America's College Promise proposal

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Jan 20, 2015 4:20 pm

Today the President is unveiling the America’s College Promise proposal to make two years of community college free for responsible students, letting students earn the first half of a bachelor’s degree and earn skills needed in the workforce at no cost. This proposal will require everyone to do their part: community colleges must strengthen their programs and increase the number of students who graduate, states must invest more in higher education and training, and students must take responsibility for their education, earn good grades, and stay on track to graduate. The program would be undertaken in partnership with states and is inspired by new programs in Tennessee and Chicago. If all states participate, an estimated 9 million students could benefit. A full-time community college student could save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-off ... sal-tuitio

What do you all think of this proposal? I think it is a good thing. I feel that the requirements should be a little higher than a 2.5 gpa. A student does not even have to try to get a 2.5 gpa. But I have always felt that basic education should include more schooling than what our high school do.

David · Post by **David** » Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:27 pm

The question will be, will this investment in education payoff in tax revenue in the future. I would like to see it happen. My fear would be, who gets taxed and how much to pay for it.

Faust · Post by **Faust** » Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:06 pm

David wrote:The question will be, will this investment in education payoff in tax revenue in the future. I would like to see it happen. My fear would be, who gets taxed and how much to pay for it.

I am in the same boat (opinion-wise). The core idea, just like that of universal health care, will receive very little argument from any non-sociopathic person.

However, the debate arises when it comes to how it's executed. Government has this awful tendency to take a great idea and eff it up to the point where the spirit of the idea is either lost entirely or is a half-assed mockery of what it was supposed to be.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 12:43 am

screw this crap ! I already pay out of every paycheck for OTHER people's healthcare,I shouldn't have to pay for other people's college costs too ! I work hard to support myself and my family,everyone else should do the same.

SlyOneDoofy · Post by **SlyOneDoofy** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 11:05 pm

Dan wrote:screw this crap ! I already pay out of every paycheck for OTHER people's healthcare,I shouldn't have to pay for other people's college costs too ! I work hard to support myself and my family,everyone else should do the same.

Does this mean I get my money back I paid for my college?

PAY FOR YOUR OWN COLLEGE YOU GREEDY BASTARDS!!!

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:25 am

SlyOneDoofy wrote:Does this mean I get my money back I paid for my college?

PAY FOR YOUR OWN COLLEGE YOU GREEDY BASTARDS!!!

LOL hell yes ! good idea !

Easto · Post by **Easto** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:15 am

Basically, don't go having kids that you can't support. Hell, I'm paying for kids lunches in elementary school because they have parents that can't even afford to feed them breakfast before school or pack them a lunch. STOP HAVING KIDS you can't take care of!

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 7:28 pm

Another move toward socialism for America.
What to know whey there was a big push for getting a high school diploma in the post WW2 era? And why it laws were made to keep kids in school until the age of 17-18? It was to reduce the amount of people in the work force. There just were not enough available jobs. Keeping people in schools contributed to post war prosperity. Prior to WW2 the percentage of high school graduates was much much lower. Many left school and went to work because they had to, their families needed the income.

Free associates degree will put more people into continued education and out of the work force. And who pays for it? Not me I hope.

Going to college just to get a degree or to "find out what you want to do in life" is a waste for all concerned. One should know ahead of time what one's calling is or what profession one wants to pursue.

I did a year of community college in 1975. It was a joke. I aced my courses without ever opening a book. In fact, the biology class used the same textbook I had in 8th grade, yet the class was difficult for some students. I have witnessed the "dumbing down of America" and I can state with near absolute certainty that putting more youth into community colleges will not result in more literate and brighter, contributing members of society. The result will likely be a greater number of youth that think they deserve jobs because they have a sheepskin, and they will have a wake up call when they discover that the world does not work that way. But some will benefit from it and pursue higher educational goals. I just don't want to foot their bill!

