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Check out this discussion as educators think more about the return on investment from a college degree. Boyce Watkins a professor of finance at Syracuse brings in the discussion about what kind of capital is gained for students going to college from financial, social to emotion.

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Professor Vedder a professor of economics at Ohio University believes that many people go off to college that shouldn’t, explaining that we need people going into other professions such as truck drivers and mail carriers. I think its important for students to be able to assess their skill sets, interests and funding for school.  It can many times cost students more financially then they can gain from in that area of study, such as in the liberal arts. I didn’t have the luxury of going to college and studying what I wanted, I studied what would allow me to benefit from financially.

Sherman Hanna, professor of consumer sciences at Ohio State University has found out that us young folks are doing a lot better at saving then past generations.

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The study however unfortunately hasn’t factored the past five years. In shows spending habits from 1995 to 2004 and used data from 17,565.  I would love to see how our generation has performed with the latest economic situation.

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The article from How Stuff Works is a very high level view on more of why you should start a non-for-profit. However this is a good start those of you to take a look at who are thinking about starting your own non-for-profit company.

Our team of young professionals comes from unique cultural and academic backgrounds and varied interests.  Our passion for learning and mentor-ship is a combination that we feel obligated to share with others. We have developed engaging workshops that students find helpful and also entertaining.

For those that are looking to purchase their first piece of property, SACRIFICE is simply the name of the game. Well for me it was, I had limited resources to begin with. Even so I was almost positive  that of my friends I went to school with that I would be the first to be a homeowner. After graduating from college there was a period of time when I was only covering basic expenses and was unable to save money. I had two options to either make more money or save more money. I was a little unsure of how I would do either to be honest. My only expenses at the time consisted of rent, food, cell phone and occasionally going out. I was already living as frugal as I thought possible. That was until I had an actual important number in front of me. The amount of money needed for a down-payment on my first home.

I decided to move out of my comfortable bedroom and live rent free in the Basement(Dungeon) where I was renting and this saved me an extra $400/Month. During the same time I was starting my career making a decent salary. This combination of saving money as well as increased income helped me save dramatically. Knowing that I needed at least $15,000 changed my mind-set of what I was doing with my money. In exchange for staying in the basement with no windows I cut my roommates hair for free. This process lasted for roughly about a year, cutting hair, saving money and searching for a new home to buy. I don’t think there was a day that went by over that period of time where I didn’t search for a home. Finally I was able to purchase the fourth house that I put an offer in on. My Castle!

Mind you, my castle is a single family home in South Seattle. My next purchase will hopefully be a rental property. A few more sacrifices over the next couple years and I should be in the position to purchase.

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These tips don’t just help entrepreneurs on a tight budget they help really anybody who is trying to look at buying patterns. Timing on when to purchase the items below. I personally would not purchase a new car but if I were, then I would use the advice given.

Below are the different items the article recommends

1. Gas
2. Airline Tickets
3. New Appliances
4. Air Conditioners
5. New Cars
6. Computers
7. Cell Phones
8. Cookware
9. Furniture
10. Houses
11. Clothing
12. Champagne
13. Health Insurance
14. Gym Memberships

I cannot believe how fun these workshops are getting! In previous workshops we handed out our 16 page College Survival Guides and had students work in small teams. What we have been doing recently is giving students the guides but having them work on the material on their own time.

During the hour and half that I have with students we act out situations and focus on the best plan of action for them. For example acting out a bad way to approach a professor(being unprepared, making excuses) and more effective ways(being prepared, organized, introducing yourself, the list goes on).

The  exciting thing to see  is how engaged these students get during the workshops. Everybody without realizing it is giving positive feedback on the right way to navigate their college experience. By giving examples and letting the students act out situations they no longer are unsure about possible challenges that we discuss.

Good times

A recent article from the New York Times suggests very positive numbers regarding minorities in education. These are some hard numbers for me to believe. The National Center for Education Statistics has claimed some pretty high percentages when it comes to diversity in education over the next ten years.

38 % increase among Hispanic Students

26% among black students

4% among white students

The numbers for Hispanic students are significant but believable as I see the progress these students have made at my own University. The numbers that I struggle with are the 26% increase in Black Students. I would really like to believe this but unfortunately current indicators do not show this large of a growth in Black students.  From the different workshops that I conduct across the country I do not see these increases there as well. Although I see enrollment of Black Women increasing I do not see the overall community increasing in significant numbers. I would love how this data was collected!

Enrollment by age of Student increase

• 9 % for students who are 18 to 24 years old
• 25 % for students who are 25 to 34 years old
• 12% for students who are 35 years old and over

Enrollment by sex of student increase

• 9% for men
• 16% of women

Enrollment by level increase

• 12% for undergraduate students
• 18% for graduate students
• 20% for first-professional students

Click here for National Center for Education Statistics

This story is a testament of how being true to yourself even if it is a little out of the box can pay-off. For those of you that have an idea that others think is a little crazy=innovative, understand that it can lead you to opportunities you never even thought about.