By UnemployedGrad - 25/09/2009 16:11 - United States

Today, I was offered a position as a school crossing guard. I have a $200,000 degree in Economics from a top 20 University and was offered a position to hold a stop sign and wear a reflective vest. I was tempted to accept. FML
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You deserved it 7 069
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Top comments

hahahapunk 0

does the marginal benefit exceed the marginal cost?

36 0
allmidnighteyes 10

STOP SIGN. REFLECTIVE VEST. Why the hell not? You can do like, awesome little dances, and tell the kids, "Don't stop!" as they're crossing the road, and only hope a passerby will cry out, "BELIEEEVIN'!" Orrrr, you can be one of THOSE crossing guards, and spank kids with the stop sign when they're being naughty naughtyyy.

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Comments

chanman 0

Top 20 isn't enough anymore. Why would they want #19 when they can get #3?

0 0
JohnnyAppleseed 0

So... you're saying I should change my major?

1 0
FerrariCake 2

Did they teach you in your economics classes that it's a bad idea to pay $200,000 for a bachelor's degree in anything? Here's a hint: if you are applying for jobs in economics, DO NOT TELL THEM THAT YOU PAID $200,000 FOR YOUR EDUCATION. Who would hire you if you're that foolish with money?

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lindadian 0

Ohhh, waaaah. One of my fondest memories as a child was the dear crossing guard at my elementary school . Grow up ! it's a job! too many people have none.

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corambis 13

I knew a guy in college who was getting his degree in Economics. Last I heard, he was driving a taxi...

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ooshrooms 1

No top 20 schools costs more than $40k/year. Which means either you took at least 5 years to get a bachelor's degree in economics or you got two degrees that combined for $200k in tuition and fees but your communication skills are too poor to convey that. Either way, it doesn't exactly sound like your resume would float to the top of the stack. Take whatever job you can get.

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UnemployedGrad 0

Really...? TUITION AND FEES Undergraduate Expenses 2009-2010 Tuition - $37,500 Room - $6,666 Board - $4,230 Student Activity Fee - $172 Student Athletic Fee - $264 Student Mental Health Supplement - $100 Total - $48,938 http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/admission-aid/cost.htm

0 0
LemonFairy 0

I'm assuming you're looking at the list of Top 20 colleges that you've pulled up on google - the one with the "prices." Most of those are without all of the other things the school requires you to pay. Heck, it might not even be a top 20, because while I haven't looked closely to see if it's on there, Middlebury is near 50k a year. (Granted the OP isn't there, since it's liberal arts, but you get the gist.)

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ooshrooms 1

Room and board are usually not considered part of a degree's cost, because that is the cost of living not education. You have to pay for food and shelter whether you're in school or not, and if you live off campus you can often get by on significantly less. It is included in some student loan applications, because someone who can pay tuition but doesn't have a place to sleep probably isn't going to school. Still, that doesn't make it part of the cost of education. Assuming a tuition freeze over the past 5 years (a generous assumption), it cost you about $152K, so your figure is inflated. If you're going to include room and board you might as well throw in car payments, health insurance, etc. You economists are always spinning numbers, but I'm onto you.

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boatkicker 4

Some places have on-campus requirements. If the school DOES require you to live on campus then the room and board should be included in the degrees cost with the tuition, since if you don't have any alternatives. I have no idea if its required at OP's school though.

0 0
A7X5989 0

how are you going to pay off your student loans sitting on your ass? it is still an income. i have friends who just graduated (and in a couple semester i will also) taking jobs at walmart while looking for a better job because it is a way to put food on the table.

1 1
UnemployedGrad 0

OP here. So I thought I'd elaborate a bit for everyone that is asking for it. Granted, I think all the comments, good or bad are great, so I'm not hating one way or another. Anyway, I went to Emory University (www.emory.edu) in Atlanta, GA. It was just ranked #17 this year. I bring up the price of the University, and it's ranking because in the States, ranking tends to matter, or at least it used to. If you got into Harvard or your local community college, would you not go to Harvard? If you worked hard for years in High School to get into a good school, then spent 4 years working hard at college, would you not be proud? And to those who think of me as a snob, I paid my way through school with work and loans. It wasn't just handed to me. And as for the job, let me elaborate a little bit more. I went in thinking I was interviewing for a job as an analyst for the county, instead they offered me the job as the crossing guard. And I WAS GOING TO TAKE IT because honestly a job is a job, but they required an interview, drug test, polygraph test, and background check. And for all that time, it was going to be a 12 hour a week job (so $108/wk before taxes) BUT I would have had to sign a commitment for ONE YEAR. With the hours they were offering, I could never have gotten another job because they needed me right in the middle of the work day. All that said, yes I may seem like a snob for wanting a CAREER, but when you have loans and worked your ass off for 4 years, I'd like to see you all right with a job that doesn't even require a high school diploma... That's my piece. On a side note, Thanks to poster #17.

2 0
kaleid0scopeEyes 0

All the high schoolers here that are calling you a snob will see "$108/wk" and say "OMG THATS SO MUCH MONEY PER WEEK!!! UR JUST BEING A SNOB!!!!" But then in the big world where we have responsibilities, there is rent, car payments, gas, food, utilities, cell phone bills, student loan repayments, etc. that we have to pay. It is SO easy to tell who is lying about having gone to college here, since they don't seem to realize all these things. Once you kids are in the big big world, you'll know.

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0___0 9

That really is an FML. Because taking the job would probably be worse than not taking it in your case :/

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boatkicker 4

Give high schoolers a little more credit. some of them anyways, have some sense of how to handle money and how much living costs.

0 0
werzal 5

With a bit more background I definatley understand... It would be a good 'waiting for another to come along' job but I wouldn't sign a year contract either! It does 'suck' that you applied for a different job and were offered that... its kinda like keeping you on a string. Sorry for being rude. Personally I thank you for elaborating!

1 0
drimpossible 0

I agree... don't take the job... in the long run you would be better off looking for an unpaid internship that gives you flexibility to look for work, if you can afford it.

0 0
kukopia 0

I couldn't afford to be homeless on $108 a week.

0 0
LevyLove 17

don't worry, the economy will improve and u will get better offers :)

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AlwaysRejected 0

So you're an economics major right? What is your honest assessment for the NPV of your degree? Is it >200k reverse-discounted over however many years since you've entered school?

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