Going to college? Make common sense choices.

USA Today's front page today trumpeted an article asking if college is really worth it during a recession. The poster child for the article was a young lady who had borrowed $80,000 to get a double major in journalism and anthropology. Then she went to work as an information technology recruiter. Huh? When she lost her job in the recession she was quoted as saying "...I have yet to see the complete value of my education." Do you think she might have missed the point of that education?

Parents, you've got to give your kids some guidance here if they can't find the common sense to make the right choices on their own. If your child wants to get a degree in anthropology, satisfy yourself that they really want to work in an anthropoligy-related field. If the reason for their choices is to have enough time to work the fraternity/sorority circuit, it's time to exercise your greater wisdom if not your parental authority. Encourage your kids to choose majors that make economic sense if they're going to have to earn a living when they get out. If anthropology really sounds appealing to them but the demand for anthropologists is dicey, suggest they take elective courses in that field but pick a major that will support them in building a career.

These are the kinds of decisions that you have to help your kids make. If they didn't get the insight from watching you guide the family over the past 15 years or so, here's a second chance. Don't let your kids mortgage their future on whimsical choices. If the economy has taught us nothing else, it has shown us that financial choices have consequences, and bad financial choices have bad consequences. Don't let that happen to your child.

As always I welcome your comments.