[E. Pluribus Unum]

I worked and paid my way through college in the early ‘70s.

Paid my first year on a dollar an hour at McDonald’s.

Never took a dime from my parents or the government.

[Vermont Lt]

That is simply not possible today. I did the same as you, but my kids could not come close to the same thing.

My kids worked through school, and probably contributed as much as I did (percentage wise.). But they also make twice what I did upon graduation. In 1983 I made about $16,500. My daughter makes about $45 an hour.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

If you don’t mind my asking, how was it that McDonald’s was only paying you a dollar an hour? I worked at McD’s for about a year and a half starting in 1971, and they were required to pay the federal minimum wage, which was $1.60 at the time.

Of course, I don’t remember how much withholding there was then. My takehome may very well have been about $1.00/hr. In any case, I was able to save enough for a summer in Europe and my first year of college. After that, it was firefighting in the summers and odd jobs during the school year. Graduated with no debt.

[Jim Noble]

I worked and paid my way through college in the early ‘70s.,P>Well, I worked in the summers and paid for my medical school with the money.

But my medical school was $1600/year and it's now $100 000/year, so a summer job is just not going to get it done.