this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2024
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Boomer Math (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by alphanerd4@lemmy.world to c/usauthoritarianism@lemmy.world
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[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

Inflation is a thing. If she was born in 1946, she would have gone to college around 1964. Which means that her tuition would have been about 7600 dollars today. That's still lower than the average in-state tuition by about 2000 dollars, but just putting that into context. However, minimum wage in 1964 was 1.15/hr, which means it would have taken about 16 weeks at full time minimum wage to pay for one semester tuition vs the 33 weeks it takes today. That's a much better metric of comparison. It would take over a year to pay for a year of school now vs half a bit over half year before.

[–] half_fiction@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 years ago

According to https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college-by-year the average tuition for a public 4 year school in 1963-1964 was $243 or just under $2500 today.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (2 children)

How does housing and food factor in too though, that’s only one portion of expenses. Entertainment costs far more for example, lots didn’t even really have entertainment than books.

[–] ech@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Entertainment costs far more for example, lots didn’t even really have entertainment than books.

This is a bizarre statement. People have had entertainment since society has been a thing. It may not always look like what you do, but it has always been around, and yes, it was more than "books".

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world -2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

That average person going to school could afford and access? Books and OTA cable were the usual options, now most of that even costs money. Most actually just drank, which of course isn’t a healthy nor really an option we should factor.

[–] wieson@feddit.org 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Theatre, live music events, cinema, arcades, the county fair, going to see another city

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world -1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Booze, booze, booze, booze and they don’t have vehicles, so how are they getting to another city?

Most are centered around drinking while doing an activity.

[–] wieson@feddit.org 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

None of my examples are centred around booze.

The train.

But here are even more examples: Watching a sports game (this one can involve alcohol), playing sports and games, going to the ice /roller skating rink, taking a walk/hike, having a picnic in the park, boat ride on a lake/river, frisbee, hackeysack, board games, jamming out/ making music.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world -3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Nowadays, but back when we are talking about, yeah they all centered around booze.

In NA there isn’t trains between cities dude…

Even a large portion of your new ones (other than free public) are all centered around the same main theme, drinking while hanging with friends.

What about solo entertainment? Most of your options are with other people which isn’t what people do all the time, most entertainment is solo, not with others.

[–] ech@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The fact you think all people had to do 50 years ago was read books and drink says enough.

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

That was affordable and within access for most college students? I also provided other options… so clearly I don’t think those are the ONLY Options dude… for the demographic we are talking about, that’s the usual places.

I can name a few, but they all seemingly have the same alcohol theme as well.

Which demographic are you thinking we are talking about? Provide some options instead of just beaking off. You’re not adding to the discussion here. College students, probably had to rely on public transport. Not everyone is from well off families dude.

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Sounds like you just have an axe to grind about alcohol.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

A podcast I was listening to today suggested that food is more affordable now than it was 50 yo. I don't know if that's true, but it would seem possible given all the science lowering costs for producers (additives, artificial ingredients, preservatives).

[–] whoreticulture@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Rent is definitely proportionally higher though, and that's much more of the monthly budget.

[–] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

We have turned college into the biggest monetary slavery the world has ever seen. I have to believe it had something to do with prepaid college programs; it seemed to coincide with them.

When I went to college in 1980 I got grants. Free money. I wasn't a great student, mostly B's.

What the hell happened when they guaranteed student loans, then made bankruptcy not an option, then stopped including them in credit reports for getting loans, and stopped giving the loans responsibly so they let people over borrow who had no means to pay it back?

What happened was colleges saw the opportunity to make tons of money, guaranteed from the US GOVERNMENT, and without conscious enslaved an entire generation just when we needed them the very most.

Because this small generation is weighed down by the burden of the elderly boomers, the largest generation ever getting old, counting on the economy generated by this generation to keep them alive.

It's sick.

[–] Manmoth@lemmy.ml -1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

If student loans were treated as normal loans (e.g. not guaranteed and absolvable via bankruptcy) we'd have boomer prices. The purpose of the student loan scam is to create debt slaves that propagate the bureaucratic managerial class.

[–] delaunayisation@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You can say thanks to the authors of the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. Amongst them being Senator Joe Biden. A bill that he defended back in 2020 during his campaign claiming that he "improved it".

Both Republicans and Democrats want to have slaves, Dems just provide a longer leash.

[–] Manmoth@lemmy.ml -1 points 2 years ago

Access to higher education wasn't an issue before all these laws were put into place. People didn't "need" a college degree like they do now. The whole policy from it's inception was not necessary. Now college is basically a ticket to the bureaucratic white collar world that produces nothing. (e.g. bullshit jobs)

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a timeline of tuition prices, whether average or of a single university, from 1980s to 2020 or so?

[–] BlackAura@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

I was able to look it up for my Canadian university, somewhat. Every year they issued the Calendar which included a section called tuitions and fees. It can be slightly complex to read depending on the degree you're going for.

https://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/archives/index.html

They have all the years it's been digitally available in the link above. I suspect you could go to the campus library and find older publications to go back further.

Generally you're looking for "Undergraduate" and "Fees". Depending on the year it's a PDF, or a table in html.

If you're not used to reading it it can be painful and more complex the more recent it gets. Plus you need to sometimes know terms unique to that university.

I. E. If they say Shulich they are referring to the Engineering program. If they say Haskayne they are referring to business. Most of the other programs are referred to by proper name, I. E. Music, Law, Medicine, etc.

Most programs are 5 courses per semester though some may have you do 6 in the odd semester if you want to graduate in 4 years (alternatively you take longer, like my 4.5 years to get my B. SC, or fit them in in spring or summer)

Generally you can assume a single course is 3 units, and a single semester will be 5 courses, if the table you're looking at is showing you the price per 3 units.

Unfortunately while the course price hasn't gone up huge amounts (until the last few years where they tried to simplify things with categories), all those extra static fees, or extra charges for specific programs, per semester have gone up a lot.

In 2003 the general fees for say engineering were $275. 5 courses were $2190. For a total of $2465 per semester.

Divided back out that's just under $500/course.

In 2013 general fees are $588. Courses are $2666. Engineering specific fees are $30. For a total of $3254.

Divided back out that's about $650/course.

In 2023 the general fees are about $834. The per course rate for engineering is category D, or $908 per course. That's $5374/semester.

Or about $1075/course.

[–] delaunayisation@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I hope you all appreciate that Biden co-authored the bankruptcy bill that made it all possible.

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1960?amount=1

https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1970?amount=1

$750 a semester in 1960 is roughly $8000 a semester today. In 1970, it's worth roughly $6000.

[–] alphanerd4@lemmy.world -1 points 2 years ago

Well yeah, but I’ve yet to meet a boomer that doesn’t just say, “no” when you lay math like that out so

[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The moment you see any dollar amount from the past you need to ask "is that adjusted for inflation" and if it isn't you need to put it in an inflation calculator. This process needs to be second nature because otherwise you will get a very wrong idea about how much something actually cost. And post covid inflation is already skewing mental prices from just a decade ago.

I literally have a shortcut to usinflationcalculator dot com on my home screen. Because I always check for inflation. Always.

[–] DessertStorms@lemmy.blahaj.zone -1 points 2 years ago

And yet, you didn't share the result of your calculation, because it would highlight just how pointless your comment was lmao