Does it really make any sense to go to College and get a BA degree for a $25,000 a year job? I hate to be the one to tell you, but if you need that kind of education for a $25,000 per year job, the job doesn’t pay enough.

Forbes has come out with another so called list of Top Paying Blue Collar jobs. Most of the jobs are in the $50,000 to $60,000 per year range and they are in very specific fields like Railroad Engineers, gas plant and electrical sub station engineers and the like.

What Forbes does not tell you is that it can be many years before someone starting out can land one of these lucrative blue collar jobs.

What Forbes also does not tell you is that there are many more top paying blue collar jobs that come close or even surpass the ones on their list. Heck, they don’t want you to know that working hard can does pay off. I doubt any on their staff have every had to work at any of these jobs, so don’t hold them responsible for their negligence.

Here are some top paying blue collar jobs anyone can get with a little bit of training. Both classroom and on the job!

Electrician - This is one of these jobs that has a broad base. This job can be everything from replacing a breaker in a breaker box for a little old lady to wiring the latest high tech Office building. It takes a while to become a Master Electrician, but even Journeymen Electricians are in demand and get paid very well. Expect starting pay in the $15 to $20 per hour range. Once you become more proficient and obtain your Electrical license, the pay rises sharply.

Roughneck - If you don’t mind getting dirty and doing manual labor, then a Roughnecks life might be the one for you. Roughnecks are people who work on Oil and Gas drilling rigs wrangling the pipe and other labor intensive duties. Whether on a rig in West Texas or on a Offshore Drilling Rig in the Gulf of Mexico, drilling rig help gets paid quite a bit. It’s not unheard of for hands to make $50,000 or more per year.

Auto Mechanic - Have you had your car to a dealer or independent shop lately to be worked on? Okay, the car dealer takes most of the money for their self. In fact, did you know that next to financing, the Shop is the most profitable part of a dealership? That’s why you’re seeing some dealership Shops larger than the Showroom.

Top mechanics can pretty much name their own pay. Especially mechanics who specialize in one type of car. For example, if you’re a Top rated certified Mercedes Benze mechanic, you can go to any major city to any major dealership or independent shop who specializes in Mercedes Benz and command a high wage. Specialized mechanics are in high demand and they always will be. It pays to specialize if you love tinkering on cars!

HVAC Tech - For those of us who live in the South, we’ll pay nearly any amount when our air conditioning goes out.  There is a huge demand for HVAC qualified technicians now days and the demand will only increase.

The same is true in Northern climates, but it’s the heat they’re concerned about up there.

In my neck of the woods, you can open nearly any newspaper and find want ads for experienced HVAC techs with at least 3 years experience. Some companies are giving as much as a $2000 sign on bonuses plus company vehicle, 401k, benefits and a starting pay around $20 to $25 per hour with bonuses.

Heavy Equipment Operators- Drive through most any city and you’ll see some type of construction going on. Chances are the road you’re on may be under construction. You’ll probably also see a lot of heavy equipment sitting around. Dozers, scrapers, backhoes, excavators, etc. Hey, those things don’t run their self you know!

There are several schools out there now that can teach you how to operate heavy equipment and then help you get a job afterwards. Just google “heavy equipment operator schools” and you should be on your way.

Beginners can expect to earn $12 to $15 per hour while experienced operators can pull down $18 per hour and up, sometimes in the $25 per hour and up range!

Welders - Whether it’s in construction, industry or fabrication, welders are in short demand. One of the top welding schools in the Country is Tulsa Welding school. Their starting Welders average $42,000 per year. They also state that employers have requested hundreds more welders than they had enrolled students!

I have a friend who works in a fabrication shop of a manufacturer that makes oil field supplies and he pulls down around $45,000 per year without overtime. Since he’s a workaholic, he generally makes in the $60,000 per year range with overtime. And he doesn’t even have a GED, dropped out in the 10th grade. Many 4 and 6 year degreed people can’t match that!

Just like any line of work, being specific can pay more. TIG and MIG welders will generally earn more, sometimes a lot more, than general stick welders. It all depends on where you go.

