All I see are dollar signs.
The American college system is designed to insulate the wealthy and exclude the disadvantaged.
There. I said it.
The intention behind the system supposedly is noble. But it's out of control. The system extorts money from families for degrees that don't mean much. College execute slick advertising campaigns with pretty foliage and decked-out dorm rooms, trying to grab the wallets of teenagers via their hearts.
These college advertisers are people who are trained to advertise for a living. They prey on young, inexperienced suckers who can't even conceive of five- or six-digit expenses. They know exactly how to do it.
For wealthy families, such expenses are immaterial. Johnny and Suzie can go to their "dream school" (what the fuck is a dream school, anyway? Really.), not work, go Greek and collect degrees to their hearts' content. Meanwhile, less privileged students go deeply into debt to get a degree that doesn't pay.
"Study what you love," they say. Yet, they don't ask you this: Will you love being a young grad with whopping debt and scarce job prospects?
The system feeds itself, too. When young grads can't find work, these schools welcome them back for another degree. "A master's will really set you apart," they say. Desperate 20-somethings head back to school, increasing their debt exponentially. When they graduate, they find their job prospects different -- but not necessarily better. Now they're overqualified. Or they're so in debt, they have to take any job they can get.
So then young adults head into their 30s in a job or career path they don't like, and maybe even hate. But they're helpless to change it because of their debt. They're trapped.
People of wealthy lineage don't necessarily have these problems. They can study something, decide they don't like it, and simply change courses. They have the luxury of second and third chances.
What's more, the wealthy can take unpaid internships after school without worrying about student loan repayments. They can be the people who worked "from the ground up," following their passions by simply getting a foot in the door. The less advantaged, however, need to take a paying job, even if it leads to a dead end.
Colleges pride on making themselves "affordable." They define "affordable" as making sure any student who wants to attend, can. But the scope of that definition is rather narrow. Very narrow, actually.
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I've been feeling like throwing up. I keep thinking about starting grad school in a few months, and all I see are dollar signs. I have plenty of loans from undergrad -- and now I'm looking at increasing them exponentially.
If I take this route, my salary will double, right off the bat, and then keep increasing. Of course, I still wouldn't be guaranteed protection from layoffs. I wouldn't be guaranteed job satisfaction, either. The only guarantee I'd have is more loans.
If I do this, I'll graduate at 26, and I'll have to work in accounting for at least two or three years just to break even. I'll have gained a degree, though. Thing is, a degree isn't always an advantage. If I'm "overqualified," a degree actually may preclude me from jobs. An advanced degree in accounting, ironically, actually may keep me out of journalism, for example, or even teaching.
It'd be a graceful transition on my resume, though, one where I might seem to keep moving forward. It'd put me among people my age again, it'd allow me to live on a more normal schedule... and it'd give me a second chance at enjoying college.
But I don't know whether I can enjoy college when my thoughts are clouded by so many dollar signs.
There. I said it.
The intention behind the system supposedly is noble. But it's out of control. The system extorts money from families for degrees that don't mean much. College execute slick advertising campaigns with pretty foliage and decked-out dorm rooms, trying to grab the wallets of teenagers via their hearts.
These college advertisers are people who are trained to advertise for a living. They prey on young, inexperienced suckers who can't even conceive of five- or six-digit expenses. They know exactly how to do it.
For wealthy families, such expenses are immaterial. Johnny and Suzie can go to their "dream school" (what the fuck is a dream school, anyway? Really.), not work, go Greek and collect degrees to their hearts' content. Meanwhile, less privileged students go deeply into debt to get a degree that doesn't pay.
"Study what you love," they say. Yet, they don't ask you this: Will you love being a young grad with whopping debt and scarce job prospects?
The system feeds itself, too. When young grads can't find work, these schools welcome them back for another degree. "A master's will really set you apart," they say. Desperate 20-somethings head back to school, increasing their debt exponentially. When they graduate, they find their job prospects different -- but not necessarily better. Now they're overqualified. Or they're so in debt, they have to take any job they can get.
So then young adults head into their 30s in a job or career path they don't like, and maybe even hate. But they're helpless to change it because of their debt. They're trapped.
People of wealthy lineage don't necessarily have these problems. They can study something, decide they don't like it, and simply change courses. They have the luxury of second and third chances.
What's more, the wealthy can take unpaid internships after school without worrying about student loan repayments. They can be the people who worked "from the ground up," following their passions by simply getting a foot in the door. The less advantaged, however, need to take a paying job, even if it leads to a dead end.
Colleges pride on making themselves "affordable." They define "affordable" as making sure any student who wants to attend, can. But the scope of that definition is rather narrow. Very narrow, actually.
------
I've been feeling like throwing up. I keep thinking about starting grad school in a few months, and all I see are dollar signs. I have plenty of loans from undergrad -- and now I'm looking at increasing them exponentially.
If I take this route, my salary will double, right off the bat, and then keep increasing. Of course, I still wouldn't be guaranteed protection from layoffs. I wouldn't be guaranteed job satisfaction, either. The only guarantee I'd have is more loans.
If I do this, I'll graduate at 26, and I'll have to work in accounting for at least two or three years just to break even. I'll have gained a degree, though. Thing is, a degree isn't always an advantage. If I'm "overqualified," a degree actually may preclude me from jobs. An advanced degree in accounting, ironically, actually may keep me out of journalism, for example, or even teaching.
It'd be a graceful transition on my resume, though, one where I might seem to keep moving forward. It'd put me among people my age again, it'd allow me to live on a more normal schedule... and it'd give me a second chance at enjoying college.
But I don't know whether I can enjoy college when my thoughts are clouded by so many dollar signs.