well I have more of an opinion question for you guys because I am just undecided with no direction. Right now I am a junior which means college in about a year. I do plan on working when in college but I realize I will still need to save up before then. I have seen my brother leave school to work for money to be able to go back to school so I am concerned. My question is should I temporarily stop collecting to save up money for college? I do have to pay my own way, but will get some scholarships to help out as I am good at school. Well whatcha thinking??? I know I will no matter what finish my walker collection :kewl: but am wondering if I should stop with the other ones not so close to being finished.
Well that is up to you. You might be able to sell your collection and go to school debt free. I'm sure there are quite a few scholarships that you could apply for that would help as well....don't just count on one. I heard the story about one girl who decided that she wanted to go to College on scholarships....she applied for over 200. Only a handfull called her back and with those few she was able to go to the school of her choice and didn't pay a cent. Speedy
I would give up on the collecting for a while and finance the education so you can earn the big buckaroos so you can buy the expensive coins when you get into your late 20's.
Hey Spider; The dilema about selling a collection to finance a higher education is indeed a tough one, one that demands much thought..think it through. You've been collecting for a long time. Are you willing to part with those pieces that you have so painstakingly assembled over a period of many years? Tough question. I know it would be hard for me. I've collected for many years and in a lot of respects the coins that I've collected have become a part of me and my family..in short they are like my children and I couldn't think of parting with them. If I ever had to sell them I'd lose a piece of myself. There are other ways to finance...loans; jobs etc. etc. I know it's tough but I think you should hang on to that collection no matter what. You may earn the big bucks some day because of that higher education but if you sell that collection you'll be giving up something of yourself...something that I am sure means a great deal to you. Ken
Take it this way, these days not too many companies are interested in people without a degree and many more are starting to take it for granted if you want a "better" pay. Of course, you might be able to work in the higher ranks if you know the right person but these days... you know how stinky the global economy is at the moment.
well I don't plan on selling at all. If it comes down to it I can sell the extras I've acquired with no big problem. I am asking if I should stop buying right now and building the collection up. I am in the middle of a few collections and am wondering if I should take a break or what? Thats the dilemma here. well that's true. I loved it when my dad was the money supplier to my collection, not me
A couple of comments. No matter what happens, you're probably going to have several periods in your life when you won't be able to collect as you wish. It won't matter whether you have a degree or not! Unless you end up being one lucky puppy!!! A lot of people on this forum spend almost nothing on collecting - they do roll-hunting. I went to college in the early 1980's. My roommate and I used to play video games all the time. I just wonder how many dozens and dozens of AU 1982 and 1983 quarters I put in those machines. If I had only kept them and I could have afforded that! You don't have to "stop" collecting - you will probably have to change what you collect or how often you collect. If you only buy one semi-key per year, are you still a collector? Or how many do you have to buy to still be a collector. Sounds like you have a lot of coins. You can also trade for what you want. In any case, I wouldn't sweat it. You'll find that as the years go by, there'll be times when you're interested in other things.
Man I'd say nothing like an education to fall back on in life if you need it. Go to school and put collecting on hold for a bit. You can always roll search and collect modern coinage just from going to the bank and get new coins as they come out. Good luck, life is always going to throw you those tuff choices from time to time, but I value an education.
Hey Spider you live in Illinois which has a Lottery, I think it is the same Mega Millions that Texas has. Most States that have lotteries the lottery proceeds go to a education fund which help pay for states schools. In Texas if you graduate high school in Texas and you are willing to go to a Texas state school the state will pay for all books and tuition. Call the Secretary of State or the Goveners Office to see if Illinois has the same kind of program. Good Luck!
