Posted on 08/30/2018 9:12:49 AM PDT by 11th_VA
For Alexandria Butler-McDow, 28, going to university didn’t provide the freedom and financial security she'd hoped for. After graduating with an associate’s degree from the California Culinary Academy (CCA) in San Francisco, CA, in 2008, Butler-McDow struggled to find a job that would allow her to support herself and her disabled mother while also paying off her enormous student loan bill.
Hopeful that a more advanced degree would help her make more money and better manage her debt, Butler-McDow went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in culinary nutrition, concentrating on clinical dietetics at Johnson and Wales University (JWU) in Providence, RI. By the time she had finished her second degree, Butler-McDow was even deeper in debt.
Now, nearly four years after graduating with her second degree, Butler-McDow (better known as Chef Alexandria at Better Taste Productions) is a Los Angeles-based chef and culinary consultant focusing on nutrition and education — and she is still six figures in debt. Though she has defaulted on her loans and deferred some of her payments, the end of this ordeal is still out of her reach. “We are sold the notion that getting an education is what will improve our socioeconomic standing,” Butler-McDow told Refinery29. “My degrees were supposed to bring me out of poverty but they’ve just anchored me.” ...
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
I may be wrong, but the way that I read it is that the $100K is for both the Associate's Degree and her additional Bachelor's ... although, in reading it again, it may be for the six total years of education.
It's hard to dig through bad writing to find out exactly what is what anymore ...
Awesome news for you. None of mine are doing better than me, yet. But the aerospace engineer is awfully close. He’s about three months into his first after college job at NASA and making about 20% less than me after 30 years.
We loaned him money for college rather than giving it to him.
He had some decent scholarships too. His total debt was under $30,000. He’s already paid off 30-40% of .his traditional student loans. Mom and Dad Savings and Loan comes next.
Our friend also said the school was very active in placement of their graduates into jobs.
Do you know the name of the school? Our friend's daughter is wanting to go into this field.
“This is what gamblers call throwing good money after bad.”
Or as my mama says, “if you find yourself in a hole..STOP DIGGING!”
Pick a better major. Don’t go to high priced private schools
Here's the essential issue, and it gets back to the bell curve: at least 50% of the population has an IQ below 100. These types of people generally have poor impulse control, act in emotional reactive manner, and don't have the requisite cognitive abilities to understand basic financial concepts. In the situation being discussed, they are on the buy side of the customer-provider relationship.
On the other side of the equation are people manning the management, product development, marketing and sales positions who are in possession of IQs in the 115-125 range. These folks are the ones running the scams at the both non & for-profit educational establishments and student financing operations (aka banks).
Most civilized nations used to recognize this basic intelligence inequality and enacted laws prohibiting predatory lending and other nefarious sales games. However, as usual, the so-called workers' party (DNC) merely used their base as useful dunces and marks to advance their own financial gains by eliminating and eviscerating many of these protections. (See Clinton; banking reform.)
The result are millions of these helpless 'victims' who have no idea what happened to them. In effect, the perfect crime, because they don't even know they were ripped off. In practically every one of these kinds of instances, the loser should have merely worked their way up the ladder, learning their respective skill/craft through traditional hands on experience.
But, they were sold a bag of goods, and are slowly realizing how truly screwed they are.
Her field is not exactly one in demand by very many potential employers.
She should have checked into that before she invested more money in an advanced degree.
Reminds me of all the Art History students who went to college and then on to get a masters degree - still no jobs available. “Perhaps I should get a PhD.????”
Idiots
Anybody can lear to cook almost anything just watching Youtube. And it doesn’t cost you anything.
Stupid is as stupid does.
The comment was not anti women. Sorry you took it that way. The comment was intended to point out how a lack of thinking skills lead to poor choices. Further, it was intended to highlight the growing practice of using a sugar daddy to pay off college debt.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/04/17/students-and-sugar-daddies-age-student-debt
“You need to get an education in a field that pays $$$ !!! “
depends on ones needs- my needs may not be yours
Hers may not be yours or mine- in long run - degree in STEM likely pays better than culinary
It really comes down to choices.
I chose badly dying trade - but traded up - was of generation where you take the pay do the job, did not expect any favors- recognized that Uni eduction probably would have payed better in long run.
But at the end of day, I payed my debts- did not bitch about them - acceptance of my choices. Moved on - I believe I may be better person for it - time will tell.
We have one chance at making best decision for our future, some times we make good/best decisions sometimes we screw up.
Acceptance of choices made and willingness to move beyond is key to success.
Life can be a lemon/ lemonade - mostly how you view it
I know people that have made worse decisions than I , but still have very successful lives.
At the end of my life, will people say I was an back hole, or will they say they say he chose that worked for him.
I hope for the second but will not lose sleep over the former.
My point is that we make choices- why lose sleep over it- use the skills that you have learned. Make better choices or different choices going forward.
There are oppurtunities out there, if one will seize them.
A door closes another opens, life is what you make of it. We do not get do over, sucks yes, but it is what we get dealt.
Why do you and others think culinary school is about “cooking”? It’s not. In fact, cooking labs come late in the afternoon after the endless economic courses.
If I were only single and could relocate at least temporarily, I would give it a go.
This person is a dunce. She made bad judgments and is paying for that. Get to work, sweetie. Clean hotel rooms, work fast-food...something.
When I was 28, I already had owned my first house for over a year, sold auto parts & body shop materials & paint during the day & used a Dumore grinder for 6 hours or more at night in a shop that modified cylinder heads. I rented out one of the bedrooms for extra income.
My house payment—PITI—was only $1 more each month than the unfurnished 2nd floor apartment I had previously.
Worked that night job for 3 years. Took 3 more years for the rust marks to get removed from my bathtub.
AND I am FEMALE.
100K ASSOCIATES DEGREE? I live in Ohio. Paying $14K tuition per year for my daughter’s 4 year degree!
She might have been far better off skipping college entirely, finding a guy interested in marrying her, and trying to be a good housewife.
In the meanwhile, learning to cook from cookbooks like my wife did.
Feminists may disagree with my assessment. I don’t care.
I’m 28 and I don’t have the brains god gave a cabbage.
But if I have a cabbage, I can make you Savoy cabbage wedges with buttermilk dressing.
I used to work in the interesting but very low paying world of public television.
Being in professional poverty wasn’t a good way to live. I invested in some training and got some certs.
What people I know that are still there barely live unless they are in the elite inner circle that gets merit raises and promotions every so often.
It doesn’t take a feminist to know that, as usual, you don’t know what you’re talking about except taking cheap shots at women.
Dumb guys who think culinary school is about reading cookbooks...I guess most of you guys got your knowledge from watching Audrey Hepburn in “Sabrina.”
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