When I was in high school, I had no worries, no cares, few bills, and no clue. I earned money mowing lawns, working in the meat market in my local grocery store, babysitting, sacking groceries, and building a home. But I spent every thin dime I made. On what? I have no idea. There isn’t one thing left to show for all that work. Then, I went to college. College didn’t really do anything to prepare me for life in the real world.

^[2] Could college make you poor?

Yes, it can. College life isn’t like real life and the years I spent living in college fantasy land did very little to prepare me for the important aspects of living such as finding a job, living on a budget ^[3], interviewing, or effective time management. Here are ten ways that college made ME poor.

1. I took out multiple student loans and I didn’t use the self discipline ^[4] required to succeed. I simply wasn’t motivated ^[5] to study. I was borrowing and going into debt just to stay in school because that was what I was supposed to do. I didn’t have a real goal, graduation seemed so far away, and I was easily distracted.

2. Free money, in the form of grants, only furthered my distorted view of reality. Need money? Just apply for it! Let someone else pay my way. Where’s my check?