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Most college educations aren't worth it now with what the market is asking for and paying. The in-state public education and/or community college is reasonable still where someone can pay as they go.
For the vast majority loans are required.
The root of the problem comes from when the govt started guaranteeing the loans. There was no longer a risk to lenders. Tuition costs increase as demand increases for seats as the funding is available. Now the government is lending directly. With borrowed money mind you..
We are in a huge bubble right now with the student loans, albeit many other things. The cost is just too high, but people are rationalizing it's worth it and spending money they don't have. The loans are available to just about anyone as the politicians believe "all must get an education". The demand increases and so does the tuition.
I don't think a college education is worth it for most professions anymore with what they are asking people to pay for it when looking at what the market is paying for these jobs.
I'm 28, I heard my entire life that I needed to go to college if I wanted any shot at being successful.
I got amazing grades in HS, but never felt I deserved them because I put minimal work into my studies, everyone expected me to go to college but I knew I didn't have discipline. I honestly felt like a failure for not going, among people my age graduating HS wasn't any more of an accomplishment than dropping out and getting a GED later.
At 28 I'm actually very happy I didn't go to college, I did take online courses through a local community college during the recession, I studied HIM before figuring out that the career earned the same as I was currently earning. I now earn on average what my peers are earning, except I don't have the debt that many of my peers have. I'm also a home owner unlike most of my peers, and my 401k is slightly higher, not much but a little.
In my opinion, college is a wonderful path but it's not everything people my age were told it is.
My overall point is, that society has really pressured young people into thinking that college is an absolute necessity and that going even if you don't know what you are going for is better than not going at all.
I turned out fine, but from 18-24 I fully believed I had screwed myself over for the rest of my life by not going to college.
You were smart. You can do just fine in today's economy without the degree. It's all about showing initiative, having a head on your shoulders, and getting your foot in the door.
This helps, to an extent, but isn't always possible or really practical. I went to college in Tennessee and what would transfer from CCs to the state colleges varied from school to school. For instance, calculus classes would transfer from the local CC to East Tennessee State, but not to UT-Knoxville. UT-Knoxville was a lot more rigorous than the other regional schools, so a person could go to a CC, transfer in, and then end up having to redo a lot of classes.
Guidance counselors and thorough checking of requirements could prevent a lot of this, but requirements change fairly frequently and people are bound to be tripped up by something.
Also, the CC's are often not academically rigorous. If people transfer in from a CC to a very demanding program, they may be fairly well behind academically and have to remediate themselves or pay for remedial courses.
The CC route would have been cheaper for me, but ultimately the costs were not that high (but that was a decade ago) and I ended up learning more during those first two years of university than I likely would have at a CC.
Come on---you don't learn anything in college, anyways Seems some need to go to college to learn that The whole purpose of going to college is to get through it, with as many A's as possible. Once its behind you, you are on a more level playing field. Just make d**ned sure the CC courses you take will transfer, try to get it in writing.
Re: 'Some people actually go to college to get an education, not to acquire a vocation skill'
There we go. Maybe we should go 'back to the future' to understand what the very early reasons were for a university education. Today it looks say a very very 'utilitarian' approach to learning as opposed to what it was in the past where it was important in getting a broad look at the efforts of all who contributed their thought and philosophy to human existence, taking it in and building on it. That is understanding what was taught, speaking about it cogently and writing it down.
Arguably too many variables are intruding into 'education' now to have diluted all that. It's tough to see all that money spent and not perhaps getting a 'payback' for it say in the way of a getting a 'job'. But maybe under that circumstance 'education' should make sure that at the least one after leaving university he/she can read well, write well and think we'll even if they don't get a job right off. At least then they're in position where they'll 'know how to fish' when they go out in the great big wide world waiting for the out there.
What fallacy...College costs a fortune. I wish that I'd gone to a tech college...gotten a certificate and a job...I would have been money ahead.
I worked. A lot. I drove a tow truck for a year. I worked Construction in the summer. I worked as a fry cook one year. Worked as a bouncer at a night club. I roomed in a house with several other students instead of doing the Dorm living.
Did all sorts of stuff to make money and/or cut costs.
