How Much??

The other day I decided to look up the current cost of the college where I got my undergraduate degree. Linfield now costs over $39,000 a year for tuition, room and board, etc. That is significantly more than I paid to go there. My entire MBA didn’t even cost that much! After I got over the shock of how much the price tag for my undergraduate degree had gone up since I was there, I decided that I was pretty glad I was done with all my higher education.

I mentioned the recent tuition number to a friend who had also attended Linfield. She also voiced the thought that it’s a good thing we’re already done with that. Although, if we were paying that price now, we’d be much younger. Which got me thinking, is it better to be 30 or 18?

Most likely an 18-year old out say 18 without hesitating. But with birthdays comes wisdom. The main bonus of being 18 that I can think of is that your metabolism still runs. That is the only thing I could think of to go in the pro side of being 18 again. At 30, I’m done with school, I live on my own, have a disposable income, can do what I want when I want, can go to a bar, and don’t need anyone’s permission for anything. There is something to be said for that kind of freedom. My car is also significantly nicer than the one I drove at 18.

You spend your twenties discovering who you are and becoming comfortable in your own skin. You make lifelong friends in your twenties. You get to make poor decisions and have them only affect you (not a family). So many positive things happened in my twenties that I’m excited to keep moving forward, and have no desire to back in time. Being comfortable with yourself makes you a much happier person.

Seeing the current price tag of college made me very glad that I’m out of that phase of my life. Although it did make me wonder if I should start a college savings account for any possible future children before I had them. With birthdays, you get not only wisdom but responsibility. But at the end of the day, it’s still awfully good to be 30.