These Americans fled the country to escape their giant student debt

[bluebooger]

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/25/they-fle...-debt.html

He struggled to come up with the $300 a month he owed upon graduation. The first work he found after he left the University of Northern Colorado in 2011 ... was on-again, off-again hours at a factory, unloading trucks and constructing toy rockets on an assembly line.

He then went back to school to pursue a master’s degree in comparative literature at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

HA HA HA 
how stupid can you be ?

then after graduating and still failing to make any money he says 

“I couldn’t make the math work in America,” Haag said.

and he goes on to say 

Still, he said, “I have a higher standard of living in a Third World country than I would in America, because of my student loans.”

WOW !
how can anyone be so delusional ?

[dfrecore]

$300/mo is less than most car payments these days. Seriously, if you can't make more than $20k as a college grad and pay off $20k in student loans, why would you go BACK to school, take out more loans, and then think it's going to get better? That dude is just a moron. I'm not surprised no one wanted to hire him.

All of these people could have done things to make their situations better (and let's not even discuss NOT going into student loan debt in the first place).

[PrettyFlyforaChiGuy]

It's kind of an interesting article, as I have some young-30's friends here in Beijing who still do the same thing, even with roughly upper-middle class salaries. Either way, every element of that article reeks of fiscal irresponsibility to me; with similar qualifications, you can definitely do better in terms of jobs abroad than these people achieved.

In case anyone here is interested in working abroad and is pursuing a degree to that end, I can say I've done it for all of my adult life, starting as a basic business school teacher in Japan through the JET Programme back in 2008. You definitely don't want to go about it the way the people in this article did. Earning $1,000 a month to teach in China like the guy in the article, even with partially paid rent, is ridiculously low for a legally employed, college-educated Westerner. I see regular teaching jobs all the time here paying around $2.5K to $3K as an entry-level employee. There is none of that seven-days-a-week nonsense, either, nor long-drop toilets in the jungle.

I just really don't see how any of these people fell into their positions, felt trapped, and never really bothered to advance. With their M.A. or even B.A., their debt back home doesn't preclude them in any way from higher-paying positions in all of the countries that were mentioned.

---

Still, he said, “I have a higher standard of living in a Third World country than I would in America, because of my student loans.”

WOW !
how can anyone be so delusional ?

That man definitely is delusional, but I also have had higher standards of living while abroad than I would have had if I stayed living in Mississippi. Thailand was probably the most "Third World" out of the places where I've worked, and even then, I had a nice three-bedroom house 1km from the beach at around $150 a month. Food was cheaper and healthier, and even if it wasn't, health care is more accessible than back in the USA.

That guy's stories about spoiled goat meat and long-drops really paints a piss-poor image of the relative quality of life that can had abroad, especially for capable college graduates, which I'm assuming most people on this forum would be (unlike him).

[cookderosa]

In an effort to underscore the bad jobs these students had to endure, they've missed out (like the students featured) on countless opportunities if they'd bothered to pay better attention to becoming resourceful. Had I worked for Walmart, Pizza Hut, or Starbucks like the people in this story, I could have earned all of my degrees debt-free.


"....hopes he never steps foot in a Walmart again...."

College for $1 per day. Walmart will cover the full cost – beyond financial aid – of tuition, fees, and books. Walmart has partnered with three non-profit universities where its employees can earn a degree online while working:

The University of Florida in Gainesville (Florida) *ranked #17 in the nation
Brandman University (California)
Bellevue University (Nebraska)

Walmart associates are eligible to apply once they have worked at Walmart for at least 90 days. Walmart expects that all Walmart associates who apply will be accepted.

Choice of Degree: Management or Supply Chain

There is no requirement to stay with the company after graduation,
and they specifically allow teens to work part-time while
attending college. Since Walmart managers are required to hold
bachelor’s degrees, this program hopes to provide potential future
managers for Walmart’s retail and warehouse/logistics operation.
In short, they provide a direct and clear path from school to work.


"...delivering greasy pizza boxes...."

