S03.E06: Real Life Shit

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Aaron's student loan troubles come to a head when he looks for a job at the Cal U job fair, prompting him to ask Zoey for help; Sky struggles to come to terms with her recent discovery about Rodney; Jillian tries to bond with Zoey.

Original air date: 2/20/20

Edited February 16, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Empress1]

I swear Rodney is at least biracial. Sky's voice was getting on my nerves this episode - she has a very babyish voice.

Always here for Zoey getting called on her shit. In this day and age, connections are paramount, and advertising is a field in which that's particularly true. I knew Zoe wasn't listening when she wasn't even looking at Aaron when she was talking to him.

University wages are lower than they would be in the private sector (but better than minimum wage!) but the benefits are typically excellent. Aaron should look for a real, full-time job there that pays more than minimum wage and comes with health insurance, if he wants to take advantage of that. (I'm sure this is just to keep him on the show.)

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Hate to break it to Zoey, but she is not attending a "prestigious" university (as per her intro voice over). I'm not saying that a qualified Cal U student can't get a good job after graduation, but it won't be because of the origin of his diploma.

If Aaron goes to graduate school full-time, he can further defer his loans.  And he can purchase health insurance through the University, which is usually lower-priced than on the market.  I just hope he gets a degree in a field that actually can lead to a real job.  He also really needs a decent summer internship. 

 

 

[luna1122]

Aaron is obviously a good looking guy, but in that bespoke suit that fit him like a glove? Damn. 

[Empress1]

8 minutes ago, luna1122 said:

Aaron is obviously a good looking guy, but in that bespoke suit that fit him like a glove? Damn. 

YES. He looked fantastic.

[nilyank]

32 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

YES. He looked fantastic.

He never looked better. Ruby would have died if she had seen him.

[luckyroll3]

Why did I think Aaron was majoring in AA studies and Political Science?  I was so confused why he was applying to accounting and advertisement jobs.

[woodstock]

11 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Always here for Zoey getting called on her shit. In this day and age, connections are paramount, and advertising is a field in which that's particularly true. I knew Zoe wasn't listening when she wasn't even looking at Aaron when she was talking to him.

Is it bad that I was cheering and saying ‘Go Aaron’ during that scene. I don’t hate Zoey but she can be insufferable and selfish at times.

I fell out at Doug’s ‘Look at Jesus won’t he do it? Hallelujah!...He didn’t do it’ line.

What does Charlie do exactly? LOL

 

[Empress1]

8 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

Why did I think Aaron was majoring in AA studies and Political Science?  I was so confused why he was applying to accounting and advertisement jobs.

He just needs a job, any job, to begin paying on his debt.

[ctmd]

i'm so glad that friends addressing Zoey's selfish, judgemental behaviors is a theme, and not in a "but it's charming" way (for example, like in House, where it was FUN to see him be an ass). Zoey is a pretty, rich, charming girl, so it makes sense that she attracts friends like flies to honey, but thoughtful college kids learn what they really want out of friendships and relationships, and she deserves to be called out. It's unfortunate that she seems so unable to LEARN from being repeatedly called out though. 

 

Someone up thread mentioned that Aaron could defer loans while in grad school. That's part of the preying upon students that loan companies do! I started with a $175k loan for school, and was lured into "just defer it" during my post-grad years, only to be SHOCKED when the loan was up to about $250K when I had to start repaying it. They leave out how much interest will accumulate by deferring. If he's working for the university, he should see if he can also get university housing, and put as much as he is able to towards paying his loans- at least towards interest- as early as possible so it doesn't creep up on him. I'm at a point where i owe as much on my loans as I owe on my house, and it will take about the same amount of time to pay them both off. it really sucks. 

[SnarkyMcSnarkerson]

1 hour ago, ctmd said:

Someone up thread mentioned that Aaron could defer loans while in grad school. That's part of the preying upon students that loan companies do! I started with a $175k loan for school, and was lured into "just defer it" during my post-grad years, only to be SHOCKED when the loan was up to about $250K when I had to start repaying it. They leave out how much interest will accumulate by deferring. If he's working for the university, he should see if he can also get university housing, and put as much as he is able to towards paying his loans- at least towards interest- as early as possible so it doesn't creep up on him. I'm at a point where i owe as much on my loans as I owe on my house, and it will take about the same amount of time to pay them both off. it really sucks. 

