Parents of the HS Class of 2008

<p>Was looking for this thread in the new sub-forum. It will get retitled and sent there eventually, so might as well do it now!</p>

<p>Shellfell my D is also undecided, but between PhD in Economics and MBA. I think it will depend on how her job goes for the next few years. Current employer might pay for the MBA.</p>

<p>I think this is the granddaddy of all the “class of…” threads</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/475746-seeking-companions-vigil-196.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/475746-seeking-companions-vigil-196.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>and the group continued into this current thread.</p>

<p>Hey all–chiming in as it was my 22-year-old who brought me into the CC community. (Well–not him, of course, but I discovered the site around his junior year of hs.) He graduated from Denison last may and so far has done the see-the-country-through-menial-labor thing. He came home just this week to re-charge and will head out to Chicago following youngest’s hs graduation and see what’s up there (he has a free place to stay with my MIL). The poor boy still has no idea what he wants to do when he grows up, and I guess it’s a good thing that that has finally started to bother him. He was a philosophy major/history minor and has no idea what kind of “real” job to look for. Anyway, I’m happy to have him here for a while and hope he can settle in for longer than a few months at his next stop.</p>

<p>Well, S is going to Columbia, come what may. He continues to find and apply for scholarships of all sizes, most of which involve my printing things out and racing to the post office with them in order to get a required postmark. (Applying from abroad is not simple…some of his recs ended up being sent by his prof to one of our neighbors by mistake and he missed some fellowship deadlines as a result.)</p>

<p>He has also discovered that CSJ has a dual degree program with a French university, where you finish your Columbia MS then go to Paris for a year and get a French master’s also. I think he’ll be applying to that in the fall. It can be funded by a Fulbright, or a scholarship that his undergrad school offers for recent grads studying abroad. So it may be financially feasible, if everything fell into place. The French portion includes a significant internship component, which would be very good. And he has a place to live in NYC just a few blocks from the J school.</p>

<p>I certainly hope it all works out! It will be exciting if it does. The thing that I am most encouraged about is that HE is being proactive in searching out opportunities and funding and so on. What a difference from 2007/8. :)</p>

<p>I remember the vigil thread. :D</p>

<p>I’m another mom whose '12 grad doesn’t have much clear direction yet. She spent this year doing an Americorps program where she tutored middle school English learners. She has enjoyed it but does not want to re-up or go in the teaching direction. On the other hand, she has learned that she loves living in Minneapolis and plans to stay there. So she’s job hunting but not necessarily with an eye to the long term. Today she sent me the following:</p>

<p>On millenials and careers:
“From our perspective, a traditional career path looks like an endless ladder constantly sprouting new steps, while we’re all still on the ground, jumping for the first rung. So we’re looking for ways to avoid that ladder altogether — maybe by climbing a tree instead.”</p>

<p>So here’s hoping all our offspring find a tree to climb.</p>

<p>Updating, my daughter will finish her teaching credential in June and will finish her Masters in Teaching in August. She is currently applying for jobs and a lot of the questions on the applications remind me of college admission essays all over again. We are crossing our fingers and toes that she will have a job in September!</p>

<p>I just read my posts on the vigil thread. Wow. Who was that person? Or, more accurately, those people–S and me? It seems like a century ago. Our empty nest refilled last May, but it has worked out fine. This time, though, TI won’t be weeping when he leaves for his own apartment, which he expects to do in July, with his GF, if other things fall into place. I need the storage space he’s now consuming.</p>

<p>For one thing, he needs a permanent job. He’s settled into a long-term temp job that he likes fine and is hoping will become permanent (the org. has a history of hiring its temps). He’s just plain glad to be working, and the field is of some interest to him. But he’s still in search of his “real” career pursuit, too. He knows it will include graduate school one day, and it sounds like he knows that will be in a social science/public policy field. As for me, after a period of concern when he was having such a hard time finding a job, I’m stepping back. He seems happy in all parts of his life.</p>

<p>Consolation, what great news! I’m so glad everything about Columbia is falling into place for your S. And yes, being proactive is what we raised them to do, right? What a relief that it worked.</p>

<p>just noticed this thread, hard getting used to the new format. funny, I also have a '09 HS and a '14 HS, and noticed we '08 ers are slackers :wink: relative to those other threads, but who’s comparing.</p>

<p>just spoke with my '08 s, living and working in NC, very fortunate to have a job he really loves. he’s coming down to share in his lil sister’s graduation this week. I cannot believe I’ll have two grads. feel very blessed…</p>

<p>The vigil thread was indeed a classic, DeniseC. Am trying to find the “is there a college class of 2008 thread” (or it was titled something like that) – might have been a “where are they now” or “update” thread, for the HS class of '04-- college '08. This was before these groups started but someone started one later. Anyone recall the name?</p>

<p>Here you go:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/508657-hs-class-2004-where-they-now.html?highlight=2004[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/508657-hs-class-2004-where-they-now.html?highlight=2004&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Thanks, DeniseC. I hope it can be added to this forum</p>

