Is Higher Education Worth the Price?

• Is higher education worth the price? Is a degree really worth the debt that comes with it? These are questions that have been plaguing the minds of college students all over the world, for decades. The answers may vary depending on who you ask, but for the most part, it can be agreed that that degree is not worth the thousands of dollars in student loans. A degree is needed to get a stable job in a career of your choosing, but you have to choose a job that will pay you enough money so that you can pay off the debt you acquired while in pursuit of said job, and still have money left over to actually survive. It is an endless cycle, and a vicious one at that. Imagine you’re told that you have to pursue higher education in order to get a career that pays you a substantial amount of money, but that same money will be used to pay for the education you need to get the job. The alternative to not attending college, though it would save you from debt, is a lot riskier. Imagine not going to college because you don’t want debt, yet you still end up broke, inexperienced and unemployed. Without a degree, when you walk into an interview, the chances of you actually getting the job is so small, especially if you have had no prior experience. Now, there are some people who don’t go to college and are actually able to succeed in life, but they probably had a plan for their life. This was about the students who have no plan, or no idea what to do but they completely write college off. Having money and being financially stable are needed to have a good life. Many people will argue and say that you should not look to money for fulfilment, but the truth is, without money, it is hard to thrive in this world. So what should you choose? Should you choose to get a degree so you can find a job to help pay off your student loans, or should you not go to college and pray to whatever god you serve that there are good opportunities out there for you? Again, the answers are solely based on your personal feelings. Parents taking on the burden of paying for their children’s education does not affect the fact that the amount that is to be paid is still expensive. It just means that instead of the students going into debt, their parents will. In the article, “ Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus stated, "For most Americans, educating their offspring will be the largest financial outlay after their home mortgage, they'll ever make." And what about the parents that are still paying off their own student loans? And for the ones who aren’t, what if they can't afford it? What about the students who don’t have parents present? As stated in the “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission” article, by Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, “And if parents can’t or won’t pay, young people often find themselves burdened with staggering loans. Graduating with six figures worth of debt is becoming increasingly common.” So transferring the financial weight from the students to the parents, while it may seem like a good proposal, is still not a solution to college students’ debt problem. So to answer the question, “Is Higher Education Worth the Price?” The answer would be yes, because the pros of getting higher education, which are getting a degree and a great career, outweigh the cons, which is the amount of money that you have to pay for that education. Being financially stable and paying for student loans is much better than having no student loans but won’t be able to get a job.