Quite an uproar my last post caused, if I do say so myself. Many of you thought that I waited until both my mother AND my father went home to the Lord before posting such a thing, but thats not the reason. The idea was to get you thinking! Yes I know the current administration has all but abandoned the idea of free thought, unless youre a left wing liberal who happens to agree with them, in which case anyone opposing you is uttering hate speech. Wait, does that make sense?
Well anyway, actually there is a media personality here in town who has always suggested that id HE were ever asked to speak at a graduation for anyone OTHER than his God daughters kindergarten class there are several things that MUST be tied to these folks. Things that this conspiratorially minded leftie, feels are not part of today’s curriculum! So here are just a few of the things that need to be included, and my thoughts on each!
Beginning with my last posting don’t you wish that someone had told you the truth before you went to college? Don’t you wish that someone had told you that college has become a giant money making scam that is designed to drain as much money out of students and parents as possible? Yes, college can be a profitable endeavor if you pick your field of study wisely, if you can get someone else to pay for at least some of it and if you can actually get a good job in that field when you graduate. But most high school students are never told to weigh the pros and the cons before they run off to college. The typical high school student is simply told to get into the “best school” that he or she can and to take out whatever loans are “necessary” to pay for that education. Our high school students are assured that those student loans will be paid back easily once they get “good jobs” following graduation.
But the truth is that there are some other things that high school students should be told before they go off to college as well. They should be told that student loan debt can cripple them financially for decades. They should be told that the quality of education at most U.S. colleges and universities is a total joke. They should be told that most college graduates do not get a “good job” once they graduate these days. They should be told that after they receive their diplomas they are likely to end up flat broke, waiting tables and living with their parents.
Higher education is not necessarily a bad thing. But these days when it comes to higher education the goal should be to get as much for your money as you possibly can. You don’t want to end up spending four years of your life and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a degree in “art history” or “political science”.
If you are going to get a college degree, choose a field that will actually advance your career and try to spend as little as you can. Unless you have wealthy parents who can pay for it all, the goal should be to make as big of a profit on your education as possible.
So in lieu of offering you a large bundle of cash, here is something for both the students and the parents and the future parents to consider! Because for most folks, once you sign on that black bottom line, you are committed!
#1 A college education has become insanely expensive. Over the past 40 years, the cost of college tuition has more than tripled. This is not just limited to college tuition, I have a friend who has 5 children in private schools, and their tuition is more than many of these soon to be college graduates will make in their first few years on the job,
#2 As costs have risen, so has student borrowing. College students are now borrowing about twice as much money as they did just twenty years ago. Why? Well several reasons really. First off, its expected, right? I mean shouldn’t all college freshman have a brand new car, all new furniture as well as a 1200 square foot apartment that, while built for four, more comfortably houses two? But thats OK because basic cable is included in the rent, but everyone knows you MUST have the extended super package if youre going to remain current on the latest series of the walking dead/undead college students that hollywood is sending after us. The one thing that’s not included of course is utilities. See when I came here to go to college, I knew I couldn’t afford to run the AC, but thats OK because the laundromat down the street wasn’t air conditioned anyway, but it was right off the ONE small pool, so at least you could cool off while you waited. I haven’t seen a college apartment in years that didn’t have the AC a nice balmy 72 degrees, along with a jumbo washer and dryer and some even now come with a deep freeze and WINE COOLER! What are they their for again? I remember one friend of mine who made it into a “better college” and feeling bad for her because they wouldn’t let her work or drive a car on campus until AFTER her sophomore year. For crying out loud, I wouldn’t have made it to my sophomore WEEK without a car (10 years old, also w/o AC) and at least ONE job. I’m starting to sense a trend here…
WOW I wasn’t planning on going this long, so I think I’m going to break here and make two suggestions!
1) Come back next time if for no other reason than to see if I finish.
2) Pick an excuse, ANY excuse, just make it a good one, your going to have to use it for a very long time.
