SU's financial stress

[AngryOtto]

It's likely doing a favor to those students. Unless you're amongst the top programs in the country for a niche field of study, there are probably very few marketable positions available related to that major. No one should go to a school as expensive as SU and graduate with the debt you'll incur with a limited possibility for future gainful employment.

Spot on. These programs had zero or few students. There are still classes offered in those areas just not a major. The only ones probably really upset is the professors. My daughter is at SU and it would not of happened if she was pursuing a major with limited to no employment opportunities after graduation. Unless you are on full scholarship or your parents are paying cash for you to seek your passion no way you should spend the money with limited future opportunities. One of the reasons kids complain about student loan debt.

 

[PAcuse]

If ai takes my job , there a good chance for so much returns on my investments that I won't need to work at that point anyway

I have no idea what to tell my kids though

Telling mine trade school currently.
Working in the IT sector is uncomfortable at best right now haha.

 

[JKinUtah]

Telling mine trade school currently.
Working in the IT sector is uncomfortable at best right now haha.

I was relieved when my son decided he wants to go the trade school route and become a welder. Much higher ROI for him than going the traditional route right now. HIs dream job right now is to weld rockets together for SpaceX someday.

 

[rrlbees]

I was relieved when my son decided he wants to go the trade school route and become a welder. Much higher ROI for him than going the traditional route right now. HIs dream job right now is to weld rockets together for SpaceX someday.

very cool. and smart.

 

[texascpa]

My daughter got her Cosmotology license. Wake me up when AI is able to do Rebonding, butterfly cuts, or a Balayage. She does almost $80K in revenue at 26 years old, and only works about 30 hours a week. No debt. Too many kids relying on the experience and marketing of college leading many of them to decades of debt, with no guarantee their will be a job there for them.

Got to Trade School kids. If more of you did, plumbers wouldn't be charging $150 service fee.

 

[NKR1978]

My daughter got her Cosmotology license. Wake me up when AI is able to do Rebonding, butterfly cuts, or a Balayage. She does almost $80K in revenue at 26 years old, and only works about 30 hours a week. No debt. Too many kids relying on the experience and marketing of college leading many of them to decades of debt, with no guarantee their will be a job there for them.

Got to Trade School kids. If more of you did, plumbers wouldn't be charging $150 service fee.

That $80,000 is even nicer when $1000/month isn't going to loans.

 

[longtimefan]

If ai takes my job , there a good chance for so much returns on my investments that I won't need to work at that point anyway

I have no idea what to tell my kids though

The case for time immemorial.

 

[Orangepace]

It's a market correction that has been desperately needed. Many programs have long since out priced ROI for their services. If folks could bankrupt out of student loans many programs would have never existed to begin with and tuition wouldn't have had the astronomical rise that it has.

Preach!

 

[Orangepace]

My daughter got her Cosmotology license. Wake me up when AI is able to do Rebonding, butterfly cuts, or a Balayage. She does almost $80K in revenue at 26 years old, and only works about 30 hours a week. No debt. Too many kids relying on the experience and marketing of college leading many of them to decades of debt, with no guarantee their will be a job there for them.

Got to Trade School kids. If more of you did, plumbers wouldn't be charging $150 service fee.

Medical Care is where I recommend. There is such a shortage and AI hasn't started operating on anyone yet.

 

[Cusefan95]

I was relieved when my son decided he wants to go the trade school route and become a welder. Much higher ROI for him than going the traditional route right now. HIs dream job right now is to weld rockets together for SpaceX someday.

The highest W-2 from 2025 belongs to a union welder at one of the manufacturing sites I go to regularly, dude made more than the General Manager. Took me a while to figure out who was driving a Corvette into work last summer, but that’s how I found out the welder is raking.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I was relieved when my son decided he wants to go the trade school route and become a welder. Much higher ROI for him than going the traditional route right now. HIs dream job right now is to weld rockets together for SpaceX someday.

My 14 year old just told me he wants to be an electrician. His HS offers welding certification as well which ive told him to pursue... guess what 2 things will be extremely helpful in repairs in an AI world? Same with EVs.

Couple years back he wanted to be an engineer but not sure an engineer will make that much more to offset the cost of the degree especially if he gets in with a union.

Chase your dreams son, don't follow the same toxic professional environment that your dad and many others toiled in.

 

[JoeCollege]

Medical Care is where I recommend. There is such a shortage and AI hasn't started operating on anyone yet.

And so much medical education can be obtained for free from employers. Especially nursing and allied health fields.

Source: I manage those programs for a hospital.

 

[JoeSU]

Medical Care is where I recommend. There is such a shortage and AI hasn't started operating on anyone yet.

Robotic surgeries aren't yet autonomous, but that day is coming.