I was thinking the same thing. So many of my friends were in similar situations as Aaron/maybe weren't sure what they wanted to do for a career.  The lure of deferring the loans (and having to make a decision) kept them in school longer than they might have been otherwise, and with ever-increasing balances on their loans. It's an ugly situation to be in that's not often shown on TV.

15 hours ago, luna1122 said:

Aaron is obviously a good looking guy, but in that bespoke suit that fit him like a glove? Damn. 

Even with the rat tail, I was swooning lol

[qtpye]

I always wished Zoey had picked Aaron instead of fake Lenny Kravitz and now I think she does not deserve him.

5 hours ago, ctmd said:

i'm so glad that friends addressing Zoey's selfish, judgemental behaviors is a theme, and not in a "but it's charming" way (for example, like in House, where it was FUN to see him be an ass). Zoey is a pretty, rich, charming girl, so it makes sense that she attracts friends like flies to honey, but thoughtful college kids learn what they really want out of friendships and relationships, and she deserves to be called out. It's unfortunate that she seems so unable to LEARN from being repeatedly called out though. 

 

Someone up thread mentioned that Aaron could defer loans while in grad school. That's part of the preying upon students that loan companies do! I started with a $175k loan for school, and was lured into "just defer it" during my post-grad years, only to be SHOCKED when the loan was up to about $250K when I had to start repaying it. They leave out how much interest will accumulate by deferring. If he's working for the university, he should see if he can also get university housing, and put as much as he is able to towards paying his loans- at least towards interest- as early as possible so it doesn't creep up on him. I'm at a point where i owe as much on my loans as I owe on my house, and it will take about the same amount of time to pay them both off. it really sucks. 

She has also lead a very charmed life and seemed to have no understanding of his struggle.

[DearEvette]

I loved this episode.  I think Grown-ish is at it best and smartest when it shows us other aspects of college life, not just the hanging out/hooking up and Zoey's terrible love life. I liked the bit of Lido and Stevens we saw, that was a nice deployment of cross-over.

I have come to really like Doug and Jazz's relationship.  I especially loved his 'Pick it up.... the knowledge my girl just dropped" line followed by the smile on her face as she snuggled into him.

This is the most I've liked Aaron in awhile and yes, he looked foine in that suit.

I super hate Charley in this.  He is a joke and makes no sense.  I work at a university and no way a person like Charley would be a Dean of Students.  No mistake, academia is just as political and vicious as any corporate business.  Faculty would never respect a person like Charley.  They are elitists as fuck (even community college faculty can be elitist snobs) and by elitist I mean they are very, very hidebound about credentials.  A Dean would need a Masters at least, a PHd preferred,  or have worked their way up through the ranks in administration.  Charley started out as an adjunct.  Adjuncts are looked upon, at best, like cheap, disposable labor.

Having said that, I love the resolution of Aaron's job issues.  It is an elegant solution.  Also it allows him top stay on the show even though he is graduating and everyone else is gonna be, what, juniors?

College cost is no joke.  My son gets free tuition (an employee benefit from me because I work at a University and my dependents get their tuition remitted) but we have to pay room and board out of pocket.  Even with free tuition,  R&B came to about $15,000 by itself!   I told him we'd pay half room and board but he has to pay the other half.  He had to take out a $7,000 loan to pay his half.  He got the option to pay his interest on his loan while still in school.  We took that option.  So at least when he gets out he'll only have the principal. 

Also, student loan debt is protected under bankruptcy laws.  Back when I had just gotten out of college, I had a friend who had just come out of law school and had gotten a job as a junior associate at a law firm.  She declared bankruptcy as soon as she got her job because she was in debt to the tune of 300K in student loans.  She said she would take the seven year bad credit hit.  But that was a whole lot better than paying back 300K in loans for 30+ years.  It was a brilliant strategy, imo.  But you can't do that anymore.  If you declare bankruptcy, you are still the hook for student loans.

