<p>$3000 for the summer after all taxes, expenses, and ‘self help’ contributions. NOT $3000 a year. </p>
<p>So why does self-help all have to be in the summer? Just curious.</p>
<p>It does not have to be. My post was in reaction to the many forums I read where some posters suggest that students should easily be able to earn at least $3000, after all expenses, in the summer.</p>
<p>I do not find this to be an easy task for summer earnings. If the student is able to work during the summer and school year then, yes, this becomes an easier task.</p>
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I couldn’t disagree with this more, but then, we’re taking not only S and D on our August vacation, but D’s boyfriend as well.</p>
<p>Family vacations are great, but if you need money vacay is a pretty lousy excuse for not being able to work. “I cannot pay my bills because of vacation obligations.” lol.</p>
<p>@actingmt I believe the question was about summer earnings… not year long earnings. 3K in the typical 12 week summer can be difficult for many college students… particularly those that aren’t going to local schools. 3K a year is a different scenario and most kids can do it. I know on D’s campus, the average for campus earnings is 2K a school year for those that work.</p>
<p>It all comes down to what “self-help” is defined for by the school and the family. There are the students whose “self-help” is basically buying their own shampoo and movie tickets. Not so much pressure to start the school year with 3K in their account. A kid who has textbooks, incidentals and a percentage of her tuition needs the campus job throughout the year but also needs to start the Fall with a large chunk in the account… especially if they are trying to avoid direct loans and parents are not wanting to take out parent loans (like myself.)</p>
<p>My kids all started to earn money around age 13. Caddying, babysitting, watering plants/feeding small pets/taking in mail, cutting grass, etc. By they time they were heading off to college they had each built up a substantial amount in savings. Each was/is heavily involved in summer EC committments and we always manage to take a summer vacation. While this advice might not help a current college student - those with younger kids - have them start earning/saving early. It definitely can be done. </p>
<p>Well, isn’t this for the kid who needs money and is expected to make a contribution to their education? It seems to be much like schools that meet what they consider to be family need, although many families will tell you that they actually need quite a bit more than that designated number. They too are expected to have saved not just arrive at home for the summer and wonder how they are going to get a 3k job. I agree, that probably won’t work out very well but that is misunderstanding the expectation, too. </p>
<p>@thumper: I suppose you’re joking, but in case anyone is interested in medical studies, I’ll tell you what I know: Most of the studies have some sort of age restrictions, but the minimum age is 18. Some require a particular age range/sex/disease/history-- but many just need “healthy adults, 18-55.” It helps if you live near the research facilities because some require follow-up visits. You can find them on-line, see if any are near you. Most of the people who do these are unemployed and just need $, but you do have to prequalify (medical history/blood/urine tests), and you have to have a clean medical history. Sometimes the smallest thing that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the study (lactose intolerance, BMI too low/toohigh, for example) can disqualify you. S actually made $2250 because he had to stay an extra night. He said it was easy and worth it. (6 nights, one follow-up visit, swallowing a tablet twice during the week, with blood/urine/ECG tests following the dose. You have to stay at the facility the entire time, eat their food.) I know some people are creeped out by medical studies–worried about risks, what if the drug/procedure has side effects? etc. Also, they don’t want to mix with the other test subjects (generally low socioeconomic status). S said the environment is highly controlled/safe. Actually, I’m surprised more college students don’t do these. I could imagine a club or frat doing this together to raise funds for trip/activity. If your kid has a cool internship/ resume building job, that’s great. But this seems preferable to working fast food or landscaping in the hot sun. You have to wait a month between studies (the labs share info with each other) so you can’t do them back to back. But someone could probably get into 2-4 per summer, depending on timing/length of break. (Remember when people used to sell plasma once a month for $10-15?)</p>
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<p>Family commitments happen. Graduations, weddings, reunions, trips-of-a-lifetime with aging grandparents. What should people do, say “well, everyone but Joey can go to Spain for 10 days because Joey needs to make $400 that week at Dairy Queen to guarantee he will reach his summer earnings goal”? Or, “We are sorry but Natalie will not be able to be a bridesmaid at her favorite cousin’s wedding. In fact, she won’t even be able to attend the wedding. She needs to work the Kids’ Kraft Kamp that week or else she will be $250 short for college in the fall.”</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone is saying that college kids should take the entire summer off to sit by a pool and sip fruity drinks. But if one brief vacation causes a make-it-or-break-it situation for the next school year, the college is probably not affordable enough to begin with.</p>
<p>True, Sally. And, this happens with work as well. What if Johnny gets a job that requires he work that week instead of going on a family cruise. Does he quit? IDK. We always followed the work comes first rule around here and I don’t see anything wrong with starting that in college if it’s a financial necessity.