Truck Drivers- It’s been no secret that there are driver shortages in the trucking industry. There are truck driving schools all across the country and many of the major trucking companies like Schneider will actually train you if you hire on. Now that’s being in demand! Starting truck drivers can expect to make in the $35,000 and up range. Once you get a few years under your belt, you can expect to make a lot more!

Once again, as with many of the fields above, specializing in one aspect of trucking, such as tankers or over sized loads, will put more green in your pocket and make you more desirable.

So you see, you don’t have to settle for going to college and racking up a huge amount of student loan debt. Especially if you don’t know what you want to take. There’s no shame in saying you want to “work” for a living. The top blue collar jobsabove can virtually guarantee you a lifetime income if you learn your trade and learn it well.

Disadvantages of Community College

We everything such as to look at the positive closest of things with the correct in my admonition of community colleges, as a minimum at the same time a springboard given that university learning far outweigh the uncomfortable. When you get down to it, if you’re agreeing with community college at the same time an choice whether since your associate’s degree on my own or have plans to variation along to the university level upon completion you should visit the huge picture along with not just the sunshine plus flowers.

The first thing you should be awake to, also this applies principally to those students plus plans to transfer, is that you should always consult the college you intend to attend next in bid to make assured that the courses you’re taking up the community college level are compatible plus the core stipulations given that the university. In lots of cases they’re analogous enough to be considered compatible but there are exceptions with it is superior to find this out sooner as opposed to afterwards. If you conceive to attend a University that’s located near the community college you are attending you should inspection plus ask if they have many sort of verbal exchange harmony that will grant associate’s degree graduates to transfer seamlessly.

Countless states are stepping in in addition to passing laws that require colleges in their specific says to grant community college credits at the same time transfer credits in an attempt to keep qualified workers in the spoke. A number of universities are even offering distance learning programs to associates degree graduates in make a request to grant get right of entry to to students who live a greater distance from campus to have get right of entry to to educational opportunities that would have been denied to them in the history. Evidently if you live in one of these states, a former disadvantage might now work in your favor.

Numerous community colleges do not offer housing opportunities with on the subject of of those that do are further largely commuter campuses in place of house campuses. In preference to spending funds on housing these colleges tend to reserve their spending to assist in academic pursuits. Community colleges in rural areas are greatly more likely than those in bigger cities to offer housing on campus. The lack of on-campus housing makes participation in sports plus variant manner a little to a higher degree difficult than colleges that are largely residential in nature.

If you conclude to realize a community college your last stop as it comes to your personal educational experience you will be denying yourself very much of earning potential on top of the course of your lifetime. Since this agitate you should gravely consider the benefits that transferring to a university will souvenir because your educational goals.

My largest ailment even as it comes to community colleges at the same time as compared to more massive universities was the fact that there are such limited opportunities to take specific classes than as compared to those classes on a university level. You’ll find that you must remain within your sequence of courses on the community college level or you risk needing a new semester or year in ask to complete the stipulations since your associate’s degree. Universities tend to offer greater flexibility, above all in lower level courses that are anticipated by everything in make a request to graduate.

My varied major ailment as it comes to community college is the fact that they steadily have noticeably smaller libraries than universities. This tyrannically limits the capability that students have to do extensive research except for rare cases. Universities simply have deeper pockets than the standard community college. Because this bicker they’ll have bigger libraries in addition to far more bells as well as whistles than the ordinary community college. Hopefully we will refer to this amendment on top of occasion additionally. Despite the disadvantages that can be correlated also community college educations, I feel that they’re significantly outweighed by the benefits that the community college learning atmosphere bestows.

Federal student loanword programs are the sole, largest source of school borrow currency consolidation. The first step in applying for this type of aid is going on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website, at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/, and fill out a comprehensive questionnaire. It generally takes around 7 days to process, at which point you’ll receive a Data Release Number, and Estimated Financial Contribution. It is important to find out if the school you’ll be attending participates in the federal student aid programs, about do.

