By Christopher Garcia
I’m personally not going to college, and trust me this decision was not an easy one to make. But after looking at it from a bigger picture, I realized that if I went, I would not only be handicapping myself, I’m also putting future generations at a disadvantage. Already college debt is a big problem in this country, and it’s only been getting worse. Class of 2017 graduates currently average their individual debt at around $39,400, which is 6% higher than 2016. In addition, Americans as a whole owe $1.48 trillion in student loan debt across 44 million people. That’s $620 billion more than total US credit debt. Everyone I’ve talked to says that they’ve reduced the cost as much as they can and that it’s overall worth it, but I’m not convinced. The fact that these costs can be lowered just means that maybe these schools are purposefully overpriced. I’m not saying that the value of a degree is being exaggerated or that this is all one big conspiracy, I’m just stating the fact that college is a business. The more there’s a demand for degrees, the higher colleges raise prices, and since everyone wants to, or needs to, go to college, they can keep asking for more. It really is a self-made problem. The point of public education, beyond teaching, is to guarantee every kid that passes an opportunity to get a job to sustain themselves and live their life happily. That’s why it’s federally funded -- we’re ensuring that every American can live happily, except that’s not true anymore. College should be an investment that places you in a position to earn more, achieve more, but the higher paying employers can’t offer everyone a job to everyone, and since everyone looks the same (same degree, similar GPAs, similar interests, and more), there is no absolute guarantee that you’ll get a better paying job. A 2016 report found that 45% of recent college graduates worked in a “non-college job.” In 2016 it was also found that 45% of people with student debt said college wasn’t worth the cost. Less jobs due to automated machinery and advanced technology are to blame, not that they are bad; they just make it more difficult for college graduates to stand out and get a job in the field they studied for. The solution for this dilemma isn’t sending everyone to college, but it is pushing for a reform in public education. If the majority of jobs are going require higher learning to achieve a happy lifestyle, than we should be making that available to all Americans, not just those at the top. At the very least, I ask that you wait before running into a college. The idea that you know what you want to do with your life at 17 or 18 years old is honestly a myth, so take a gap year or two. Make money at a started job, experience adult life, and when you’ve saved up more and have a better grasp at how you want to spend your days, go for a simple degree at community college. While this isn’t the best path for everyone, if more people would look into this concept, we as a society could force colleges to bring down the costs of college education and bring the problem plaguing us to a close. Photos Courtesy Of: Flickr; Pixabay
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Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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