Parents, imagine your son or daughter just graduated from college and, for the hefty price of $150,000, you could get him or her a job at one of America’s most famous and successful companies—Google, Exxon Mobile, Berkshire Hathaway, etc.  If you don’t have the money, assume that loans are available to make it work.   But once he or she starts, all bets are off and the kids have to succeed on their own merit just like everybody else at the company.  

Would you do it?

It’s not a no-brainer for most parents I know.  Is it the right company and the right job for your student?  Is he going to work hard and do what it takes to be successful?  If the answer to either of those questions is “No,” it’s probably not a smart investment no matter how high the company is on the Fortune 500 ranking.  Just getting a job at a famous company doesn’t guarantee a life of success and happiness.   

And neither does getting admitted to (and paying for) a prestigious college.