<p>I do wonder a little why it is that the high school Class of 2008 thread has only 612 posts, and the Class of 2009 thread has more than 31,000. Is there something about the parents of children born in 1989-1990 that makes us all just hopeless slackers compared to parents of younger children?</p>

<p>^funny. I’m an '08 and an '09, (and a '14) parent and I did post on that original '08 Vigil thread, fun to see where I was as a parent back then…and then started on the '09 thread when my d started her college app process. I think I shared about all three on that one. consider it a form of multi-kidding ;)</p>

<p>Donna- I have a child born in 89 but he was class of 07. I don’t know if that year still has a thread. I have an 05 as well.
I have a class of 12 but I find that I prefer the old timers. I love reading the posts of long CCers.</p>

<p>I have a HS 08, 10 and 13, but didn’t really start regularly visiting CC until 10.</p>

<p>D2 will be submitting her AMCAS application for MD medical schools on Tuesday when applications for the 2013-14 cycle open.</p>

<p>It’s going to be roller coaster ride all over again this fall.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, she continues her job as a research associate/clinical study coordinator at a Top 10 med school. </p>

<p>She’s planning a backpacking trip with her BFF from high school to the mountains of Colorado next month-- a last fling before the BFF starts med school later this summer.</p>

<p>~~~~</p>

<p>And I have '03 also, but didn’t start visiting until after my HS class of '08 was in the throes of applying to college.</p>

<p>My '03 passed her medical boards early this year and is looking at possibly applying for a residency as an orthopedic surgeon. Absolutely would never have guess this career trajectory for her back when she was applying to college.</p>

<p>S (HS '08, College '12) has just come home after a post-bac year getting certified to teach math and physics. He will be a counselor (and math tutor after hours) at his beloved day camp for the summer and is applying for teaching jobs for the fall. </p>

<p>His dream of getting hired at the urban school where he did his student teaching was crushed when the school district budget forced cutting 8 teaching positions at that small HS. So devastating–more than 30 schools will close, no guidance, office, or security staff, athletic programs cut–how can we let our urban districts get into such trouble? S’s high Praxis scores got sent to the city school district, so the central office set up a phone interview although they were clear that they weren’t currently hiring. They offered him a job as a sub–no thanks! </p>

<p>In keeping with Consolation’s philosophy that these are the years to explore, I’ve been encouraging him to think about applying for jobs in cities that he would enjoy trying out. His scholarship is national in scope, so he isn’t tied to any particular urban district. He loves the city he’s been in, and is thinking of trying again in a year’s time. Meanwhile, he may even try for a job at his own HS or another close enough to commute to from home. It would allow him to save money to prepare for a bigger move and to pay off the Stafford loans he took out before getting the NSF scholarship. </p>

<p>My youngest is off to college across the country in August, and I was just getting used to the idea of the empty nest, but it looks as if that may be postponed!</p>

<p>Just found out that S was awarded $15K by a foundation that support journalism students from our region! Hooray!!</p>

<p>Getting that application in was a wild scene, with S, H and I working phones and computers in four different locations to scan, print, and sign things then race to the post office that was open late. I was actually in the car in CT with my mother racing to a late Fedex place when H reported that he had made it to the PO in ME with less than 10 minutes to spare. This was caused by his prof sending the rec at the last minute, literally. He gave S permission to sign it for him this once and described his signature. But obviously it was worth it. :)</p>

<p>Now I hope some of the little ones come in. Every bit helps cut down the amount he has to borrow.</p>

<p>I’m enjoying having him home for 6 weeks. He’s looking for work, but unsurprisingly not having any luck yet.</p>

<p>Wintriest, when H was looking for a job as a math teacher several years ago he found that despite the supposed shortage none of the districts in our part of the state were in need. It appeared that in any state such jobs were more likely to be in poor rural areas where it can be harder to attract people to live that urban/suburban areas. Hope your S is having success. I’m sure he is enjoying his summer, at least, but the uncertainty is stressful.</p>

<p>Congrats, consolation!!! </p>

<p>My HS '04 and '08 s’s were just in town a few weekends ago with their gfs for a lovely event. Was so nice to have them here, even if only briefly. My '08’er just completed his 1 year employment mark with his company. He is currently working with a team that is based out of a different city, and was told he could really base out of any of their offices. So he may look around at his options. He would love to be closer to older bro on the west coast but dont know if they would offer him a COL salary adjustment and it would be challenging for him to live on that salary, as nice as it is for his current region, in some parts of CA. Also don’t know where his gf, who just finished her 1 yr commitment, will be landing next. So I wait and see…</p>

<p>Congratulations to Consolation’s S! So good to hear good news from you and jym626. </p>

<p>I’m finding a whole new relationship with S now that he’s back after a year of living on his own. He even cooks for us on weekends! Yes, his notion of cleaning up is still a bit rough for me–I had to avert my eyes from the kitchen sink whenever I visited his apt. last year–but he’s definitely much more of an independent adult these days, and good company.</p>