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:57 pm

Well for the school news I am suppose to write an article about it. There are two reporters assigned to it. One to write why it is a good thing and the other to write why it is a bad thing. I am taking the side of why it is a good thing. So I'll try to find out more about the funding; which seems to be the main concern here.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 2:36 pm

Anyone able to dig anything up (from a creditable source) on the cost? All I can determine so far is the over all cost and that it will be included in the budget sent congress and that it may be sometime before we (the people) hear anything about it.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:55 pm

Aren't they jacking up taxes on corporations to essentially fund this?

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 9:53 am

I think that is an assumption some people are making. I can't print an assumption.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:52 pm

Dan wrote:screw this crap ! I already pay out of every paycheck for OTHER people's healthcare,I shouldn't have to pay for other people's college costs too ! I work hard to support myself and my family,everyone else should do the same.

This

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:16 pm

Ok I am going to post my pro article before I submit it. This is a rough draft so there may be grammatical errors ( I am too tired and hungry to check atm.) Appreciate any thoughts shared.

In 2012 71% of graduating four years students have loan debt. The average debt of student loan for graduating seniors in 2012 rose to 29,400. That is a 25% increase from 2008. It is estimated that by 2020 35% of jobs will require at lead a bachelor’s degree and 30% will need some college or an associate’s degree. To help meet this rising trends President Obama has purposed a plan to give tuition free community college for dedicated students for the first two years. An estimated 9 million students could benefit from this. And a full-time community college student could save a predicted 3,800 per year.

There is a growing need to reduce student debt as it climbs higher and higher, but the main concern of the purposed plan is the cost. The cost of which was included in the president’s 2015 purposed budget presented to the congress. While we have to wait to see how it will impact the budget we can take a look at the impact more opportunities for college degrees creates for aspiring Americans.

According to National Center for Education Statistics in 2013 unemployment rate for young adults was 29.25 for those that did not finish high school. 17.5 for those whose highest education is high school. 12.2% for those that had some college and 7 for those with at least a bachelor’s degree. In 2012 the median earnings of young adults with a bachelor’s degree was $46,900. $30,000 for those with no education higher than high school and only 22,900 for those without high school credentials.
If we look at MIT’s Living Wage Calculation for our Flathead County (livingwage.mit.edu) we can see how much it cost to raise a family here. To cover common monthly expense one adult with one child would need to earn an annual income after taxes of $31,140. That means to stay above a poverty wage a single adult supporting one child needs to earn $17.16 per hours with a full-time job. A household with 2 adults and one child needs an annual income of $27,756 after taxes or a wage of $15.29. We can see that those with only one child to feed will have a hard time getting by with only a high school degree.

While tuition free community college could cause an increase in state and federal expenses, the pay out to the students (the new moms and dads of the United States) is substantial. Even just two years of college would create more job opportunities and higher wages in an economy with rising student debt and cost of living.

Humboldt · Post by **Humboldt** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:35 am

As a whole it's a solid piece, but if I had it in print with a red pen there'd be a lot of red ink.
Over a dozen typos and grammatical errors

(I know you warned us and have been a tired writer myself, all good).
Wrong words, unused hyphens, missing % signs, sentence fragments.

When is this due?

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:12 am

*More taxes...and of course, a "fatter government" because they will feel they need a branch to manage this. Naturally the larger percentage of these funds goes to fatten the pockets of those gov't staff in this brand to manage it. Very small percentage will actually make it to tuitions for the kids.

*Community colleges are for the most part...pretty poor as they are now. Many are down to the level of good junior high schools/middle schools in good school districts. The rest are hovering decent high school levels. Making them "public funded" to this scale will only worsen that....

*...thus turning the "community college 2 yr diploma" to be the equiv of a GED.

MadDoctor · Post by **MadDoctor** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 12:46 pm

YeOldeStonecat wrote:*More taxes...and of course, a "fatter government" because they will feel they need a branch to manage this. Naturally the larger percentage of these funds goes to fatten the pockets of those govt staff in this brand to manage it.

