Alright, so having a so-called sugar daddy isn’t anything new. Nor is it uncommon for young women (and men) to choose part time jobs as exotic dancers to cover the growing costs of securing a college education. Credit cards are used, of course, but what happens when students still struggle and can’t make ends meet? Try the oldest profession in the world.
Forget the Student Loans
These days, young adults aren’t relying as heavily on student loans – and who can blame them? The financial sector in this country is troubled and many college students see the writing on the wall. As we’ve reported, many college students have found themselves in these brutal cycles. They take out student loans to cover tuition, they open credit card accounts to cover their day to day expenses and then, they find themselves dropping out of college in order to pay for those loans and credit cards.
They didn’t receive their education, yet they leave college with the kind of debt the graduating counterparts have. It’s not fair – but it is reality for far too many young people in this country. So, to level the playing field, many are turning to sugar daddies, clinics that collect certain bodily fluids, strip clubs, pawnshops and even prostitution. While this isn’t anything new, what is new is the growing number of students opting for these financial avenues and who bypass the whole student loan and credit card traps in their entirety.
No Money, No College
New studies show that only 30% of American families can afford to cover one child’s complete educational career, it’s understandable why some college students are finding a bit of creativity with the legalities be damned. Then, there are those students who are already neck deep in credit card debt or are facing massive student loans upon graduation. They’re getting a head start doing things like donating eggs or sperm, volunteering for medical studies or, of course, dancing in night clubs or prostitution. Whether they’re avoiding debt or paying it off, they’re making the same choices in how to meet those ends.
In fact, we found one story of a young man in Arkansas who made a few interesting choices. Wishing to earn his Ph.D., this 24 year old began signing up for various tests and studies for drug companies. He freely admits to having given up two weeks of his life to live in a medical facility. The goal was monitor every move he made while taking a new drug that was hopefully going to receive FDA approval. After that, he agreed to various injections of a number of trial drugs – everything from breast cancer to high blood pressure. He’s earned close to $10,000, which he’s applied to student loans and also to pay for the GRE preparation course required for all doctorate studies. He says ideally he’ll be able to find a job if he’s accepted; however, he also says he’s more than willing to try out a new pancreatic cancer drug too. He says he’d probably earn more anyway.
Donors
We also found stories of both young men and women who become egg or sperm donors. They’re getting paid big bucks too – sometimes earning as much as $8,000 for a single extraction appointment. That often covers a full semester’s tuition. She said she worked an entire year in a part time position to earn not even $8,000. For a few hours of her time, she was able to accomplish the same kinds of earnings.
Still, there are those darker choices that some young men and woman make without considering the long term effects on their lives. Many are turning to escorting and others are choosing so-called “sugar daddies”.
One young woman told us she is an escort who doesn’t perform any kind of sexual acts over the course of a “date”. Still, she’s “tipped” nicely for attending a concert or play or for accompanying an out of townee who’s here on business for a tour of the city. Her tips are sometimes as high as $3,000. Another time, she and a girlfriend agreed to dinner and a play out of town. They were flown from the DC area to New York City and returned home on that same private jet the next morning. Each earned $2,000 cash. “It paid my Visa credit card off”, said one of the women.
What makes this so interesting is that many young women will admit to actual sex acts provided they’re participating in an anonymous poll, but few – if any – will admit it during an interview when their identity is known. It makes it difficult to truly gauge the numbers. Still, the young woman mentioned above says her entire college education has long since been paid for, she has three credit cards – each with zero balances and frankly, she drives a nicer car than most working people.
Sweet Tooth
Others – both men and women – will sometimes opt for a sugar daddy. They’re usually older – and it’s usually older men and younger women (though older women and younger men are not uncommon). The men are often married with daughters or sons the same age as their “friend”. These sugar daddies are more than happy to pay for the company of a vibrant college student. It’s not perfect, though.
Jack and I had been friends for a few years. I was preparing for my senior year in college when Jack told me he would no longer be seeing me. I was find with that, I knew it wouldn’t last anyway, but when I asked him why, he said his wife had found out he was having an affair. Turns out, their youngest son would have to go to work if he wanted to attend college. They were on the verge of bankruptcy. It killed me to hear that because his generosity is what paid for my college and the cash I’d find in my purse or on the dining room table was used to pay my credit cards each month. It never occurred to me that his bills were going unpaid. I thought he was wealthy.
That’s just one of the many stories we’ve heard since beginning our research for this piece.
Did you go to such drastic measures to pay for college? Tell us your story. We want to hear from you.
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