If you're dirt poor drag your ass to community college. (Dave teaches this)
Work your ass off applying for scholarships and grants in HS. (Dave teaches this)
Almost everybody I knew lived at home while going to SJSU. Those that dint had 3-4 roommates. (Dave would support this)
Nobody I know has student debt other than a couple of MBA's. (Post grad degrees account for half of the total student loan debt)
Going to a state school and graduating without debt is completely do-able under most circumstances. But its easier to be a bitch and whine about high prices, probably from $1k your cell phone.
Ah yes, the good old fashion "I know people."
More simplistic point of view of "Well if I and small circle of people I know could do it, clearly everyone can do it".
How convenient that most could live at home, that sure saves that 12k a year. Not everyone can do it, so you throw in "others had 3-4 roomates".
The idea of having to live with 3-4 people in a room just to get an education is insane.
"Going to a state school and graduating without debt is completely do-able under most circumstances."
You keep saying this, but keep making some rosy assumptions. Sure if you can live at home, and either close enough to campus that you can walk/bicycle, or take public transportation, or if your parents pay for car and car insuranc, etc, etc, etc.
Then of course you throw the usual talking point of "$1k your cell phone". That sure plays nice when talking heads on tv/radio talk about bootstraps.
Then there is this gem:
"If you're dirt poor drag your ass to community college. (Dave teaches this)"
More of simplistic thinking that Dave teaches that might not apply to everyone and leaves out details.
In general can it save money? Sure. In practice things are a bit more complicated.
There are two paths in CC. One you get some AA, which is useless, or do some kind of certification course. For example Delta College offers Electron technician program. Problem with that those jobs don't really pay well, and/or have limited employment opportunities. There are only a few companies that need Electron Microscope technician, for example. So now we have someone who is "dirt poor" just by those circumstances funneled in to lower paying jobs.
Well what about transferring to four year?
Sure, great path. Can target one of those "right" career choices that people talk about.
Let's say you were able to navigate all the pre-requisites requirements and planned them all out freshmen year, and already know which four year you want to apply. Fun fact although IGETC is standard, various UC schools still have different requirements within it, and different requirements for the major.
Speaking of major. When you get in to UC school, you are getting in to school itself not the major. You have to apply in to it, once you get in. At least for one of the right ones like computer science. The major has its own requirements, and more than likely CC doesn't offer classes that satisfy them. So now you have to spend semester or two taking those requirements to get in to major, and as mentioned previously hope those classes are not impacted, offered in right semester and you can get in.
Realistically you will be spending 2 years in CC, minimum, where you will be saving on tuition, but unless you are lucky and can live from home, under your parents health insurance, you close enough to campus or parents pay for transportation, will be occurring all other expensses. Then another two and a half three years in four year school like one of the UCs with higher tuition and all the aforementioned expenses.