There are lots of federal programs available for student aid, assuming school participation. The Federal Stafford Loans, are available to both undergraduate and graduate students. First-year undergraduates are eligible for loans up to $2,625. Amounts increase for subsequent years of study, with higher amounts for graduate students. The interest rate is variable, but never exceeds 8.25 percent. The Federal PLUS Loans are unsubsidized loans made to parents; the interest rate is variable, but never exceeds 9 percent. Federal Work Study provides jobs to undergraduate and graduate students, allowing them to earn to ante up education expenses. These are the major federal sources of loanword for college.

Private education loans are also available from a variety of sources to furnish supplemental funding when other financial aid does not cover costs. These loans are not sponsored by the feds agencies, and are offered by banks or other fiscal institutions. Sallie Mae is a one-of-a-kind borrow that consists of a comprehensive package of both private and federal loans.

After accumulating 4 years of undergraduate education loans, it is ideal to take into account a School Loan Consolidation Program. Very simply, you’ll be able to elect to combine all your outstanding loans into one student consolidated loanword, which might create to a higher degree favorable terms and simplify repayment, benefiting both the borrower, and the lending bureau. Major benefits include the convenience of lower every month payments, a one fixed rate, and one payment per month. There is a minor downside, fundamentally, students who do not consolidate their Stafford loans will have a 6-month grace period after graduation to begin making payments. Students who consolidate must begin making payments within 60 days of their consolidation. Both parents and students are eligible to consolidate student loans. The school loanword consolidation program streamlines repayment by eliminating distinct terms, repayment schedules, and lenders.

Will I be able to afford my childs college education? Careful fiscal planning, and research should attain this endeavor a reality. While it is true that college tuitions continue to rise, there’s more than financial aid available to to pay for the increases. Ultimately, a good education is your best investment to account for back a student borrow program.

When a student enters college, especially those who belong in a family that earns an common income, the lone thing that forces them is the pricey total needed for the education, which will crush them financially to the ground. This is where college scholarships can really come in handy.

Money, is the established conventional excuse for the financially unprivileged students to fail in pursuing their college education, it has all time been the issue, worn out by time.

In essence, this issue is by far resolved when the scholarship became accessible to the disadvantaged. Through college scholarships, the expenses for college became simple for the students.

To all of people, the term scholarship is likewise used up by time. But how far do we really comprehend the term “scholarship”?

It is a fact that for virtually students and parents the term scholarship can still be confusing. When they hear the term, they directly link it to free tuition and fees, students’ loans, and allows.

But knowing the exact process of scholarship could save you and your parents’ purse from too much drainage of currency, just about probably tens of thousands of dollars, as the scholarship takes charge of your education.

Basically, scholarship are monetary allows given by the say the feds, public and private institutions and organizations, college, institutions, charitable foundations, guilds and the like for educational use.

Essentially, scholarship is distinct from student loans, the scholarship gives off without the condition of repaying it. While the student loans involve the agreement of repaying the borrowed to supplement the students’ college educational expenses at a certain time, and with the corresponding interests.

The following are the list of available college scholarships:

• National Merit Scholarship
• Athletic Scholarship
• Career, Professional, and Trade-Association-Sponsored Scholarships
• Academic Merit Scholarship
• FASFA
• Work Study
• Special Scholarships
• Ethnic and Religious Scholarship
• Alumni Legacy Scholarship
• Transfer Student Scholarship
• Community Organization Sponsored Scholarship

With all of these available scholarships it became quite perplexing for certain students to recognize the scholarship that would fit ideal their qualifications.

Most often the problem lies on the looking for process, which college scholarship to apply for, and where will they apply.

The just about possible answer for this setback is in essence to know the proper resources. There is the college scholarship search engine; you’ll be able to access it for free in the internet. Through this, you will not just save your time and money; you will be able to also get current updates.

Basically, it is suggested that you read carefully the requirements, if you think you’re fitted then you’ll be able to proceed on your application, if you think you don’t, and then try to look for another. Remember, as you apply for more than scholarships, there will be greater chances that you’ll be able to win a scholarship or more than.

