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With all the economic chaos out there, it's not surprising that economists and random commentators are warning of other bubbles that might be set to pop and drop up back into the pile of recession sewage we now find ourselves precariously trying to get out of. They talk about public pensions a lot- the effects on state budgets, but one other thing that seems to be getting increasing buzz lately is the bubble of college tuition and college costs in general.
It's no surprise to anyone who's been to college, is in college or about to go to college that getting an education is damn expensive these days- increasingly, its become a dicey financial prospect for students and their families because there's no guarantee of a job on the other side of your BA. So what do people do? They go to grad school (I'm guilty of that, I admit) and then try to look again, only to come to the depressing realization that either their degree is totally impractical or too practical and could be put to use in a million different ways (the challenge with the latter option is figuring out which of the million ways you want to choose.) Either way, students are left with increasing debt, no job prospects and believe it or not, if that wasn't cheerful enough, it gets worse:
Student loans cannot be discharged through bankruptcy. While the Federal Government will happily give you the shirt of its collective back to help you repay, private loan companies aren't quite so nice- so if you find yourself sans job post-graduate and unable to pay the full amount or anything at all, you can get sucked down in a truly bad spiral very quickly. Unable to pay your student loans- and debt multiplies quickly. Late fees from the Feds or Private Loan Companies build up and if it has to go to a collection agency? Well then you're pretty much effed, because they have costs too... and if, God forbid you default on a student loan payment? Well then bye-bye credit score, good luck finding that job and a house? Shit, forget about that.
A quick Google search will give you all the information you could possibly want on the ins and outs of the economic side of this. Why tuition has exploded over the course of the past ten years, what it's going to look like ten years from now and so on and so forth. Me, I prefer to focus on the institutional side of the question. Why has my generation been spoon-fed so much absolute bullshit? And more to the point, why on Earth did we buy into it? Back in the hippy-dippy flower power days, they used to say 'Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty.' That remains probably the smartest thing any hippy has ever said- and my generation forgot it. Our political class is interested in short-term solutions to secure their continue access to the teat of Federal largesse. Our corporate class remains committed to their own interests and us young folk? Well, we bought the bullshit. Now I guess we have to own it.
What do I mean by that? Well here's the bullshit that we swallowed: a college degree is your ticket to a comfortable, middle class existence. Thirty to forty years ago, having a high school diploma could land you a decent job with a good salary that you make a life with. Today, a high school diploma is little more than a piece of paper with your name on it- and it's barely enough to get you a job flipping burgers and McDonald's. Somewhere along the way, these past decades, the chorus of 'go to college, go to college' drowned out anything resembling intelligent thought. Why are you going to college? What do you want to do with your college degree? Our educational system is about shoving us forward into the waiting arms of higher education- it places no emphasis on learning about financial responsibility or even thinking about the how one can pay for and achieve one's goals and ambitions. We're fed the notion that college is the answer to anything and everything and the magical college degree will help you achieve your dreams.
It's embedded into society now. Kids go to college. Is what they do, whether it's a good fit for them or not- it's now expected. Happiness and success means that you send your kids to college so they can 'succeed' whatever that means. And we wonder why manufacturing has collapsed in this country- it's because you can't exactly get your BA in being a plumber.
Anyway, as a result of this, institutions of higher education have seen a proliferation of departments, degree offerings and as a result staff and faculty- a lot of which comes out of the pocket of the taxpayer- and, as this should be of no surprise to anyone, it's becoming rapidly unsustainable over the long term.
As with so many things we take for granted in society today, we need to take a hard look at what and how we're teaching the younger generation. Deep, meaningful questions like 'what is the purpose of high school?' 'what is the purpose of college?' Education needs to be restored to its proper place in our discourse: it's a tool, not an answer. It can help you get to where you want to go, if used correctly. A degree in Asian Studies or Communications probably won't get you a whole helluva lot. But put Asian Studies together with International Business and Communications with say, Journalism or something then you might have something you can work with.
For education to survive and improve, practicality must be the watchword. High school shouldn't be a happy-go-lucky four years of busy work. Kids gotta be sat down and asked the tough questions: what do you want to do? What's your plan? How you going to pay for it? Too often, kids (including me) just wander into college without a clue, purely because that's what expected of them... With no idea what to do, whole semesters are wasted having the 'college experience.' Semesters that can take years to repay. High school should be rigorous and demanding. Kids should graduate with a plan of some kind- and a clue. It doesn't have to be a lifetime thing, just a first step on the great, metaphorical road of life, so to speak. While our grandparents may have graduated college to get jobs that they kept until they retired, we will change our career on average maybe four to five times over our lifetime- so don't think because you decide on something when you graduate that you've locked yourselves into something for life. But you have to start somewhere- and that should be what high school helps you to decide: where to start and how to start.
As for college, well again, practicality would be nice. If you're offering 150 degrees in various fields, you have to ask yourself: what does a degree in pan-Asian Studies get you by itself? Should students be encouraged to combine degrees and double major? Should some degrees become certificates instead? Internships and work experiences should be innovative, plentiful and required. Even study abroad should be expanded and made available to all students- any and everything that will help students get in, get out and get something useful and tangible out of their education has to be considered and implemented.
For those of us already out into the scary real world, well then I guess we're left to do the best we can. Lord knows, I'm not going to expect any helpful policy changes to ease the burdens of current and future college graduates. All we can do is find whatever pays a bill or two in this economy and hang on for dear life. For education, for the country, for all us, I have a feeling that the next ten years are going to be a bumpy ride.
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