How is the rust? Get rustproofing done so it doesn't rust 
BITOG beater
- Thread starter andrew_j
- Start date
This is a good segue to ***** about my alma mater.
I felt this way about my state U back in the 90s (depicted in avatar) when I never paid more than $700 in any semester while taking a full schedule. Austin was affordable and fun back then. You could pay your way through school working in fast food and people did.
Now, the school is decidedly more upscale, as is the housing around campus. Tuition is through the roof, especially if you are out of state. I drove Uber a while back to make some extra money and picked up endless undergrads, it's all rich kids now. There's no "pulling yourself up by the bootstrap", no, these kids came from money.
I was a walk-on athlete back then, because, well, it was extremely affordable and my middle-class parents could afford to indulge it. I was able to pay all my incidentals for the school year by just working over the summer.
The value is not there any longer. A freshly minted degree is not worth any more in the job marketplace than my old one is, but it'll cost you $200K+ to get, what cost me and my parents probably $20K to get. They say they want to be the world's most impactful public research university, literally they say this on their ads. I say hogwash, their job is to educate the next generation of Texans to benefit the state job market and the businesses of the state.
Needless to say, I stopped giving the academic departments money a long time ago. I only give the athletics department what I need to do in order to keep my football tickets, but even that is getting tougher, after Texas made the playoff in 2023, season tickets went up about $150 a seat and who knows what it will be this year. If my friends I go with ever tell me they're out because it costs too much, I'm probably out too. Maybe I turn it into a profit opportnity - the tickets I have had the last 28 years are in the 10th row on the 30 yard line.
I put 3 daughters through private college I know the pain but it was important to me that they are fully educated and independent. Two graduated awhile ago making fantastic money there paychecks stun me especially bonus time. My little one I have one year left can't wait until it's over. Private college is expensive I paid about state college price they had great HS grades and very active in programs. I did notice these kids on campus have big money the parents are doing extremely well. I did feel a little out of place hanging out with the parents I was no way in their league but they were extremely nice that was my issue coming from a blue collar background.