In essence, about of the scholarships are based on the academic performances of the students, the capability for attaining and maintaining high-grades. While some are based on the students’ artistic capability, excellence in sports, or awarded to the students who excel in a specific field.

The information in this article can be total up to a specific thing, once you know how to gather the info, the process on applying for a scholarship, and where your qualification suits, it will only be easier for you to attain college scholarships  throughout your college years.

The rationalities for pursing an Master in Business Administration degree are incomparable to from person to person. Not everyone is cut out for an MBA. You’ll need to answer some tough questions before jumping in and trying to obtain your MBA.

What will obtaining an MBA mean to you?

* Does acquiring an Master in Business Administration degree allow you to follow your career dream?

*Will obtaining an MBA allow you to do something in which you excel at? Or do you want an MBA just because it would be “cool” to have one?

When contemplating these queries, look at what an Master in Business Administration degree can provide:

• Career choices – a Master in Business Administration degree can be used to alter your life or elevate your current job choice. You’ll find that some careers require an MBA while others do not. You’ll find out that if you’re trying to land a trophy position in one of many specialized fields, you’ll need an MBA to do ti with. Also, an Master in Business Administration degree can help students in trade careers like engineers and designers. You’ll find a degree may help you land upper eschelon jobs.

• Better Pay – Government figures state that obtaining an MBA can increase your yearly income by over $20,000 per year. That’s one good reason to consider obtaining your MBA!

A person should think long and hard about obtaining their MBA. Many times obtaining your MBA will result in an increase in workload and financial strain and a decrease in free time and money.

Obtaining Your MBA Degree

How much is the price for a college training?

Is there a uncommitted funding system?

Let’s confront the fact. University education is high-priced! Many parents do a double over when their kids setting up and looking at attending a community University or a state College.

There are a allot of things which constitutes the price of University teaching and the tutorship fee is barely separate of the cock-a-hoop picture of assuming University. Other daily expending includes nutrient, going to and from, lodging, spending money, and additional assorted fees which when added together can produce an substantial percentage in funding an University education.

Many folks in this day and age, even if they belong to the wellborn club, think about implementing for fiscal assistance. University grants and scholarships are the most superior kinda fiscal aid.

Grant and scholarship plans don’t mean pupils or the household to repay. These could be of two forms: (1) groundwork on need, which is afforded due to the financial unfitness of the pupil and the kinsperson in general, and (2) base on merit, the talent of the scholarly person like in athleticses, is the main considerateness. The pupils academician ability also falls under the merit-base college grant and scholarship.

Frequently, University grants and scholarships aggregate the merit and need standards to ease out the whole fiscal assistance process. A lot of pupils and their folks are in the look-out for this type of fiscal assistance. All the same, University grants and scholarships are restricted compared with the flourishing number of pupils year after year.

Qualifying pupils can help by Fed and a number of State Department scholarship programs. A few of which are the following:

Federal or National Pell Grants – this is a program funded across the nation intended to gift aid to any qualified undergrad apprentice going after postsecondary schooling. Grants and scholarships of this form are given way to those who have not completed a bachelor’s degree degree.

The valuable of the grant can change year after year and will depend for the most part on the fiscal need of the pupils, the disbursements that will be obtained as waiting on the chosen College or University, and the availableness of finances from the national authorities.

These type of grant will afford chance for the pupils to help future fiscal assistance from the federal government.

National Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) – this are a program for in progress undergrad pupils with obvious monetary demand. All the same, not every last pupils could help this type of grant. This will depend upon the eligibility of the pupils and accessibility of funds of the involved school.

A different form of fiscal assistance that students and folks can address is through loans. This type of fiscal assistance had better be paid off. The fiscal need of the household had better be looked at thoroughly to ward off paying towering rates of interest.

It’s also a essential to realise all the conditions of loaning agencies such as the schedule of repayment and rates of interest, prior to contracting in or arriving at a commitment.

