‘I Love College,’ But College Does Not Love Me
DAISY PROM
Staff Writer
Those blue velvet gowns and that yellow tassel go well with the feeling of a well-earned college certificate and with it, the promises of a secure future—at least that’s what everyone says. For the most part, they’re right. Hopefully. Really, after 13 long years of general education and some grueling years of college, there has to be questions as to whether all of the drudgery was worth the time and—more importantly—the money.
Nonbelievers refer to a college education as an expensive day-care, whereas the rest of the world envisions it as a key of recognition. Either way, chasing a degree is not a small matter— financially or mentally. It’s because of the gaping hole that colleges often leave behind in students’ wallets that we’re trying to find another way to be deemed successful in society’s eyes, and that leads us to question the importance of having a college degree.
Let’s break it down; if you, a high school student, were to drop out to work for yourself for the rest of your life, you would make an average of $21,000 a year, 65 percent of what a high school graduate would earn, which is about $30,400 according to finaid.org. If you could hold on for those four years, you should make that extra 35 percent, all that public high school education being free of charge and that excess $9,400 wouldn’t go to any student loan companies.
A college drop-out would qualify for lower-middle income, adding up to about $36,800 on average; though you would probably still live paycheck to paycheck, you wouldn’t have to work at McDonald’s until you’re 75 years old.
The digits really seem to multiply once you acquire a bachelor’s degree, which allows for its holders to make about twice as much as a high school graduate over a lifetime, and only for four more years in school. If impatience is the reason you’re feeling iffy about college, then maybe you should think twice before you’re forced into a 50-year career as a Staples manager.
It’s true, employers of certain careers won’t even look at resumes that don’t have the words “college graduate.” In the old days, college used to represent fortune and achievement; now all it is a piece of paper that costs tens of thousands of dollars. But then again, in the old days, finishing college automatically meant that the graduate would definitely be guaranteed a spot in the working world. To have all of those years in college with just a diploma isn’t as promising as the adults always told us it was. Nevertheless, the importance of a higher education still stands, and that piece of paper may be the key to opportunity to the rest of the world.
A careless Michelle Bisutti racked up a $555,000 debt from student loans after completing medical school. Though her fines were originally around $250,000, her ignorance towards her payments caused this number to double. She only claims responsibility for “half of it.” But how can we blame student loan lenders when they’re supposed to be part of the solution? To put the blame on lenders is not only ungrateful, but also neglectful toward one’s financial well-being.
Yes, Bisutti graduated from college and, yes, she even became a doctor, but none of that matters when she couldn’t even manage her own bank account.
In reality, it’s all up to the choices of the students; so if you’ve graduated college umpteen years ago with a degree in whatever and you find that you still make less than the employee of the month at Applebee’s, you can’t really complain to your former dean. The choice of classes, the amount of effort, and the execution of natural skills all fall under your to-do list. All this proves is that it’s the person, not the certificate, that counts.
But if a degree is what it takes to be acknowledged in this advanced world that relies on education, what choice do we have? Might as well play along and just go to college, pick all the right classes and profession, attain some of those precious “I Love College” experiences and, if everything plays out the way you planned, then the money spent for university won’t be too much to complain about in a few years’ time.