Thanks guys and gals! I never could have done it without all the free money you all gave to me? Oh, you didn’t realize that over my five years as a full-time student Canadian taxpayers (that means you) paid about $60,000-$70,000 towards my tuition? I mean, I personally never saw that money because it went straight to the university, but all the same, it was money that didn’t have to come out of my account (which is a good thing because that whole “blood from a stone” metaphor would certainly apply here). If you didn’t know that you were on the book for about 2/3rds of my education costs (that I chose to take btw) don’t worry, most Canadians don’t realize that the amount on the cheque they write for tuition really only covers about a third of what it costs to provide the education they’re about to get. That’s over and above the $7,000-$10,000 per year it cost (or around $100,000) to educate me from kindergarten to grade 12 of course.
Your Return on Investment
If you saw me partying the night before a big test, I’m sorry – that probably wasn’t a good use of your investment dollars in me. All the same, I like to think that you’re going to make out ok on the deal. See, I know that I have a bit of a responsibility to repay the society that has given me a pretty damn substantial amount of support over the years. So in the hopes that you’ll see some value from the dollars that got stolen deducted from your paycheque to pay for my education, here is what I hope my education will provide you with:
2) Someone who can pass skills and knowledge on to the next generation (sort of important since I’m a teacher).
3) Someone who has the ability to understand and function in the complex democracy that we live in, as well as someone who will take the time to make informed, democratic decisions.
4) Someone who will earn a decent amount of money, and consequently, pat a decent amount of taxes every year for the rest of their life.
5) Someone with a true respect for all forms of knowledge and how they contribute to the world around me.
6) Someone who has developed their problem-solving skills to a level where they can not only support themselves, but can also improve the quality of life for those around them as well.
Oh and This Too…
Oh, ya, and since I was a humanities student you also get someone who is really good at knowing old stuff on jeopardy and can pen a really really good opinion essay on just about anything (even if I never read the book, know nothing about the topic, and probably have no right to an opinion). So the return on investment through that lens might not be so exciting. I’ll tell you what though, it was a lot of fun.
Related: How Much Will School Cost?
When you funded my trip through the faculty of education you also got someone who knows a lot big words that only other people who have been through a faculty of education would know – even though they mostly just describe very simple concepts. I also learned how vitally important I am to everything that happens in this country and that I should never forget that – especially when it comes time to bargain for contracts.
By the way, I didn’t take out student loans, but my fiancée did, so thanks for paying the interest on those for us while we were being young and dumb.
Related: Repaying Student Loans Part 3 of 3
Thank you Joe/Jane Taxpayer. You went to work every day and forked over many of the fruits of your labour so that I could sit in a classroom and learn from some really smart people. If you’re looking to get repaid – just know I’m working on it – give me another fifty years or so.