Work study is a form of fiscal aid which calls for pupils to do labor to keep up their University education. Work study is generally performed on campus and is the most regular form of fiscal assistance in all colleges and universities. Commonly, the pupils will deliver help to schools for 10 to 15 hours per calendar week.

Scholarships, grants and other forms of fiscal assistance to get University education is actually many-sided, confounding at times, and even aggravating. The beneficial thing is University education is a non-refundable and non-biodegradable character of investment. It is for the forthcoming!

In the previous post, we discussed why it was that some college’s could reduce college tuition while others saw fit to increase college tuition so they could increase financial aid to students.

Now we see another college stepping up and doing what’s right for the student, not the faculties pocket books.

Colby college announce that starting in 2008-09 school year, they will eliminate student loans from students financial plans. Instead they will replace them with Grants. As most of you know, Grants do not have to be paid back.

This move will allow students who qualify for student loans to have these loans replaced by Grants. More importantly, this will allow these students to graduate without the extra burden of student loan debt! Hellooo….Dickinson college…are you listening?

Colby is taking a leadership role in the shift among liberal arts colleges, joining fewer than a dozen private institutions in the United States committing institutional funds to eliminate institutional loans in an effort to make their programs affordable to the broadest range of qualified students regardless of ability to pay. Now this is what colleges and universities should be spending their money on, not fattening the wallet of a few faculty or board of trustee members.

Colby’s program is a need bases system. It calculates the students need for financial aid based on their ability to repay the money borrowed.

Colby’s President, William Adams said about the program

“It is principally about access and affordability. As comprehensive fees rise, we can do and we should do more. We don’t want any student not to come to Colby because of concerns about paying off student loans.”

How’s that for placing more concern on Student needs rather than your own?

In October, the board decided to eliminate all student loans for Maine students. They were then asked at that time to look into eliminating all student loans for all students.

This move by Colby and other education institutions will allow students to focus more on finding the right career when they get out of college rather than settling for any ole job because they’re forced to start paying off student loan debt.

Colby College To Replace Student Loans With Grants

Many college’s say they are still not ready to reduce college tuition fees even though some universities like Harvard have slashed tuition cost and increased student financial aid.

Most colleges are using the excuse that they aren’t as wealthy as Harvard and that Harvard can afford to reduce tuition fee’s because they have the largest endowment of any publicly funded college in the country.

Still for many parents and students, that’s not a good enough answer.

Many colleges are reporting of getting calls from concerned Parents saying “If Harvard can reduce their college tuition, why can’t you?”

Harvard’s endowment is estimated at 35 billion, by far the largest of any school in the nation.

Harvard got many peoples attention last month when it announced that families making between $120,000 and $180,000 would spend no more than 10 percent of their family income on tuition cost. This includes tuition cost’s and room and board.

The effect spread to other high end colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Swarthmore and Haverford, which pledged to reduce or eliminate student loans. Others say they are looking at awarding fewer scholarships and giving more student loan aid to those in financial need.

Increasing Tuition Fees to Increase Student Loan Aid - Bizzarro World?

This also had the opposite affect on many smaller colleges, many of whom said they had to increase college tuition fees so they could give more financial aid to the students.

Is it me or is this one screwed up excuse for increasing tuition fees? Oh, let’s see, we’re going to INCREASE tuition cost so we can INCREASE student loan aid. The problem with this way of thinking is that many of the schools who are using this as an excuse to increase tuition cost, aren’t affected by Harvard’s or these other higher end college’s decision to increase student loan aid.

Most of the students going to the smaller schools could’t afford to go to Harvard or wouldn’t qualify to begin with, so the excuse of “We have to increase tuition fees so we can increase financial aid”, just doesn’t hold water.

College’s Getting Greedy

Most people see these college tuition fee increases as nothing more than a greedy move my greedy colleges. Most of these college’s refuse to cut pork barrel type spending on non-essential needs. In fact, many of these colleges are increasig their spending on non-essential projects while raising tuition cost for students. Raises for the upper eschelon of the faculty and other careless spending have left many of these colleges in poor financial shape.