What he said.

Coming from inside the government, I've seen this happen like the division of cancer cells.

*pulls up to drive-up window* "Double size me and triple the taxes!"

cybotron r_9 · Post by **cybotron r_9** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 5:41 pm

Easto wrote:Basically, don't go having kids that you can't support. Hell, I'm paying for kids lunches in elementary school because they have parents that can't even afford to feed them breakfast before school or pack them a lunch. STOP HAVING KIDS you can't take care of!

It's not that they can't afford to, it's why should they when the Dept. of Feducation will do it for them.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Mon Feb 02, 2015 7:30 pm

It's easy to judge an individual or family and what the perceived situation is. I am a firm believer in the help thy neighbor mentality. Look at how much money is wasted on wars and other BS and then let me know how you REALLY feel.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 3:19 pm

Humboldt wrote:As a whole it's a solid piece, but if I had it in print with a red pen there'd be a lot of red ink.
Over a dozen typos and grammatical errors (I know you warned us and have been a tired writer myself, all good).
Wrong words, unused hyphens, missing % signs, sentence fragments.

When is this due?

It is due by the 6th of feb.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 3:21 pm

It is kind of an odd article for me. Since I am suppose to try to convince people of one side of it. Normally I am not allowed to have a favorable or unfavorable view at all.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 3:35 pm

RaisinCain wrote:It's easy to judge an individual or family and what the perceived situation is. I am a firm believer in the help thy neighbor mentality. Look at how much money is wasted on wars and other BS and then let me know how you REALLY feel.

I am of the same mind set. If we look at US government spending we can see the amount we spend on education is dwarfed by what we spend on pensions, health care and the military. It even looks like we spend more on welfare than education.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:19 pm

YeOldeStonecat wrote:*More taxes...and of course, a "fatter government" because they will feel they need a branch to manage this. Naturally the larger percentage of these funds goes to fatten the pockets of those gov't staff in this brand to manage it. Very small percentage will actually make it to tuitions for the kids.

*Community colleges are for the most part...pretty poor as they are now. Many are down to the level of good junior high schools/middle schools in good school districts. The rest are hovering decent high school levels. Making them "public funded" to this scale will only worsen that....

*...thus turning the "community college 2 yr diploma" to be the equiv of a GED.

I think you may be hyperbolizing a bit. As a current student of a community college working on a transfer degree to a four year university and a holder of a GED I can say they are not equivalent. Maybe 40 or 50 years ago when community colleges where severely underfunded that may have been closer to the mark.

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:56 pm

This country needs blue collar workers also, a large reason many jobs are being sent elsewhere, where people still do manual labor...

Just about anything for free is unappreciated and typically abused, especially in this "I want what I deserve" country. We have the opportunity for 12 years of good education, something many die for trying to get here so their kids can be educated.

We can not get our kids to seriously use our existing "free" school/education to their advantage. Some view college as a career in itself... I see many that have a degree and are totally useless. Can't find a job, don't want a job, too good to do that job,...they all want an easy life... There can only be so many bankers...

If a student really wants to further their education and take it serious, there are opportunities for scholarships, unfortunately in our "entertainment oriented" society, many are used for sports and the degree/education is a joke...

Everyone doesn't need a college degree... The ones that truly want one, find a way...even if it is nothing more than actually applying yourself in high school...

The estimate of 35% of jobs in 5 years is going to need a 4 year degree... LOL ROTFLTSR [/Humby] >1/3 of our workforce...

What are you going to eat? Who is going to build your home? LOL

WTF Where are those jobs going to come from? That sounds like propaganda/brainwashing at it's finest... IOW, pura mierda...

If college degrees actually paid off for all of the people getting them, their student debts would be getting paid off and wouldn't be at the level they are... We are already paying for enough defaults on student loans, and we want to make it easier...