 

[rocklloyd]

That $80,000 is even nicer when $1000/month isn't going to loans.

And I’m guessing a fair percentage is cash and tips which makes it even better

 

[PeteCalvin]

Those of us in our late 40s/early 50s really hit the lottery with respect to when we were born in that we seem ready to check out right when things are going to get really dystopian.

We’ll always have the 80’s!

 

[FrancoPizza]

Medical Care is where I recommend. There is such a shortage and AI hasn't started operating on anyone yet.

Surgeons, yes. But AI has already outperformed when it comes to diagnosis of symptoms and especially in the field of radiology where there is a ceiling to how much imaging humans can effectively review. So many cancers could be caught early if humans could step aside, make full body scans a routine process, and let AI cook.

 

[shandeezy7]

My daughter got her Cosmotology license. Wake me up when AI is able to do Rebonding, butterfly cuts, or a Balayage. She does almost $80K in revenue at 26 years old, and only works about 30 hours a week. No debt. Too many kids relying on the experience and marketing of college leading many of them to decades of debt, with no guarantee their will be a job there for them.

Got to Trade School kids. If more of you did, plumbers wouldn't be charging $150 service fee.

Trade schools are great and are definitely in need of more students, but there is still PLENTY of value in a college degree for a lot of people. The bigger issue is preparing kids for college, what they need to focus on and how to get the best outcomes from their degrees.

 

[texascpa]

Trade schools are great and are definitely in need of more students, but there is still PLENTY of value in a college degree for a lot of people. The bigger issue is preparing kids for college, what they need to focus on and how to get the best outcomes from their degrees.

There are so many useless degrees that far outweigh those that have plenty of value.

 

[PeteCalvin]

And so much medical education can be obtained for free from employers. Especially nursing and allied health fields.

Source: I manage those programs for a hospital.

Then why the hell didn’t you tell me to send all my kids to nursing school?! Geez. After all those rounds of Genny Creams and Utica Clubs I’ve bought you over the years. You think you know a guy…

 

[JoeCollege]

Then why the hell didn’t you tell me to send all my kids to nursing school?! Geez. After all those rounds of Genny Creams and Utica Clubs I’ve bought you over the years. You think you know a guy…

I love watching you write checks to colleges. It's my favorite hobby.

 

[shandeezy7]

There are so many useless degrees that far outweigh those that have plenty of value.

I'd love to know what degrees those are and also what the enrollment numbers are for those degrees.

 

[whobut03]

I'd love to know what degrees those are and also what the enrollment numbers are for those degrees.

Here’s one. Go get your master in Social Work at Syracuse University and pay $80K plus. You’ll be a social worker making $36K per year only to get burned out after 3 years.

I know this because that’s what my wife did. She now is a sales director at a medical device company making $250K plus per year doing nothing with her MSW degree.

Fact of the matter is, there are a LOT of degrees that are completely useless OR the ROI makes zero sense.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Here’s one. Go get your master in Social Work at Syracuse University and pay $80K plus. You’ll be a social worker making $36K per year only to get burned out after 3 years.

I know this because that’s what my wife did. She now is a sales director at a medical device company making $250K plus per year doing nothing with her MSW degree.

Fact of the matter is, there are a LOT of degrees that are completely useless OR the ROI makes zero sense.

The ROI on jobs like Social Work is really problematic. My wife also received her MSW from Syracuse. I'm not really a proponent of student loan forgiveness but something needs to be done to entice smart, hardworking people to take on these human services positions. There is a huge need in education (not necessarily talking about teachers, but SWs, school psyches, OT/PTs, nurses, etc.), social services, and medicine and there are not enough qualified people ready, willing, or able to take on such roles.

I don't blame anyone for focussing on a trade. At some point though, the compensation rates for those jobs are going to market correct. I pay $250 per hour labor rate for a plumber largely because it's hard to find a plumber so they can set their own price. Presumably, with more people focused on vocational training, the competition should start to drive down their rates.

 

[Chip]

I was relieved when my son decided he wants to go the trade school route and become a welder. Much higher ROI for him than going the traditional route right now. HIs dream job right now is to weld rockets together for SpaceX someday.

I'm trying to get mine to explore trade schools, but unfortunately none of the trade schools have a hockey team. So until that dream dies, I'm stuck.

I don't care what he does, as long as he doesn't live in my house and keep spending my money.

 

[shandeezy7]

Here’s one. Go get your master in Social Work at Syracuse University and pay $80K plus. You’ll be a social worker making $36K per year only to get burned out after 3 years.

I know this because that’s what my wife did. She now is a sales director at a medical device company making $250K plus per year doing nothing with her MSW degree.

Fact of the matter is, there are a LOT of degrees that are completely useless OR the ROI makes zero sense.

So should we eliminate social workers?