can I afford life

[asianisafish]

So I'm a senior in highschool. I'm getting read for college and it's not going so well with parents and their "recommendations and my choices. Basically if I don't do their "reccomendations" I'm pretty much left on my own. But either way I have to pay for college on my own. I want to be a physical therapist or sports medicine, as I'm an athlete at heart and I want to work with people who might be had injuries or what not. But school will be extremely expensive.... my other choice is to be a physical therapy assistant with an associates degree from a community college and I'll be making mid 50k salary from that in my local area. I can afford community college I think since I currently work making 16$ an hour teaching swim lessons lol. But can I honestly live off a 50k salary? My mom says I need closer to 150k if I want to live comfortable. My dad is very hard headed and doesn't want to support my decisions. He says I should I go to a 4 year university but I have to figure out all my debt my self. I'm so lost. I'm still a car person so if I do go to community college and get the PTA degree, will I be able to afford a house or town home or condo with a garage? I'm also in sports and I'm very close to qualifying for the state championships in track and field and a sports scholarship may be on it wants to me, but I wouldn't make that my plan a since it's not guaranteed. I need help guys, my parents are very smart but they are not understanding to me...

[VISITOR]

do what is going to make you happy in the long run. no amount of money can make you happy all the time if you don't enjoy what you're doing...

[FinishingTouchA]

It's not so much about how much money you make at your job, but what you do with that money that matters. Pick up a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad and a copy of Think And Grow Rich. Great Books! They'll teach you what you need to know for the real world.

[asianisafish]

Thanks for the quick replys, my dad is basically saying community college isn't real college, but since I'm not the more academically gifted student, school was not the easiest for me and I don't have any academic scholarships coming my way

[FinishingTouchA]

All I can say is do what YOU want to do, not what someone else (even if it is your parents) wants you to do. Yes, later on you realize most of what they said was usually right.
When I was 18 I had no idea what I wanted to do, I wasn't even really into cars. I went to community college and got a 0.4 gpa my first year, I lost my eligibility for loans and dropped out with 6k of loan debt. I went to college because that's what's expected, not because that was what I wanted to do. Fast forward a year and I started my detailing business. The first 2 years I worked full time jobs along with the business. This spring I took the plunge and got a shop. Now I have 2 full time employees and have done nearly 50k in revenue since April. My goal for next year is 150k. Eventually I'm sure I will go back to college just because I love learning. Figure out what your heart truly desires then work your ass off for it. My goal is to launch and build multiple multi-million dollar businesses. I plan to retire before 40 with a 30 million dollar nest egg. My dream is to live in an amazing house and have the time to spend with my wife and children and to have the ability to buy any toy I want. I will not settle for putting in hours for money. I want to do what I want when I want. Everyone's goals are different. And they change. My goal now isn't even what it was just one year ago. I wish you the best on your journey.

[asianisafish]

Thank you. I wish the best for you also. I really want to go to university and med school and pursue sports medicine or physical therapy because in my heart, I'm an athlete, but I want to help people who might be injured or recovering. I just don't know if I can handle the school and the money and everything. Thank you again for your help

[dcjredline]

Pedigree means VERY VERY little. The actual degree is the important part.

I dont know where you live so saying 50k is ok or not is going to be difficult.

Another book i would recommend (And will send you a copy of free if you PM me your address) is Dave Ramseys Total Money Makeover. It will teach you alot about debt and student loans etc. Maybe his Financial Peace would be a better one. He also has a course for high school graduates if you go to his website... its a DVD and a small book.


I am not paid by DR I just followed his Total Money Makeover plan and got myself out of $54k of debt in 2 years making "only" $50k a year. I also will pay off my house in about 7 or less years from now. Id say making $50k (I dont anymore I make a little less) and not having MAJOR student loans, house payment, CC, and Car payment you should be able to live ok in general.

[TMQ]

Debit management is the secret. It's not about how much money you make, but how much you can keep.

However some debit is necessary to produce value and creation of higher earning power. IE: Creation of a businesses, education which produces a professional careers such as lawyers and doctors.

Even the wealthy go belly up if their debit exceeds the the ability of income.

Sports medicine is a professional career---Is it worth the investment? Depends. If a doctor, sure. If it is just to become a therapist, I'm not sure. It depends on the average salary of a therapist.

Education is an investment. There's good investments and there's bad investments. Harvard priced education in art = very bad use of debit and a poor investment. Harvard priced education in law, medicine or business = a better investment.

A good way to manage debit in education is to do 2 years at a community college first to get the core requirements competed and then transfer to a 4 year program. Make sure that the community college courses are transferable to the 4 year program!!!

Education IS a valuable investment. And so is your time!
So don't waste time and don't spend more than what the product is worth and you should be fine...

Tom

[swanicyouth]

- Go to community college to start and take as many classes as you can there. Then, transfer to a local university with a PT program that is familiar with that college. That's what I did - saved 2 years of "University tuition" - and all my credits were accepted.

- Go to school to be a PT - not a PT Assistant. You will spend a LONG time at work, and IMHO - you don't want to be anyone's "assistant".

- From what I understand, PT programs are pretty hard to get in to. Apply to a wide variety of schools that don't cost a fortune. I just know in my own situation, I choose Temple University (Pharm D 2001) primarily because it was less than half the cost of other schools. Temple also happens to be a great pharmacy school, and a great PT school. It's also not super expensive if you resided in PA. Look for similar schools in your area that are state sponsored.

- There are ways to get a professional degree without parental financial support. Basically, you will need loans. A university's financial aid department can help you figure this out. My advice to you would be to go to school for PT, & work your butt off in the pre-requisite faze. Except nothing less than a 4.0 GPA. This will give you your pick of affordable schools for the professional faze, and you may get some grant money. It can be done if you want it bad enough - I did it.

- Yes, money is important. Stuff is expensive and the government is greedy. As an example, if you make $150k - expect to only see around $100k of of it. There are federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, and fees for health insurance that come right out of your check. You will also owe student loans, car payment, rent, utilities, etc... IMHO, it's always worth it for a young person to go to school longer to make more money.

[jms493]

If u have no idea what to do then look at Dave Ramseys stuff on youtube and check out his book the total money makover as stated above. Its an excellent place to start.

Good luck.
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