Are you breaking your back while breaking the bank as well? College tuition has continuously risen for years. After years of hard work to acquire a degree, many people have argued the negatives outweigh the pros. According to The Institute for College Access and Success, 61 percent of college graduates in the state of Kentucky graduated with debt.
In today’s day and age, there are so many other options to go after high school rather than college. Not many years ago a college degree was sought after for many fields of work and allowed a candidate to stand out for a position. Now places of work would rather have years of experience, which most college students can’t obtain while in school.
Blue-collar fields have boomed recently, proving my point further. Instead of years of schooling, they only require a couple of months of training, and you can end up making almost if not double the salary of a recent college graduate.
I’m now a junior in college. Every year I’ve been in college, the tuition has risen, leaving me to question how accessible higher education is, especially for people from lower-income or underprivileged families. Luckily, I entered college with several scholarships, grants and other forms of aid. Even with the amount of aid I’ve received, the road to graduation hasn’t been easy. And, on top of it all, I will still owe the state thousands after I graduate. This leads me to wonder how much further in life I would be if I had gone into a trade field and began working, leaving me with more time to gain experience, start saving, begin purchasing my first home and have no college debt.
I personally think a college degree is a well-needed addition to one’s education and experience to be completely adequate for certain jobs. However, I think with the constant increase in price, mixed with the lack of experience, and low starting salary for most jobs, it’s just not worth it anymore. It seems a bit contradictory considering I’m currently in college. However, I think it was placed in our minds growing up that college is the only way to be successful so it’s the route I took. Within only a couple of years, the stereotype surrounding non-college students changed drastically. My 16-year-old brother, only four years younger than me, has been offered classes, such as welding, mechanics, electrical, plumbing and so on. He’s attended these classes, been awarded many titles and scholarships, as well as been offered a job after school making more than I will make when I graduate with a college degree, all while having no debt. Times have changed and allowed for many new options. With that being said, I think the college degree is only worth it for those who intend to take it to a doctorate level of work.
I don’t believe college should be out of the picture completely. However, as a country, we need to look into ways to make college not only more affordable but also more accessible. Many people see the price of tuition and immediately run from the idea of college. The idea of a university is positive as a whole. Students can network and make connections as well as learn more on a topic focused on their personal interests. However, the price is far too high, and the value has become far too low.
I’m a 20-year-old college student, I don’t have all the answers. However, my concerns are real and so are the futures of those who will be affected negatively by the constant increase of tuition as well as the increase of everything in the world. “Money makes the world go round” is a term everyone has heard, and it stands true even in this scenario. People must center their life around money to survive, and at the rate things are going, I will not be able to be financially stable until years after I graduate. I feel like many other college students would argue the same. Changes need to be made, and they need to start now.
