Are you following us as we listen together to the new podcast from Ramsey Solutions called Borrowed Future?  The link to the podcast is posted below, and you have to carve out time this afternoon to listen when you decide NOT to borrow for college, everything changes.  Step 3: Prove it!

It’s a listening party!  I’m tuning in, you should tune in too. Let’s talk about how your teen can work Dave’s plan and get your teen through college debt-free.  

Step 3

Prove it!

Homeschooling parents choose to be different on a daily basis, to step outside the box and educate their children away from the “norms” of traditional education.  Most of us believe we are committed to crafting a unique educational experience, but I challenge you to unpack even your most BASIC assumptions about education and defend them.  Why start high school in 9th grade?  Why graduate your teen in 12th grade?  Why does it take 12 years to learn math?  Why is a bachelor’s degree 4 years long?  Ok, so those questions might dig deeper than you want to go, but those are the kinds of questions that prime you for the bigger and more expensive questions about what you expect a college degree to do for your teen.  Your teen trusts your judgment, and if you’re willing to allow your child to carry debt into their future, I would ask you to do one thing: prove it.  Prove to your teen that they NEED a degree for their career, that they NEED a degree from a specific college, and then you’re ready to help them figure out how to get one as efficiently as possible.

Most parents flip the script when they ask me these questions! They want to know how I can teach them to CONVINCE their teen that they need a degree, or how to motivate their teen to earn college credit.  Can I suggest something totally and incredibly crazy?  If your teen isn’t motivated, and isn’t convicted that their purpose in life is to become a [fill in the blank occupation] then your goal should be to stop them from falling off the cliff!  Borrowing money to head off to college without a plan is like falling off a cliff!  Degrees in Liberal Arts and Business will likely serve almost every career that doesn’t require special training or skills.  If a degree in Liberal Arts or Business (plus a few special courses, certificates, classes, seminars, workshops, internships, and youtube videos) won’t work, you should be able to articulate WHY that is true and prove it. 

As you listen to this week’s podcast, I want you to consider that you can use any of the free degree plans on our website to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business or Liberal Arts for about $8,000.  Many highly motivated teens have done an entire degree program in high school, but if you’re an adult (like I was) you can do it later- when your career needs it!  Earlier is not better and it certainly isn’t a guarantee.  It’s possible your teen doesn’t even need a degree!

I earned an associate degree right out of high school and learned my craft. That degree served me well for almost 20 years!  Later, as an adult, my bachelor’s degree (earned online, at home, alternatively, and for under $7,000) was the box I needed to check to get into graduate school and earn more job security.  I didn’t need it in 1991, but I needed it in 2014.  Had you asked me in 1991, I would have chosen poorly – and I would have gone into debt.

What degree does your teen need?  Do they need it now?  Are you sure? Can you Homeschool for College Credit and help them complete an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in something that checks a box, doesn’t require debt, and helps them build a career plan?  Obviously, some special careers need special training – but I’m willing to bet that more than 80% of you following this blog would do just fine with a degree in Liberal Arts or Business.  Am I wrong? Prove it!

What College Should You Go To? Avoiding the Traps of Higher Education

 

Research the type of education a career REALLY NEEDS Occupational Outlook Handbook

 

Over the next several episodes, let’s listen together and plan strategically for your teen’s college credit journey.   Following each episode, I’ll offer my own spin on how homeschooling families, specifically those who are Homeschooling for College Credit can take the challenge of going to college debt-free.

Can your teen go to college debt-free?  There’s no question in my mind.  Keep following and we’ll build a plan together.

Listening Party: Borrowed Future Ep. 4

Listening Party: Borrowed Future Ep. 3

Listening Party: Borrowed Future Ep. 2

Listening Party: Borrowed Future Ep. 1