It can be done. Yes, I even took loans one year. But was always cognizant of what that was going to cost me later.
Student loans look like the easy way when you starting college, but they will come back to bite you later.
Going into debt is NOT a good way to start a career.
The american way seems to be:
-Go to college and get an education to get a skill
-Dont worry about a loan, its worth it to help you get this skill
-You can pay it back when you graduate with the money you're going to make with that degree
-You owe $30-$50-$100K+ after your done
-You get a job that starts at $35-50k typically or $50-100K hopefully if you owe $100K in loans
-You get a new or recent car to replace that junker you drove in college, so add that to your debt
-You're drowned in student loans debt from the age of 22-30 and thats assuming you are paying $500+ a month back
- You can now start living life at the age of 30-35 years old if you have that debt paid off
I graduated 12 years ago with a Degree in Computer Engineering and even when I left the cost of tuition for 1 year was up to $5-6K and now the same school is $15K+, but it seems like the same jobs that I would have looked for then and now pay the exact same ($30, 40, or $50K) with $40K being more realistic in metro Atlanta area.
So, with many schools costing $15-30K a year for tuition and these kids graduating owing anywhere from $20-50k average now, is a college degree really worth it anymore just to get $30-50K salary in the end for alot of these students.
That depends on your options without college. Mine were limited so yes college was worth it even though I'll never make as much as say someone who started on an assembly line the day I started college in my lifetime. You see I didn't have the option of that job. My options were dead end jobs.
If you are contemplating a degree in Theater or Art History...skip it. No, it's not worth it.
Take a minute and judge yourself. Are you really bright? Brighter than most? If the answer is yes then plan on continuing your education. Do 2 years at community college while you work and live at home, then transfer to a state school to finish and continue working and living at home. Not glamorous but you will finish debt free. Just make sure you get that degree in something marketable.
If you are just an average Joe or Jane learn something that pays well. Electrician, plumber, CNC, machinist, etc. A trade/skill you will always have that's in demand. Take the classes and get the licenses. Sure you will be a grunt for a couple years but the money is much better than fast food or other garbage jobs. THEN if you just want the degree in Art History or WHATEVER, do it after you learn your trade and you are already making good money. Voila! Another debt free degree.
The military is another option but JMHO, no education is worth that kind of sacrifice.
I went to a state university and got my degree by and worked to pay for it while I was going. I did already have a fairly marketable skill and it was a bargain in my state. It would seem to me if you're not going to shine at an expensive college then they're not worth the money. If you are driven then the money you invest will probably be returned. If not it's better to get the degree at a cheaper institution that you can afford to pay for. They do still exist.
At least for me, college was more than just an investment with an expected cash return although it provided that too. I was exposed to a lot things I liked and might not have ever seen or been inclined to pursue without it being a requirement, certain types of music and a foreign language for instance, that I keep up with years later.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cida
Some people actually go to college to get an education, not to acquire a vocation skill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
That depends on your options without college. Mine were limited so yes college was worth it even though I'll never make as much as say someone who started on an assembly line the day I started college in my lifetime. You see I didn't have the option of that job. My options were dead end jobs.
As a former teacher and a person with an MFA I don't use in my career, needless to say I'm all in favor of education for its own sake. Learning about all the options out there in the world, how to problem solve, how to search for information, how to seek answers in life, are valuable skills that can be learned via higher education.
But one thing I observed in teaching for several years at a well-known state university, many students who are in college full time (especially those who enrolled right after high school) are not seeking those things. They approach college as four years of fun before their parents expect them to earn their own living. Many undergrads seek the easiest course work and the most parties. When that's the attitude, it's certainly not worth incurring a pile of debt.
College is doable for just about anyone today. Two years at a CC, and another two at a state school should be no more than 30k or less. The key is to study a major that has a high rate of return on investment like computer science, engineering, nursing, etc. If you're not going to study an in-demand major, then you're better off just learning a skilled trade.
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Seems some need to go to college to learn that
The whole purpose of going to college is to get through it, with as many A's as possible. Once its behind you, you are on a more level playing field. Just make d**ned sure the CC courses you take will transfer, try to get it in writing.