Pizza Hut- Through a partnership with Excelsior College, Pizza Hut offers the Life Unboxed EDU program.
Excelsior College offers tuition discounts of 45% on undergraduate studies and 15% on graduate studies for Pizza Hut employees.
Pizza Hut’s tuition assistance offer also allows you to earn up to 63 credits for on-the-job training.

".... barista at Starbucks...."

The Starbucks College Achievement Plan is a partnership with Arizona
State University. Though you have to attend ASU to receive
this benefit, you receive full tuition reimbursement.

[burbuja0512]

I lived out of the country for six years and loved it, but I also used the language skills and experienced gained abroad to develop a highly successful international business career. I did need a bachelors and a masters as well as the experience, but international experience is huge - it doesn't have to be just an escape! However to get the education I needed to match the experience, it was this forum and just sheer luck that my brother told me about the old BAin4Weeks.com. And I almost didn't even take the leap into testing because I wasn't convinced that it was legitamate.

I don't think that what these guys are doing is in any way responsible, but I do view it as in the country's best interest to educate our children a bit more regarding higher education. I was taught in high school that community college is for losers (no joke) who won't end up amounting to anything and that we all need a 4-year degree no matter what. I'm so lucky I ended up initially dropping out of college to move out of the US or I could have ended up with a worthless degree and tons of debt!

Some people will always be idiots and some will always be irresponsible and those make for more interesting news stories, but I do think that college choices and alternatives should be taught more broadly than they are now. Kids can't always trust their parents to guide them in many cases, especially if the parents have no experience with higher ed/alternatives. My personal vote is to get Cookderosa's book in everyone's hands!!!

[Life Long Learning]

What Purdue calls Snowflakes.

[cookderosa]

I lived out of the country for six years and loved it, but I also used the language skills and experienced gained abroad to develop a highly successful international business career. I did need a bachelors and a masters as well as the experience, but international experience is huge - it doesn't have to be just an escape! However to get the education I needed to match the experience, it was this forum and just sheer luck that my brother told me about the old BAin4Weeks.com. And I almost didn't...

I know BAin4Weeks is a very old website, but it is also the website that brought me here!! It was like landing on the Rainbow Pass in Candyland.

[dfrecore]

I lived out of the country for six years and loved it, but I also used the language skills and experienced gained abroad to develop a highly successful international business career.  I did need a bachelors and a masters as well as the experience, but international experience is huge - it doesn't have to be just an escape!   However to get the education I needed to match the experience, it was this forum and just sheer luck that my brother told me about the old BAin4Weeks.com.  And I almost didn't...

I know BAin4Weeks is a very old website, but it is also the website that brought me here!!  It was like landing on the Rainbow Pass in Candyland.  

EXACTLY my experience as well.  I wouldn't have my degree now if it wasn't for his website, and then this forum.

[saraholson]

What i got out of this article is that if I were working at Pizza Hut or Walmart, my employer would help me pay for classes. But since I work at a smaller business with no upward growth or mobility, my employers tell me i can only take classes that 'relate to the job i have now', not a more advanced job i may have in the future (because they don't plan on any new positions being created, and expect everyone in their roles now to stay until they retire in 20 more years). Moral of the story... I need to apply at some larger companies!

[burbuja0512]

What i got out of this article is that if I were working at Pizza Hut or Walmart, my employer would help me pay for classes. But since I work at a smaller business with no upward growth or mobility, my employers tell me i can only take classes that 'relate to the job i have now', not a more advanced job i may have in the future (because they don't plan on any new positions being created, and expect everyone in their roles now to stay until they retire in 20 more years). Moral of the story... I need to apply at some larger companies!

Yes.  Just be careful.  In some places, there are strings attached, so if you accept the $$$ from the employer, you are likely obligated to continue working there for several more years.    Sometimes that is great, but what I've seen is that my past employers have offered a maximum of 5k per year reimbursed after grades were received.   

So it's still free money, but has to be chosen wisely or you could end up stuck in a dead-end job for even longer just because they paid part of your tuition and no guarantee that getting a bachelor's will suddenly get you a promotion.