Not So Distant Future

Last night at dinner, my sixth-grade son brought up college. Obviously, it's too soon to know exactly what he wants to study and exactly where he wants to go. But it's not too soon to start thinking about it.

His ideas about where he'd like to live and what career he'd like to pursue are roughly in line with what we think he'd prefer. For example, we're all in agreement that he'll never become a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer. They don't hold the least interest for him.

But it's obvious to anyone he's ever met that he would excel at sales. He could likely become a successful architect, too, if only he could learn to like math. (He can do the math; he just doesn't like to. It's the design component that attracts him to architecture.) He will likely become an entrepreneur - probably even several times in his life. He has a vision of the type of lifestyle he'd like to have.

Oh, and he'd like to go to school far, far away from Ohio. Preferably near a beach. And a big city.

Given these rough parameters, I googled UCLA while we waited for our dinner to arrive. Yikes! In my mind, I was thinking "UCLA = state school = low-cost tuition." But of course, we don't actually live in California, so nonresident rates apply.

We assured him that we'd be checking out other, less expensive options, as well.

Meanwhile, as I was doing some quick-and-dirty research on top entrepreneurial undergraduate programs after we got home, one of my daughters approached and asked about a teaching program she'd heard about. Like her brother, she seems to have a good sense for what field she'd like to pursue. I would agree with her assessment that she'd be happy in the teaching and/or language arts realm. I would also agree with her that she'll prefer to go to college nearby, so she can come home frequently. When she named the program, she asked, "Isn't that supposed to be the best place to go to become a Montessori teacher? I want to go there." I googled it. The best? Maybe, maybe not. Definitely excellent. Even though it's in-state, it's pricey. Perhaps a second-best school will suffice?

It's not a question of whether or not the kids will go to college. Or whether we'll provide it for them - that final transition between dependence on and independence from their parents. Of course we've saved and will be prepared; it's just that we didn't have a firm grasp on the current cost of college. (The last time we estimated college costs was when working with a financial planner before our son was born. But that estimate is not relevant these days.) With college only six years away, it was a good exercise in updating our expectations with current figures.

And my son asked me, just yesterday, why I plan to keep my car for so many years...