If it’s not…yay you. </p>
<p>I am of the mind that work comes first, but a few years ago, I took my mother and daughter on a vacation. It was my first vacation in many, many years but my mother’s health was declining and we needed to do this. </p>
<p>Sometimes situations will dictate whether or not the extra money is worth it.</p>
<p>D cam home after her freshman year and it took a long time to find a job. There is a local CC in our small city, many kids from the state U who get out in early may and high schoolers along with adults competing for jobs. She made it to the 2nd interview round for several jobs before being turned down for short term availability. She finally found a job out of the way enough that it required a car and the teens in the neighborhood likely didn’t need the money. Unfortunately it was one of the type where they schedule you for many more hours than you end up working because they send you home if it gets slow. She made more money working for my dad on the side. (she does have a work study and clears $2300 during the year). The silver lining was she was very motivated to find an internship early for this summer. It is about 30 hours a week and pays just a stipend received at the end of the summer. She applied for and received a scholarship from her college designed to offset the opportunity cost of taking a low paying internship in your field. She also has a part time nanny gig and a few hours a week working on campus. I’m not sure what she will clear . . . after paying her own room and board for the summer likely not more than 1k or so. It is a great learning experience in independent living, though, and she is happy, having a great college town summer and getting some experience and contacts in her field.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s valuable to go after each other for who takes a vacation and who chooses not to. Reality is, most American families make choices that another family will scoff at. Some will opt for expensive classes but live on Kraft mac and cheese. Some will take a family vacation but manage on one old car they bought used. I can’t believe how much people will spend on coffee but then, I’m sure there are plenty who would scoff at the 4 chocolate chip scones I buy each Sunday. We don’t need to assume that all these vacations are first-class trips to Europe either. Many people drive to a neighboring city for a long weekend or go camping at National Parks lol. It just all comes out so unhappy and bitter… like maybe the person needs a vacation (lol, couldn’t resist.)</p>
<p>If you really need the money, you skip the family vacations and family weddings. If you know about them in advance and can arrange it, you go, but maybe you can’t do both. We had this problem this summer. My daughter graduated on May 31, then she went on a vacation with her BF for 2 weeks, then we had college orientation and a family wedding out west. So she quit her job. Some plans changed, so she asked for it back, and is now working her regular 15 or so hours per week. She won’t make $3000, but she doesn’t absolutely need it. If she did, she wouldn’t have quit and wouldn’t have gone on vacation.</p>
<p>Other daughter is doing the piecemeal earnings - babysitting, dog sitting, plant watering, coaching 3 nights a week and score keeping the other two. She will also be short of $3000, but if she needed it, she would have figured it out. She only had a 10 week summer and has been on two weekends out of state, so certainly isn’t working herself too hard.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t really care how you come up with it if they ‘gap’ you, they just say that’s your responsibility. Work for it or borrow it, the college doesn’t care.</p>
<p>My son was a back country counselor at Philmont Scout Ranch for 3 summers. Room and board paid for, no place to go and spend money, and over 3K in his pocket when he returned. </p>
<p>In my community, I just don’t see all these teen jobs that are reliable, offer full-time hours and pay so much. It’s not as if the jobs are sitting there unfilled while the kids are lazing around. Last summer it took my HS daughter at least 12 applications (and several interviews) before she got the job she has now (she works during the school year too). Even if she wanted to there is no way they would give her 40 hours a week. The max I think she’d be able to get is 12-15. She also helps out with our dogs (during the school year, I hire a college kid to walk them at lunchtime) and does other errands and chores as needed, but no way is she going to end the summer with $3000 or more.</p>
<p>In my son’s case, he’ll be lucky to have a penny to take back for his “fourth meals” and whatnot in the fall. We made the decision as a family that if he got accepted into the intensive Mandarin program he applied to, we would cover the resulting shortfall in his summer earnings (the logic being that having Mandarin as a second language will be worth more in the long run than having another $1500 for college this fall). The program is paid for except for the flights to and from Asia and minor incidentals. He is thriving and learning a ton. I am sure we made the right choice.</p>
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I agree with sally305 that if $300 - $400 is going to make or break you then the school probably isn’t affordable enough to begin with.</p>
<p>Unfortunately in our area the jobs are minimum wage and you get about 20 to 25 hours…some weeks can be more. With a limited time 12 to 13 weeks off it’s just not possible. We thought she could make more coming home but the summer camp job was about the same so next year she will do that because she enjoys it a lot more. It sounds like many of you are fortunate to live in areas that have a lot of opportunities.</p>
<p>Yes @broadway9 , it does seem that many are fortunate to live where jobs pay above, and in some cases a few dollars above the federal minimum wage. </p>