. The kid hasn't spoken in 3 years. The most she's done is some closed mouth "ehum"s. Sad.
The story also brought to mind my self debate about the worth of a bachelor's degree - at least in today's public university system. I'm not sure if it's the end all and be all that it was sold to me as. I'm not impressed with some of the kids coming out of the local universities and I'm seriously impressed with alot of people I work with doing demanding jobs without a degree. There seems to be something about a "degree" that robs people of iniative and drive. That being said, I will insist both daughters get a good liberal arts education. that's invaluable. But my accounting degree? Couldn't I have learned the same things in a 2 year trade school? Gotten to work that much quicker?
Stay You.
Back to Main Page
posted by Howard McEwen, CFA at Thursday, December 29, 2005
<< Home