Paying for one's own schooling recommended

A few weeks ago, this column included comments from a reader named Suzan. She wrote to ask why Utah parents don't pay for their children's college education.

"I have just moved here from the East, and when a baby is born there, parents start saving for the baby's education by investing money each month. . . ," Suzan wrote. "Here in Utah, where the tuition is $4,000 each year, the parents don't seem to be willing to even pay this small amount. Why is this the case?"

I didn't have a specific answer for Suzan. But plenty of readers have thoughts on this topic.

For example, Ryan said in an e-mail that he agrees that parents "back East" focus more on paying for their children's education, adding that tuition costs are higher there.

"Suzan makes a valid point, but unlike her I disagree that this is a 'problem' in Utah," Ryan wrote. "Tuition fees are much lower in Utah, and it is much more reasonable to expect a child to earn their way, especially with the large family size typical of Utah.

"When a student is responsible for the costs of education they seem to take it more serious, because it is their money. They are less likely to skip class or waste their investment. What is wrong with a child working hard through the summer to earn money for fall/winter semesters — or saving money while working during the summer of the high school years?"

Ryan also wrote that working part time during the school year is a "healthy diversion" to classwork and a good motivator.

"This worked for my family recently. My four siblings and I were responsible for our college education costs, and it worked out great. We received a great education with successful degrees to become a pharmacist, dentist, civil engineer, schoolteacher and business manager. Why should we bankrupt our parents to pay for our own education? Get off the gravy train!"

Duane had a similar response.

"I am from California and had to pay for my education because my parents were poor," he wrote. "I knew how vital it was to get a good education. I did not want my kids to go through the same work/study plan I had to go through. So, I paid for their first year of education.

"During that first year, they each showed little interest in learning. I stopped paying after the first year for each of them. All of a sudden some of them became very interested in studying, when they were paying for it. . . . I guess I learned my lesson after six kids. I will advise my children to not pay for my grandchildren's education."