Perhaps student loans should be a bit harder to get, so the students would actually have to do something to "earn" them. A degree used to mean something. Now it seems to be more 'something to do, a few extra years to party, an excuse not to work', etc...

Personally I feel that we have allowed ourselves to dilute or lower our standards to a degree that they are becoming worthless. I feel that just about all licenses should be made harder to obtain, from driver's licenses, to professional licenses, right on up to doctorates.
I am truly amazed at some of the people that are actually and legally allowed to be doctors and such...

If we really want to help this country, the "importance" of education should be instilled upon the kids, paying for themselves, being responsible for themselves and their actions, not getting more free programs. After all, when everyone is getting more and more free, who is going to be left to pay for it?

Just another proposal that has not been thought through thoroughly, perhaps just so someone can make a name for themselves. I am already hearing from enough lower middle class people that were expecting 'free' Obamacare, complain because their insurance rates have gone up...

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 5:02 pm

^ The corporations should be paying the taxes that they are supposed to be paying. That would be the first step in funding a lot of programs.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:31 pm

An education does not suddenly make a person unable to clean a toilet. It makes them more qualified to do more jobs creating more employment opportunities for them.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:41 pm

RaisinCain wrote:^ The corporations should be paying the taxes that they are supposed to be paying. That would be the first step in funding a lot of programs.

^ do you have any idea what kinda red tape/taxes/fees it takes to run a small business ?

trust me my plumbing shop owner pays a **** ton of different things that the average person has no idea, some people don't understand the total cost of it.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:45 pm

Budgeting does not always have to mean a new tax. How about less welfare and more education? Less health care more education? Less war more education? Comparatively we spend a small fraction of our budget on education.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:08 pm

mark wrote:^ do you have any idea what kinda red tape/taxes/fees it takes to run a small business ?

Trust me my plumbing shop owner pays a **** ton of different things that the average person has no idea, some people don't understand the total cost of it.

corporations- not small business owners.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:12 pm

RaisinCain wrote:corporations- not small business owners.

most small businesses are corporations, ours is

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:38 pm

Mark wrote:most small businesses are corporations, ours is

How many employees do you have?

Humboldt · Post by **Humboldt** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:22 am

Mark wrote:^ do you have any idea what kinda red tape/taxes/fees it takes to run a small business ?

trust me my plumbing shop owner pays a **** ton of different things that the average person has no idea, some people don't understand the total cost of it.

Not sure, but I assume Raisin' is referring to the huge multi-billion dollar corporations that find loopholes by shifting financial responsibility offshore.

Bank of America runs its business through more than 300 offshore tax-haven subsidiaries. It reported $17.2 billion in accumulated offshore profits in 2012. It would owe $4.3 billion in US taxes if these funds were brought back to the US.

Citi logo Citigroup had $42.6 billion in foreign profits parked offshore in 2012 on which it paid no US taxes. It reported that it would owe $11.5 billion if it brings these funds back to the US. A significant chunk is being held in tax-haven countries.

ExxonMobil had a three-year federal income tax rate of just 15 percent. This gave the company a tax subsidy worth $6.2 billion from 2010-2012. It had $43 billion in offshore profits at the end of 2012, on which it paid no US taxes.

Fedex logo FedEx made $6 billion over the last three years and didn’t pay a dime in federal income taxes, in part because the tax code subsidized its purchase of new planes. This gave FedEx a huge tax subsidy worth $2.1 billion.

GE Logo General Electric received a tax subsidy of nearly $29 billion over the last 11 years. While dodging paying its fair share of federal income taxes, GE pocketed $21.8 billion in taxpayer-funded contracts from Uncle Sam between 2006 and 2012.

Honeywell logo Honeywell had profits of $5 billion from 2009 to 2012. Yet it paid only $50 million in federal income taxes for the period. Its tax rate was just 1 percent over the last four years. This gave it a huge tax subsidy worth $1.7 billion.

