Re:College became the default – Let's rethink that
by Sebguer on Tuesday April 19, 2022 @05:06PM
(#31089162)
It's ridiculous for eighteen year olds to have to consider their future earning potential, when the constant drumbeat is "you must go to college to be a successful human".
I was the only person in my immediate family to go to college, and it was clear from my school and my family that "college = success". I majored in psychology, which has absolutely no job prospects. At no point did I have meaningful support from anyone around me in terms of picking an "effective" degree, or evaluating job opportunities.
It worked out fine for me, because I spent most of my time not paying attention to class and screwing around on the internet instead, so the ~50k in private student loans at an extortionate rate that I had to take out to attend have never been a problem, but it was all by complete luck.
I assumed prices for colleges were increasing because of the availability of cheap debt. I know plenty of people who went to college, taking out large amounts of debt, and not seeming to directly consider their earning potential post-graduation.