It's no secret that tuition keeps going up every year, and kids are drowning in college debt. On top of that, many can't even find a job to pay it all off, and even if they do, it's usually a minimum wage job that barely pays the bills as it is. I chose to go the community college route and pay my way as I go, so I won't end up in debt. However, this isn't an option for many people, so they take out student loans. It's also no secret that many high paying jobs want masters degrees, so you'll be spending a lot of time in college to get those requirements. Having a high profile university on your resume will impress employers, so you better hope you're rich or willing to take on massive piles of debt to give that impression. I think the college bubble is eventually going to burst the same way the housing bubble burst in 2008. This level of debt isn't sustainable. But it's not just the debt that's the problem, it's the mentality that everyone needs college no matter what they do. No ones forcing kids to enroll in college, but growing up, they're brainwashed to think that without a college education, they're worthless in the job market, and employers have bought into this lie as well. What needs to happen is people need to put more resources into vocational schools, out of high school training courses, community college, etc. Many people look down on these things, but it's time people get over their elitism and seek out cheaper and more efficient alternatives to the traditional college education. The debt isn't sustainable, and what you learn these days isn't worth the cost. So over time, I believe people will seek out cheaper alternatives due to tuition rates these days. Or maybe they won't, because they'll be sucked into applying for financial aid. I hold out hope that people will take the sensible route. What do you think?
no. It should, because you don't need a four year art degree to work at the deli. But that's a parent/teacher problem. They continually push kids to go to college, such that a kid will feel better of herself if she gets an art history degree and works at Mickey D's will feel better about herself than the guy that gets a business degree and is actually able to support himself and a family.
I think it's pretty useless, personally. You pay a ton of money that you don't have, get yourself into debt before you even get your feet under you, and then get a degree that allows you to be a cog in someone else's machine which doesn't even promise you a good paying job when you get out. I know a lot of people with either useless degrees or with decent degrees and no jobs. Some are 30 years old and still living at home with their parents. Then I know other people who dropped out of college, went the entrepreneurship route, and have now built the lives that they want, set their own hours, and have enough money that they are pretty much set for life but prefer to continue working just so they won't atrophy. So what do you actually get in college today other than debt and cynical/victimhood indoctrination? "Higher learning" is great in theory, but in practice it seems like a total waste of time and money now.
