Homeschoolers are taking CLEP tests and obtaining college credits at the same time they are completing high school at home, saving considerable time and money. And as you pointed out, there are careers that don’t necessarily require a degree.

According to Liz Pulliam Weston of MSN Money:
“The College Board tells us that four years’ worth of tuition, fees, books and supplies at a public university currently cost about $20,000, while the private version will set you back $80,000. Add in room, board, transportation and other costs, and the total tab spirals to about $50,000 for public schools and $110,000 for private…..loans taken out to pay for school will increase the cost, since you have to pay them back with interest. The higher the rate, the bigger the cost: A $20,000 loan at 8% will cost nearly $30,000 to pay back over 10 years.”

The belief promoted within the educational systems is that a young person needs to get a degree to be successful today. However, that is not always true and just getting a degree for the sake of it, may actually do more harm than good, if he or she is stuck with big student loans to pay back. I plan on letting my children choose to use the money I set aside for them to start a business, to invest in real estate, or for college, and they will be learning to explore alternatives to get the best use of their money.

As a former Art Teacher, I have seen the public school system from the inside, and that is one of the big reasons I homeschool my three children. These days young people can learn how to use the internet to create and income stream and either continue as an entrepreneur, or pay for their college degree if they have a passion for a career in which they need a degree.

I have seen many people obtain degrees and end up in a completely unrelated career. I have learned far more through self-education than I did in most of my college courses. Most courses were simply “hoop jumping” to obtain the degree. Now I work at home, or anywhere I choose, and have time to spend with my children. I don’t miss the administrative bureaucracy of the public school system in the least.

And as a recent single mom, I purchased my own house last fall, support my kids through my business income, and am on schedule to be completely debt-free, including the new mortgage in just under 8 years. I certainly wouldn’t have needed my degrees to do what I do now, and I wouldn’t have had a big student loan to pay off. However, I have no regrets because the life lessons we learn along the way give us the drive and determination to make changes, and make us who we are today. I just help people shorten their learning curve and avoid some of the mistakes I made.

I finished college finally after working in the career that my degree is in. Did I need to finish? Nope. But no one in my family ever graduated college, so it was a goal of mine to do so. Did I enjoy it, nope. But I didn’t give up and quit because I didn’t like it. Quitting has become to easy, and it’s in our blood. More marriages end in divorce, kids today are going to be the first generation in history that will have fewer high school graduates then their parents’ generation.