Spider, I thought you would know better than to even ask such a question. I've seen your post for a while and you sound like a person of some smarts. You should know that as already noted without a college degree nowadays your chances of making it in this world are deminishing rapidly. This is so well known that if you watch TV in Illinois you will see a continuous pile of adds for all types of schools for all types of professions. Naturally most are just a pile of garbage. Take for instance one that advertises you can take thier courses and become a project manager on construction type projects. I've never heard of any organiazation that will hire a person to do this without a degree from an accredited school of learning, meaning a good or decent college or university. Regardless of coin collecting now with a minimum of a college degree you should be able to acquire a position in life where your financial income will warrant a much better collection. STAY IN SCHOOL.
i would definatly put the collection on hold education is so important. there is a better chance of having a collection in the future with and good job than without
oookayy fine, but I hate you all. This is gonna be tough. I plan on going to U of I and aiming for a double major in finance and accounting as I don't know why but math just comes easy to me. I wish English was that way but I manage. I wish I liked science more but I don't and had to turn down more than one internship already. I just don't wanna force myself to do something I don't like just because it will be cheaper. Than again, the army already told me I can go where ever I want for free but you know how that goes.
Both ~ get the education but continue collecting. Being a collector doesn't mean always buying expensive coins. Whenever you take a break from school studies, pick up a book, come here and read, something, to keep up to date on the numismatics of the hobby. Meanwhile - Pick your next 'gotta have it' coin & tell all of your family & friends to pool their money & give you 'that' coin for your birthday & christmas presents instead of socks & ties.
there's an idea, but I haven't gotten a birthday or Christmas present in years now I am just worried about if I stop now prices will go up and things now will be a lot more later on
I don't think you have to stop collecting at all, just change your collecting habits a bit. For example, simply buy less, or only go through bargain bins, or take up roll collecting. You might even think about cataloging and organizing your collecting; that allows you to thoroughly go over what you've acquired and really get to know your collecting...takes a long while to do, too! As for school, I can tell you as someone that just finished going to university that it's EXTREMELY important to have at least a B.A. in order to get a decent job, and even nowadays, having an M.A. is what you really need to land a great job. I make $35K/year at the job I have now, but I assure you that without my B.A.'s, I'd still be working at Starbucks. As soon as my wife is done with school, I'm IMMEDIATELY applying to grad school so I can work towards a Ph.D. in Linguistics. And in terms of paying for school, honestly, don't sweat it. Even without scholarships or savings, there's plenty of loans you can get (government and private) to help pay. The school I went to is $40K a year, and after all the scholarships I got, I still ended up taking about $60K in loans in the end. I'll be paying it off forever, but it's worth it.
I say finish school. BUt I dont really think that school is for everyone. Its nice to have an education. For me finishing school, is still and option thanks to the MGIBILL, AND the Illinois Veteran Grant. As for my current employer having a degree wouldnt make much difference in pay. I waited a long time to get this job but it was worth it. I say without a degree Im around 65,000, and thats just the first year of being in a union at 80% wages. Now even without a degree in 4 years I will be getting 100% wages plus overtime. That will be around 89,000. Not bad for just under two years of college
I've got to disagree with the guys here that say that school is a MUST in this day and time. A degree is sometimes not even worth the paper it's written on. I didn't go to College and don't plan too---I co-own a business that is growing very fast. (I'm already planing to "retire" before too long) I also do 3rd party work for local funeral homes. I've had many job offers from different places that I'm sure would still be interested if I changed my mind. College isn't for everyone, and if you don't feel like it is for you, I wouldn't suggest going just to be going. Also just a tip. "School Loans" are with you forever---even if you go Bankrupt, you still have "School Loans" because those aren't bankruptable. Speedy
I agree with one thing you said and that is about the loans. Stay away form them if you can, because you will pay on them forever with a large monthly payment. I have two which adds up to $485.00 a month. That is a house payment or a lot of coins when it is all said and done. I will not get into a debate on this froum about what a college degree is worth, All I wil say is that you are wrong and I disagree with your statement that it is not worth the paper it is written on.
I don't think the point is college or not. It's whether this young fellow should sacrifice coin collecting for WHATEVER he decides to do. If he doesn't do college and starts his own business or does consulting work or takes an entry-level job and works his way up, the result is the same. There will be times when money is tight - do you invest in YORUSELF or do you keep buying coins?