It’s becoming more and more obvious that these colleges believe they are more into shaping the way young people think, rather than educating them. This has led to a decline in enrollment in many of the more liberal colleges, which has left many of them with reduced income, thus putting them into a position of having to increase tuition cost to maintain their extravagant lifestyles.

The average cost of a college education has skyrocketed more than double since 1993. What has changed? Sure, the cost of gas has risen, but that’s only been in the last 4 years or so. So what has led to this huge increase in college tuition to a point where the College’s have to keep increasing tuition? Their spending on pork barrel projects as well as raises to school faculty.

Where does this leave the Average College Student

Sadly, this means today’s college students are having to borrow more and spend more time paying off large student loan debt. Many graduating students are having to settle for lower paying jobs just to start paying on their student loans rather than take the time to find a career of their choice.

Some students have actually had to turn to a life of crime to pay their student loans and tuition cost.

This is just ridiculous. Very few colleges and the board that run them actually stand up and take responsibility for their spending. The though process is that “if we don’t spend it, we won’t get it next year” so the tired ole process keeps alive.

Only pressure from Parents and students will force these colleges to change their spending habits. Sadly, the parents and students will have to put the pressure on their legislators because, once again, many of these colleges get their funding from the State. You and I are simply peons who know nothing!

College’s Still Not Reducing Tuition Fees Despite Harvard’s Reduction

Citing a huge windfall from the University’s investments, Yale announced today that it would be spending more of its money for financial aid to students, bypassing Uncle Sam.

Yale said it expects to pay out 1.15 Billion of the 22.5 Billion endowment. Yale said it expects to pay over 840 million in the current cycle. What an investment!

Yale declined to put a number on the financial aid to undergraduates though, although they did say the financial aid would be substantial.

Harvard and Yale are America’s two richest universities and their investment returns have long beaten the Standard & Poor’s 500 index returns.

Yale President Richard Levin said recent investment results prompted the university to overhaul the way it spends its own money.

Levine had this to say about the increase in financial aid;

“The prudent policy revision we are making will increase spending from the endowment to benefit students and researchers today while continuing to ensure that the endowment’s capacity to support future generations of students is undiminished”

In recent years, Yale has tried to spend roughly 5.25 percent of its endowment every year. However this number changes due to the returns of Yale’s investment returns.

The new formula calls for the school to spend at least 4.5 percent and no more than 6 percent.

Foundations are required to spend 5 percent of their endowments, but some colleges do not even come close to spending that much.

Yale is also looking at expanding the size of its undergraduate body to 6,000 from it’s current body of 5300.

Yale’s endowment relies exclusively on outsiders including hedge fund managers to invest the university’s money.

According to the statistics put together by the College Board, tuition at public and private colleges rose by more than double the rate of inflation.

If you recall, a few weeks ago I told you about a program for Illinois College Students that helped students pay back their student loans.

Now the Governor has announced a student loan program that will help some college students afford an education.

This program will save a student about $2600 on a student loan with a 10 year payback if the student borrows 20 thousand dollars.

Yeah, there is a catch. You knew there would be!

For starters, you have to make less than 50 thousand and you have to have a job in an industry like social works, teaching or healthcare.

Hey, here’s an idea, how about just paying people who go into those fields more money? I’ve never understood why someone would spend years in college and thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of dollars on education for a job that pays squat!

Some of you really need to think such a endeavor over before jumping in.

Back to the subject of the State of Illinois helping out under-performing college students…lol…just joking.

Anyway, if you need more information on this program for Illinois college students, just click here.

It looks like two Ohio college students will now get their education behind prison walls courtesy of the State of Ohio.

The two Ohio College students told a judge they turned to robbing banks after increasing college tuition left them high and dry.

Andrew Butler, age 20, attended the University of Toledo. He told the judge that the increases in college tuition outpaced his scholarships and student loans.

Christoper Avery, age 22, attended the University of Cincinnati. He told the judge that the college tuition increases caused him to be unable to pay for Summer classes after an internship fell through.

