So kids today basically have to go into massive debt in order to have a chance at a decent career?

[sweetapogee]

15. very well stated

Last edited Mon Aug 19, 2013, 01:14 PM - Edit history (1)

I have a liberal arts B.S. degree from 1981 however I always wanted a B.S. in the science/medical field. The main reason for not having that degree today, the one I really wanted back in the day is due to my math skills which were not up to par.

Tonight i begin my 4th semester as a PT student (I have a full time job and a part time job), this semester I'm taking 7 credits which will be the last of my pre-requisite and remedial classes before I begin to tackle gen chem 1&2 and organic chem 1&2. I hope to take gen chem 1 in the spring 2014 semester and go from there. The short term goal is to get through the 4 semesters of chemistry already mentioned, the long term goal is to earn a B.S. degree in medical technology. I intend to do all of this without taking on any debt.

OK, I take some of the money I earn from my part time job allow me to pay cash for tuition, books and transportation to my local community college. All of my educational expenses including the semester that starts today are paid and I have no debt, and I'm able to pay all of my other living expenses same as before I started this program.

So on the one hand I acknowledge that community college generally only covers the first two years of a 4 year degree and that not everyone can find a community college that is a good academic fit for their future academic plans. However, I feel strongly that going into massive debt and earning some degrees with limited earnings potential are a choice that the student makes and can be considered in many cases a self inflicted wound. In other words, it may not be what you want but rather what is the best possible return for my investment in time and expenses that should guide the student today as far as a college education is concerned. I'm a big fan of first 2 years of community college then off to a state univ.