[sleepysuzy]

Instead of blaming banks, I'd love to hear about the college/university in this discussion. Don't these students have counselors and advisors? What about the Career Center? My biggest disappointment after graduating college (first generation, with an English major) was realizing I should have been doing internships or minored in business or gotten an education degree - or any number of things to actually be marketable. My professors and counselors were oblivious to how oblivious I, and other poor kids going to college without any family experience, truly were. 

I teach high school now, after getting a MA in English and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction. Both of my graduate degrees were fully funded by scholarships and grants, and my loans were deferred interest free while I completed them. I make sure to let my students know what I learned about college, and strongly encourage everyone who plans to matriculate to pursue interships, professional degrees, and networking within their chosen careers. I also encourage dual credit courses, trade school, and applying for local scholarships.

Maybe as someone whise been through it, Aaron can take on that kind of role, mentoring new freshman next year who are first generation college students. 

[tennisgurl]

Aaron was wearing the hell out of the suit, like damn!

Aaron was totally right to call Zoey out, she needs to learn that if she is going to be so selfish and careless towards the people in her life, there will be consequences that she cant fix by just saying sorry and making excuses. 

Nice use of Lido and Stevens, with even Dre getting an appearance, and probably the funniest I have found Charlie on the show is when he saw the guys from the firm, he just turned around and walked away. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When Aaron said he was looking for a job with a six figure salary, a student loan forgiveness program, and a company car, I thought wow, those are some pretty high expectations for someone with a BA. I may be showing my age here, but when I finished my undergrad degree, there were NO jobs that had any kind of student loan forgiveness program except for the Peace Corps and Teach for America (and even those didn't fully erase your debt, just partially).

What really annoyed me about Zoey's reaction was that she was initially sorry she'd forgotten to call her dad but then she was REALLY sorry when she found out how much student loan debt that Aaron had. Girl, you are a shitty friend regardless of how much money he owes. You said you would do something. You didn't. That's all that matters. I don't mean to sound so stringent because obviously there are degrees of importance in everything, but the bottom line is that she said she would do something that was important to someone else (even if it seemed trivial to her) and she didn't which is exactly what makes her a terrible friend. Even if it's something small like forgetting that you were supposed to meet someone for coffee, it's the same principle - you are a self-absorbed asshole who other people can't rely on.

On 2/23/2020 at 5:01 PM, sleepysuzy said:

Instead of blaming banks, I'd love to hear about the college/university in this discussion. Don't these students have counselors and advisors? What about the Career Center? My biggest disappointment after graduating college (first generation, with an English major) was realizing I should have been doing internships or minored in business or gotten an education degree - or any number of things to actually be marketable. My professors and counselors were oblivious to how oblivious I, and other poor kids going to college without any family experience, truly were. 

I have mixed feelings about this. In the college's defense, most DO have counselors, advisors, career centers, etc. I attended a small private college, a community college, and a large public university. All of them had these resources but very few students actually take advantage of them. I think part of the reason is that students know that they exist but they aren't always aware of all the services that these places provide. No amount of outreach is going to increase the number of students using these places if the students don't take the initiative to walk in through the doors.

I'm not blaming anyone though. At my large university, these places did a lot of outreach. They often tabled on the main walkway and near the food court regularly, sent informational emails to listservs, did presentations at the dorms, etc. but a lot of students don't think they need to go so all that effort is just white noise to them until they realize (usually their last year of school) that they need something from one of these places.

[jumper sage]

On 2/22/2020 at 8:35 PM, DearEvette said:

I super hate Charley in this.  He is a joke and makes no sense.  I work at a university and no way a person like Charley would be a Dean of Students. 

Oh really?  When I was in grad school, at a major Detroit university, the Dean of Library Science was an idiot.  Was caught using school funds to take vacations and even moved his family from another state and then left them high and dry as he dated/lived with another faculty member.  His son even came in and knocked the crap out of him while I was in his office.  I don't think academia is immune from the horrors of any other job.

[DearEvette]

I am not talking about the personality.  I am talking about the credentials.  Like I said above, academia is just as political and vicious as any corporate business.  And can be just as corrupt.  But boy howdy, to work at a certain level, you have have those letters after your name or have worked on the come up through the administration the hard way.