The Judge didn’t feel sorry for either crook. They’ll now have 20 years to earn an education thanks to the Ohio Correctional system.

Maybe next time they’ll think about paying their way through college with a job?

If you’re looking for ways to pay for your education, there are some government sponsored programs out there designed for college students. The specific government programs that we’ll be discussing here are the type where you trade work for tuition.

One of the first programs you might want to look into is the AmeriCorps.

With AmeriCorps, you’ll be asked to work for over two thousand non-profit public agencies and community organizations.

People who complete one full year of full time service are elgible for the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. This award will make you elegible for a $4725 grant that can be put towards college or repay existing Student loans.

PeaceCorps volunteers are elgible for a deferment of your Stafford and Perkins student loans. You’ll also be elgible for deferment of your consolidated student loans.

For each you serve in the PeaceCorps, up to 15% of your loan can be forgiven, up to 70%.

Students who become teachers can look into having their Perkins student loans defered.

You must have completed one full year of academic service as an instructor in a specialized field as special needs or math and science.

The College Board (www.collegeboard.com) reports that the latest increase raises the cost of the average price per year at a traditional public 4 year College to $6185. The cost of a year at a private College rose to $23,712.

The darling of Colleges again are the 2 year community colleges and vocational schools. The price increases at these educational institutional schools have minimum price increases. The average price at these colleges only rose 4.2% in the same time period.

James Boyle, president of the group College Parents of America, said in the College Board study;

“For too long, parents have grimaced and borne the high price of college because they presumed that a higher education is key to their child’s success in today’s economy. Surely, the day will come — soon — when parents say enough is enough.”

College prices for undergraduate studies have also increased to a tune of 12%. This is the largest increase for public and private tuition.

Student who are in College now and students who will be in College soon may have help on the horizon. Congress will be considering a Bill that will require College’s with large endowments to use some of their savings to offset the cost of a College education.

Even the cost from for profit education institutes have risen. The College Board study does not try to determine why prices have risen.

With prices increasing rapidly and with no end in sight in the immediate future, it’s becoming increasingly important for High School and College students to plan early for their education and to be wise consumers and shop around for the best prices on a College education.

The folks from Student Lending Works has created a new website for College students in Ohio. This new website is called MyStudentLoansDontOwnMe.Org

What Is Student Lending Works?

Student Lending Works (www.StudentLendingWorks.org) is Ohio’s nonprofit provider of student loan products. The organization’s activities include financing of affordable student loans that provide unmatched choice and discounts.

 What Does The Student Loan Crash Course Offer?

With this service, Ohio students can have a Student Loan Crash Course instructor come in and present a course so students can stay informed on changes to their Federal Student Loans.

These seminars are titled “A Crash Course In Surviving Your Student Loans“. These seminars are free to all Ohio college students. The seminars are designed to educate Ohio students about the new College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 and how it may affect their student loans.

The website allows Ohio students to meet the Crash Course instructors and to find out more information on the seminars.

Miranda Ast, a Crash Course Instructor, had this to say about the web site;

“One of the benefits of the site is that we don’t require students to sign up for anything on the Web site or at the presentation. And we don’t try to sell them anything. Because we have a mission to the State of Ohio, we’re here to be a free educational resource to students.”

Although Student Lending Works always encourages students to keep up with these ever changing requirements with the financial office of the college they are attending, the seminars puts a lot of the much needed information at their fingertips in a easy-to-digest format.

BDP has won a 5 year, $270 million contract to provide end to end servicing of the Canadian Student Loan program.

BDP will manage the 1.6 million borrowers in the student loan program. The estimated total of all debts are around 7 billion dollars.

BDP hopes to reduce Canadian student loan defaults which make up about 25% of all Canadian Student loans. Along with the reduction of student loan defaults, BDP also hopes to raise the level of borrower satisfaction on servicing of student loans.

However this help from BDP isn’t without its detractors. Many in Canada are quick to point out BDP’s sanfu concerning firearms registrations. Regardless, BDP has won the contract and doesn’t see a problem servicing Canadian Student Loans.