Merck logo Merck had profits of $13.6 billion and paid $2.5 billion in federal income taxes from 2009 to 2012. While dodging its fair share of federal income taxes, it pocketed $8.7 billion in taxpayer-funded contracts from Uncle Sam between 2006 and 2012.

Microsoft logo Microsoft saved $4.5 billion in federal income taxes from 2009 to 2011 by transferring profits to a subsidiary in the tax haven of Puerto Rico. It had $60.8 billion in profits stashed offshore in 2012 on which it paid no US taxes.

Pfizer logo Pfizer paid no US income taxes from 2010 to 2012 while earning $43 billion worldwide. It did this in part by performing accounting acrobatics to shift its US profits offshore. It received $2.2 billion in federal tax refunds.

Verizon logo Verizon made $19.3 billion in US pretax profits from 2008 to 2012, yet didn’t pay any federal income taxes during the period. Instead, it got $535 million in tax rebates. Verizon’s effective federal income tax rate was negative 2.8 percent from 2008 to 2012.

http://billmoyers.com/2014/05/29/10-com ... ate-taxes/

Legal, but BS from a "We support America" standpoint.

More:

Apple: Apple has booked $111.3 billion offshore—more than any other company. It would owe $36.4 billion in U.S. taxes if these profits were not officially held off*shore for tax purposes. A 2013 Senate investigation found that Apple has structured two Irish subsidiaries to be tax residents of neither the U.S.—where they are managed and controlled—nor Ireland—where they are incorporated. This arrangement ensures that they pay no taxes to any government on the lion’s share of their offshore profits.

American Express: The credit card company officially reports $9.6 billion offshore for tax purposes on which it would otherwise owe $3 billion in U.S. taxes. That implies that American Express currently pays only a 3.8 percent tax rate on its offshore profits to foreign governments, suggesting that most of the money is booked in tax havens levying little to no tax. American Express maintains 23 subsidiaries in offshore tax havens.

Nike: The sneaker giant officially holds $6.7 billion offshore for tax purposes, on which it would otherwise owe $2.2 billion in U.S. taxes. That implies Nike pays a mere 2.2 percent tax rate to foreign governments on those offshore profits, suggesting that nearly all of the money is officially held by subsidiaries in tax havens. Nike does this in part by licensing the trademarks for some of its products to 12 subsidiaries in Bermuda to which it then pays royalties.

http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2014/06/offsh ... NGsZiysSUk

Easto · Post by **Easto** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:22 am

Ken wrote:This country needs blue collar workers also, a large reason many jobs are being sent elsewhere, where people still do manual labor...

Just about anything for free is unappreciated and typically abused, especially in this "I want what I deserve" country. We have the opportunity for 12 years of good education, something many die for trying to get here so their kids can be educated.

We can not get our kids to seriously use our existing "free" school/education to their advantage. Some view college as a career in itself... I see many that have a degree and are totally useless. Can't find a job, don't want a job, too good to do that job,...they all want an easy life... There can only be so many bankers...

...

Well said and I totally agree. I see way too many young people with high school, College and sometimes no education, that believe they should either be starting at the top or at least command an above average salary for just being able to breath.

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 11:50 am

Easto wrote:Well said and I totally agree. I see way too many young people with high school, College and sometimes no education, that believe they should either be starting at the top or at least command an above average salary for just being able to breath.

yes I agree too,well put ken

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:19 pm

I have yet to meet this mass of lazy self entitled youths terrorizing the streets of America.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:57 pm

jeremyboycool wrote:I have yet to meet this mass of lazy self entitled youths terrorizing the streets of America.

Living a sheltered life is OK I guess. Hell, just look at the police reports in your area. I bet there are a whole bunch of juvenile offenders. Just say saying.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:59 pm

RaisinCain wrote:Living a sheltered life is OK I guess. Hell, just look at the police reports in your area. I bet there are a whole bunch of juvenile offenders. Just say saying.

