News Chum Stew
It's Friday. You know what that means is on the menu... that's right. News Chum Stew.
- Worrying About College. One thing that has been on my mind this week is the simple question: "How am I going to pay for my daughter to go to college?" We are working with some folks to help us with that (and I should note they have a very good blog), but there were some articles I found this week that also have useful information. The first concerns something I'd never heard of: the Western Undergraduate Exchange. Through this program, students in western states may enroll in more than 140 two-year and four-year college institutions at a reduced tuition level: 150 percent of the institution's regular resident tuition. The second is an article about Sewanee College in Tennessee, which has decided to reduce its tuition--something very rare these days.
- Worrying About Money. Of course, college is an expense, which can be helped by income. Alas, recent surveys are showing that technical salaries are stagnent for a second year in a row. Some interesting numbers in the article. Nationwide, the average technology salary rose 0.7% to $79,384 in 2010, after a similarly weak rise in 2010. The average wage for a worker with less than two years of experience has dropped 6% since 2008. In California, salaries fared slightly better, rising 0.9% to $90,521 in 2010 after a 1% increase in 2009. In comparison, the national cost of living rose 1.5% last year and 2.7% the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Standards. Still, nearly 40% of tech professionals think they could make more money if they change employers in 2011.
- Chinese Cars. An interesting article in the NY Times asking "Where are the Chinese cars?". An even more interesting article is a review of a Chinese Hybrid Compact.
- A Landmark Is Gone. Alas, the Shoe Tree on US 50 is no more. Vandals have cut it down.