Are Student Loans Worth It?

Talk show host Dennis Prager had an interesting topic two days ago.  He asked if student tuition loans are really worth it.

He mentioned one woman working in a law office as a receptionist.  She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree, is making $35,000 per year, but has $100,000 in student loan debt.  How is she going to pay that off?  If she is resentful over this, who can blame her? 

How often have you sat at your office after going through college to earn your degree(s) and felt underpaid and under-employed and asked, "My degrees got me this?!"

Liberals have damaged the higher education system by taking control of student loans and touting that "everyone should get a college education and we'll help you get a student loan to do it." 

As Prager pointed out, one can basically sleep in class for four years and still get a B.A. Degree today. 

The problem is, once someone does go to a college or university and incurs enormous debt, they end up with a job (if they're lucky enough to find a job in this Obama economy) that doesn't pay enough for them to both live on and pay off their student loans.

Many graduates with degrees are finding themselves mired in debt and trying to pay their loans off and not being able to buy the things or do the things they want.  Many are also putting off starting families as they can't afford to start one (raising kids ain't cheap).

Luckily, when I was in college age in the 1970s, I went to a two-year community college and earned my Associate In Arts Degree and then transferred to California State University, Long Beach.   At that time, the cost of a college education was relatively cheap (only a few dollars per unit) along with associated fees.  My parents paid for the bulk of it while I worked part-time to pay for my books.  This worked out great for me. 

My daughter got a lot of scholarships and grants for her tuition at Cal Lutheran University.  But she still has some student loans she has to pay off.

By the time I graduated from Cal State, I had no student loan debt to worry about.  By trying to make college or university more accessible to everyone, the demand went up and so did the costs.  The law of supply & demand coupled with government meddling is rearing its ugly head.

Prager also said that if someone goes to a college or university as a biology major (or anything else in the natural sciences), make sure you get your money's worth.  Speaking of money's worth, he feels that the social sciences are a big waste of money and they are only seminaries of leftist teachings.

Some people are better off by going to a trade school or pursuing one's interests and become an entrepreneur in their passion.   These options may better suit them and also won't saddle them with enormous student loan debt.

It might just be a good idea to think twice before heading into an educational path that will saddle you with student loan debt.