With student debt at an all-time high, it’s easy to see why some would-be students are tempted to skip college. But given the fact that the average person who earns a bachelors degree can expect to make over $51,000 a year - high school grads only earn about $28,000 a year by comparison - degrees don’t seem all that optional.
But perhaps there’s another way besides going into debt in order to get a college degree. From getting scholarships to studying at International Baccalaureate schools, it’s possible to get a debt-free degree. Here’s how to do it.
Take Some of Those Courses in High School
According to Money Crashers, students who can get some of their coursework out of the way in high school are on their way to having a debt-free college
The typical all-American dream is a great paying career, a happy family, and a good home to raise them in. This is, however, only possible by going to college and getting a good education at a high-cost university that buries you in debt. Often when discussing student loans the general consensus are that students are in colossal financial struggles if they obtain degrees at good universities. The myth of crippling student loan debt is, however, not typical.
Historically Black College and Universities have played a essential role in changing the scene of advanced education in the United States. Today, in a time of quick change, HBCUs confront difficulties and also new snags. Not only does the HBCU itself face difficulties, but being a student at one can definitely be challenging at times. They face multiple issues such as debt, discouragement, and mental illnesses. All of this could affect both their futures, and worth ethics. In order for the students to be career steady, these issues they are facing must be fixed.
The main focus of the debate on college is whether a higher education pays off. While it is widely believed the skills learned at college are invaluable, and earning a degree means a better job with a higher salary, college is still a huge financial risk; the prospect facing a lifetime of student debt is intimidating. Parts of the debate that need further research include how to get the cost of college education down, and how can students avoid getting into unmanageable debt.
All careers from construction workers, to teachers, to attorneys are all important in today’s society, and it is important to let the adolescence to choose the path they take in their life. Sending fewer young people to college will not solve the country’s national debt problem. Companies will still send their work across seas in order for them to pay less and make more, even if the United States has enough labor workers in the country. Sending young people to college, or even a trade school, is better because they are gaining knowledge that they would have never had without attending a higher institution of learning.
These statistics mean that college student have to do part time jobs in school and still be gather debt. To figure why this is happening we will need to go back to the how of college loans got to be this way and look at a couple different thing.
One of the biggest complaints about a college education is the large price tag that comes with it. A national survey found that 75% of adults in the U.S. think that college is too expensive to afford, showing that a majority of the people in the U.S. agree that colleges should lower prices (Source F). As Source A says, college is about learning but the goal in life is to earn a living (Crawford). This means that while you need to earn a living, college isn’t the only route you can do so. There are careers that don’t require education beyond high school and you can still make a respectable income. It’s easy to see that not enough people realize you don’t need a college degree to get a good job.
Facing a seemingly massive debt can create a scare tactic to continue on a path toward a higher and exceptional education. Although there are controllable factors to help lessen the weight of student debt it creates a wall of challenges toward furthering ones education, because of the fear of falling into a seemingly large debt Canadian students are afraid to maximize their education, prohibiting Canada to create and maintain a stronger and more skilled work force.
The number one student in college is obtaining too many credit cards. While "charging it" can provide them instant relief in times of need, many students exaggerate while in college. This turns out to be harmful in the long term for a college student. Let’s be honest, the interest is added up quickly and I do not know any credit card that accedes it until after graduation as federal student loans. In my opinion, it is a bad idea to use a credit card in every situation that a student can escape. Finally, this debt can increase and force a student to divert their educational focus to focus on paying the debt that they owed. The college student must know how to manage their student loan or get help manage the financial goal. Borrow the student
“61 percent of new students at Harvard Law School last year had received their bachelor’s degrees outside of Ivy League” (Steinberg, Jacques 15). Still in this world their are college graduates that are highly in debt in college tuition and in college dept. College debt is a huge problem in today’s society for example student loans put college graduates in a deeper hole in college debt making it more difficult for grads to get out of their debt. Considering this problem college debt has many solutions to avoiding college debt like scholarships, attending community colleges and working and saving money so that college debt won’t be that high making future life difficult for these college graduates. Everyone has the ability in being successful in life but there are sacrifices that will have to be made.
As the competition to get a decent job is increasing, it is close to impossible to obtain a high paying job without at least a bachelor's degree. Many jobs that only used to want their workers to have a high school diploma now require some college education due to their extremely complicated nature.
Some graduates don’t want to go to college because they already make enough money at their current job or they’re not sure what they want to do with their lives just yet. However, there are several graduates who want to go to college but simply can’t afford it.
I always say, before you spend money, earn money, before you make a decision, learn the positive and negative aspects, before you quit, give it more tries. Educate yourself to knowing the characteristics of a successful, and smart person to help you decide who you should look up to follow their success. William Anderson has made a great impact in my life, and how he is accomplishing his goals right now, is a familiar way I want to accomplish mine.
Graduating with the tens of thousands of dollars in student debt will be worth the burden. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics says that, “not only is there a $400 per week difference in earnings between those with a high school diploma and those with a bachelor’s degree, there is also a substantial difference in unemployment.” (6) The difference in salaries of those with a college degree versus a high school diploma is quite significant, and those with a college degree have a higher chance of promotion, and a greater variety of jobs available to them. The average graduate working full time earns about $17,500 more yearly than a person who only has a high school diploma. According to a research analysis done by the US Census Bureau where they surveyed 2,002 adults and asked the question, “do these benefits outweigh the financial burden imposed by four or more years of college? Among Millennials ages 25 to 32, the answer is clearly yes: About nine-in-ten with at least a bachelor’s degree say college has already paid off (72%) or will pay off in the future (17%).” (11)
Although tuition rates are at an all time high, so are the future projected jobs. These jobs will require some degree, and for students who believe college is out of there budget, this is simply false, there are many ways to get around it. Those who put forward the effort seem to live better lives in terms of self-satisfaction, salary, and overall well-being. This is how return on college investment should be measured. Sometimes it may be hard to directly measure all the benefits of college, but it is clear to see that it makes one more stable in the grand scheme of things. Going to college does have negatives, but the positives are much superior and essential for upcoming jobs. The only thing truly stopping a student from not attending college
Did you know that the value of a college degree and/or diploma is decreasing at a constant rate every year? (StartUpCamp) A very debated topic that runs through families as soon as children hit the high enough age, college is a constant. 20.5 million students graduate from college every year (NCES), but that does not mean that college is the automatic road to success. The question for many: to college, or not to college?