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NYU Religion Grad in Loan Debt
Liane Rebeka Harrison, Photographer, Assistant
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Madison | WI | USA | Posted: 11:28 AM on 06.02.10 |
->> http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/109701/placing-the-blame...
I thought this article was very interesting and wanted to share it.
This lady has a degree in Religion and Women's Studies from NYU. Now she is working as a Photo Assistant in SF and making over $40K.
She complains about her loan debt?
With her loan payment and rent, she still has over 2K a month to work with. I wondering if she's out partying and shopping and not paying her bills?
I think my 6 years of private art/photography school loan debt tops hers.
When I hear these stories I cringe!
People who worked so hard to find a job in photography, videography or digital imaging are being pushed out by people without any professional experience.
I have been searching for a FT position since I graduated in early 2004. I wish I had her job. I have never made over $12/hr non-the-less $22.
I knew I should have studied Religion and Women's Studies. What was I thinking?
I am proud of my experiences and accomplishments in photography and videography. It is one of the hardest market to be successful in, yet a religion studies grad has a 40K assisting job in SF, CA. BARF!
Maybe she would want to swap lives for a month? Just don't let her near my bank account! |
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Robert Scheer, Photographer
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Indianapolis | IN | USA | Posted: 11:49 AM on 06.02.10 |
->> I'm most curious about what hovel she's renting in/near San Francisco for $750 a month! Liane, be careful what you wish for, SF is no picnic on 40K a year.
I guess I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who choose to go to pricey universities then belly-ache about their debt. Buyer beware. |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 11:59 AM on 06.02.10 |
->> The part that made me laugh the hardest was her final quote:
"I don't want to spend the rest of my life slaving away to pay for an education I got for four years and would happily give back," she said. "It feels wrong to me."
You can't just "give back" an education like a car or a house and get your money back. It's not like they can just take that knowledge out of your brain and re-sell it to someone else. |
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Jack Kurtz, Photographer
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Phoenix | AZ | United States | Posted: 12:05 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> " You can't just "give back" an education like a car or a house and get your money back. It's not like they can just take that knowledge out of your brain and re-sell it to someone else."
They did in Total Recall. |
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Liane Rebeka Harrison, Photographer, Assistant
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Madison | WI | USA | Posted: 2:52 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> Robert,
That thought crossed my mind too. She must have 15 roommates and live in a fab flat downtown. When I lived in Santa Barbara, 2000-2004, I paid $700 for a small studio apartment. |
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Butch Miller, Photographer
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Lock Haven | PA | USA | Posted: 3:47 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> Having put three children through college (two through grad school) I can empathize with anyone struggling to repay student loans. It is tough ...but no less a contract than buying a car or a home ... students make the agreement with full knowledge going in ... and many tend to whine and whimper when the bill comes due.
I also believe many of our schools don't do a good job in preparing students for the needs of the current workforce. For instance a local institution, at which I have guest lectured many times over the years ... still has a mandatory B&W wet darkroom segment of their "photography" course for journalism majors. Yet this course does not offer any definitive instruction on proper digital capture and workflow direction that is important to modern journalism.
I had over 20 years experience in the darkroom and well understand the wonders of what can be accomplished there ... but I question as to the benefit of such course structure will be to the students seeking work in the field. I know of no newspaper or magazine that still utilizes a wet darkroom as a matter of course ... let alone B&W film.
So using this as an example, I can see where some former students would feel they have been short changed by their institution of higher learning ... although this in no way would be good enough reason not to honor their debt .... |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 5:14 PM on 06.02.10 |
| ->> Jack - does that mean I can catch a commuter flight to Mars, too? Man, I know I live in the stix, but I didn't know I was that out of the loop... |
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Jack Howard, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Central Jersey | NJ | USA | Posted: 5:36 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> Anyone else feel like pointing out the errors in the math in the original post?
Still, a great rant Liane!
You go get 'em!
Best full-on primal scream posting I've seen in a while!
But I gotta ask, would your indignation be quite as high if you'd figured her post-tax minus rent was actually around $1550?
ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR.....GRRRRR....
rrrrrr....rrrrrr.....waaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkk....
waaaaaakkkkkkk.........eeeeeeeeeeyyyaaaaahhhhhh eeeeeeeeeyyyyaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!! |
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Nick Lucero, Photographer
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Liane Rebeka Harrison, Photographer, Assistant
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Madison | WI | USA | Posted: 10:45 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> Jack,
No, you are right, I don't have a degree in mathematics, I am a photographer. I was rounding down to be generous.
She makes just over $45K annually if she is working 40 hours a week and you go by 52 weeks in a year and she takes home $3813 a month before taxes. You get your taxes refunded so that is not an issue. (Well, in CA you may get another lovely IOU.)
Point is, she still has over $2K after paying her rent and loan payment. Last time I checked $700.00 + $750.00 = $1450. No? And $3813 - $1450 = $2363 left over.
Why would you bother posting if you have nothing positive or informational to contribute? |
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Patrick Fallon, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 11:34 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> Wow. This is the "trainwreck of the week" I guess for the forum. Nice.
How about everyone takes a deep breath?
The numbers cited in the article are $750 a month for rent [for SF?] and $700 a month for loan, with take home pay at $2,300. What is refunded at the end of the year in taxes is irrelevant, especially since tax withholding has been changing and that is not money she has access to as cash on hand. The value of that money is lessened when you do not receive it until a later date.
Those numbers: $2,300 - ($1,450) = $850 Left over. The cost of living in SF is very high, gas, milk, and food are all more expensive than in the midwest.
From that $850, expenses could include:
A car, insurance, parking and gas. [$300+?]
Food, Laundry, clothing [a certain level of dress is expected when working as a professional assistant].
Not much left...
Bottom line: The college loan and financial aid process is flawed, since lenders and those receiving the loans do not know what the student will be making down the line. |
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Andrew Link, Photographer
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West Bend | WI | USA | Posted: 11:44 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> Liane, respectfully, I think you are forgetting about the taxes taken out of her paychecks. Which she said she earns about $2300 a month after they are taken out.
Hope this helps clears some confusion.
Have a great night! |
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Patrick Fallon, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Columbia | MO | USA | Posted: 11:57 PM on 06.02.10 |
->> Its not just the federal and state taxes that are removed, its the Social Security deductions, CASDI [California State Disability Insurance], etc. that ads up.
You don't get back the Social Security and CASDI. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 4:15 AM on 06.03.10 |
->> Another dirty little secret to the student loan game is that the system allows...sometimes encourages...students to borrow not just for tuition and fees but also living expenses. Borrowing to pay living expenses is almost always a bad idea. It ain't easy being a full-time student and supporting yourself with a job, but...lots of people do it.
When I worked for our state's higher ed agency, I got to answer most of the correspondence sent to the governor, legislators, etc., from constituents relating to higher ed. A common request was for some type of student loan forgiveness (which for the most part doesn't exist). One in particular that I remember was from a guy who went to XYZ state for 5 years and got a master's in social work...ended up with over $150k in debt. One question he asked was "How is someone supposed to get loans for 5 years of college AND LIVING EXPENSES FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR (my emphasis) and be able to pay back those loans"?
I SOOOO wanted to slap that guy upside the head.
(PS Liane, the words you were looking for were "much less" not "non-the-less" which is really "nonetheless" but doesn't quite fit the meaning I believe you were trying to convey. But you make a great point!) |
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Michael Fischer, Photographer
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Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 9:37 AM on 06.04.10 |
->> Back in 2007 I started a thread that this individual might have found interesting:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=26071
Warren Buffet, America's favorite multi-billionaire, didn't go to a big name school. A degree from a top tier school will open doors, but ultimately, it's up to the individual to make it happen. So, this person goes $100K in debt and then complains?
There IS such a thing as personal responsibility. She should get a grip. News flash: IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EASY. IT'S NOT A GIFT - it's a LOAN.
Thanks for starting this thread Laine. It's a refresher course for all... |
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