"I pay for all of my living expenses by working 30+ hrs a week making barely above minimum wage"
So either this person is a part-time student or he didn't major in something that requires a significant amount of out-of-class time to gain experience and be competitive, or is one of the lucky ones that got a job in/related to the field he wants to work in before graduation. In any case, where ever he lives must have a low cost of living. Since cost of living isn’t the same across the board this is part of what makes him an exception.
"I chose a moderately priced, in-state public university..."
I'm glad that that university had the program he wanted/needed.
"...and I started saving & for school at age 17."
I'm not knocking this, but I'm willing to bet he had friends his age that were looking for jobs and had a terrible time finding them because employers wanted people who were older or who had more experience. Congrats to him for saving for college a year before he had to go. I'm sure that helped tremendously with books. It's a great idea, but not really anything special or rare.
"I got decent grades in high school & received 2 scholarships which cover 90% of tuition."
While that's great and all, that's part of what makes him an exception to the rule. I've known people who did great in school and got full ride. I've known people who did great in school and got a decent percentage of their tuition paid for. However, I've known people who did great in school, went out for big scholarships, and only got enough money to take care of a semester or two at a moderately priced, in-state public university.
"I don't eat out every day or even once a month."
Yeah. He’s not the only college student who lives off of Ramen.
"I have no credit card, new car, iPad, or smartphone - and I'm perfectly okay with that."
There are a lot of college students with no credit cards. Students drive used cars (seriously, check out almost every college parking lot in the USA. Unless rich kids are known to go there, you won't see very many new cars). Some students can download their text books on their iPad and save a ton of money. For technology in general, your major dictates how much you spend on technology. You're not going to college to get a piece of paper, you're going to start a career and you need to be competitive. Can I think of a job off the top of my head that would require an iPad, no. But I'm sure there are PLENTY of industries that use it for stuff. By my observation how your life is dictates whether you need a smart phone or not. If your week is going to school, going to work, doing your homework, and sleeping you don't need a smart phone. However, there are students who are a HECK of a lot busier than that and find themselves in situations that change a lot. In that case a smart phone would be ideal.
"If I did have dept, I would
not blame Wall St. or the government for my own bad decisions. I live below my means to continue saving for the future. I expect nothing to be handed to me, and will continue to work my [butt] off for everything I have. That's how it's supposed to work."
This is why I have a bald spot right now. This made me pull my hair out. I had a ton of stuff typed for this, but something happened to my browser and I don't fee like typing it again.
I'm glad that he's responsible, but he's seriously not the only one or even one of the few so he should stop smelling himself, pronto. Apparently, he hasn't even bothered to try to see why people would feel that Wall St. and the government may play a factor in personal debt. How many people lived under their means, lost their job, and had their savings depleted before they could find a new one, if they found a new one? How many people had their tuition taken care of, made good choices, and are struggling worse than this guy? It blows my mind how people can actually function with this mentality. It says that people don't get passed over for their race, orientation, name, etc. It says that liars and cheaters don't get ahead. It's a smack in the face to the people who work for pennies a day in other countries and in our prison system (prisoners). It’s a smack in the face to college students who are on their hustle hard with more on their plate than this guy and can’t even move out of their parents’ house.
UGH!
...now I can go to bed.
