I feel like Jason Bourne. He unleashed millions of dollars worth of training on the world.
Same here, though the exact kind of training for me is different.
My mother home schooled me. This means I had a private tutor my whole life. I’ve attended church all my life. I took music lessons for years. And this past spring, I graduated with two B.A. degrees.
Let’s add this up. . .
[$40 per hour] x [8 hours per day] = $320 per day
[$320 per day] x [360 days per year] = $115,200 per year
[$115,200 per year] x [18 years] = $2,073,600 total cost of tutoring
[$84,426 average pastor’s salary (or opportunity cost of pastoring) per year] x [10 years] = $844,260 total
[$75 per month] x [12 months per year] = $900 per year
[$900 per year] x [6 years] = $5,400 total guitar
[$80 per month] x [12 months per year] = $960 per year
[$960 per year] x [2 years] = $1,920 total drums
[$175 per credit] x [121 credits] = $21,175
That leaves us with an estimated total of $2,946,355. That’s pushing 3 million dollars.
But this is a ridiculously low estimate. It doesn’t take into account any of the following:
- Over a dozen conferences attended
- 200+ books read
- 1,000+ articles/blog posts read
- 25+ states I’ve visited (including numerous National Parks and attractions)
- Five years on a basketball team, five years attending summer camp, and seven years playing weekly worship
Further. . .
- Why only 8 hours of tutoring per day? Sometimes it was closer to 16+ per day.
- Why only 10 years at church? I actually attended Sunday school before that, which still counts. And what about everything my dad taught me at home?
- Why not include anything I’ve learned informally through interaction with friends and family?
For that matter, why not include the opportunity cost of my time and effort learning instead of working for money, or why not factor in the cost of inflation?
It’s insane.
Now here’s the kicker: this only calculates the cost of my education. It says nothing of its value. That’s up to me to show. Like Bourne – or not.
To be continued. . .
