Once upon a time, a college degree was worth something. Now the college degree, and the debt associated with it, has become an albatross around the neck of so many young graduates. The real sadness is that most will carry this burden around for a good portion of their adult lives. In the past parents would be proud to say ” My kid just graduated from school, with a degree in degree, and he/she has a great job waiting at company.” Now the future of new college graduates looks a little less rosy. The job market is brutal, and the average college debt is skyrocketing. It is now commonplace for grads to have in excess of $20,000 in college debt upon graduation. I don’t think we as a society and culture are doing a good enough job of educating young people preparing to go to college about the financial side of the college education. College is a tremendous expense and should be looked at as such.
Most people go to college because it is the thing to do and believe that a great job will be waiting for them on the other side of graduation. I suggest that any young person going to attend college look over the finances of attending college before heading off to university with blinders on. A fancy $80,000 education may end up costing you much more in the long run. If your goal is to get a great job and nothing else, I assure you, there are better ways to do so than incurring debt to get just a job.