I might argue that thinking in terms of generalizations and serotypes is a form of sheltered living.

RaisinCain · Post by **RaisinCain** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 5:16 pm

jeremyboycool wrote:I might argue that thinking in terms of generalizations and serotypes is a form of sheltered living.

Not generalizing or stereotyping at all. Just look at the facts in the reports in your community that you may not pay attention to.

jeremyboycool · Post by **jeremyboycool** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 6:01 pm

RaisinCain wrote:Not generalizing or stereotyping at all. Just look at the facts in the reports in your community that you may not pay attention to.

Average Age of Arrestees, United States—Part I & Part II Offenses
Year Crime Index Violent Crime Murder Forcible Rape Robbery
1993 26.29 28.02 26.66 28.69 24.26
1994 26.13 28.13 26.55 28.93 23.89
1995 26.44 28.52 26.78 29.09 23.95
1996 26.31 28.60 26.93 28.68 24.01
1997 26.58 28.93 27.02 28.92 24.21
1998 26.95 29.18 27.28 28.90 24.70
1999 27.18 29.35 27.59 29.09 24.88
2000 27.25 29.56 27.81 29.06 25.00
2001 27.51 29.64 27.90 29.01 25.31
Year
Aggravated
Assault Property Crime Burglary Larceny-theft Motor Vehicle Theft
1993 29.25 25.65 24.00 26.58 21.99
1994 29.43 25.38 23.97 26.14 22.26
1995 29.88 25.63 24.36 26.31 22.74
1996 29.97 25.47 23.94 26.13 22.87
1997 30.26 25.68 24.20 26.30 23.18
1998 30.36 26.07 24.49 26.68 23.92
1999 30.46 26.29 24.83 26.89 23.98
2000 30.66 26.28 24.91 26.87 24.05
2001 30.70 26.61 25.30 27.19 24.36
Year Arson
Forgery and
Counterfeiting Fraud Embezzlement Stolen Property
1993 22.72 29.24 31.33 29.09 25.09
1994 21.81 29.38 31.21 29.03 25.30
1995 22.37 29.59 31.35 28.54 25.63
1996 22.06 29.75 31.49 28.41 25.41
1997 22.21 29.92 31.70 28.84 25.89
1998 22.49 30.29 31.95 28.58 26.22
1999 22.26 30.43 32.12 28.36 26.44
2000 22.39 30.34 32.25 28.41 26.72
2001 22.96 30.59 32.34 28.61 26.88

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ad ... t93-01.pdf

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:29 am

jeremyboycool wrote:I have yet to meet this mass of lazy self entitled youths terrorizing the streets of America.

I have, although I wouldn't use terrorizing. Deserving, expecting, freeloading off of society, burden on society, thoughtless, brain-dead, lazy, mental zombies and such do come to mind... If one hasn't, they most likely have been living under a rock, in a remote area or living in fantasy.
Have you ever interviewed people for jobs?

jeremyboycool wrote:An education does not suddenly make a person unable to clean a toilet. It makes them more qualified to do more jobs creating more employment opportunities for them.

You are correct in your statement, It does not make them "unable" to clean a toilet, however it does make them feel they are too good to clean a toilet...

And as I said before, the estimated 35% of our workforce in 5 years will need a 4 year degree, that you stated, is complete bull$hit...

Jeremy, some questions for you, if you don't mind, not picking on you, merely curious...
You are a middle aged (36 years old) college student, aren't you?
You live in one of the least populated states, how much travel have you done to larger metropolitan areas?
If you have traveled, how much time have you spent there?
How many businesses do you own, have you owned?
How many employees do you have?
How many people work/have worked under your supervision?
What type of work experience do you have?
Once you get your degree, what type of work do you expect to find?
Do you feel that you will/should be able to start out at $50,000 or so per year?
What if you can't find a fitting job in your area, will you relocate?