If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Every time something good happens I’m beaten back by phone calls from Sallie Mae wanting money – money that I don’t have. Why don’t I have this money? Because I went to college with the assumption that I would graduate and get a job that would pay well enough to pay back the loans I took out. This was quite possibly the worst decision I’ve made thus far in my life, as the only debt I have right now is caused by these student loans.
I was one of those sheltered, first generation kids who played a few team sports but stayed inside most of the time doing homework. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was expected to go on and do great things. Well, what I learned in college is that life isn’t just about great grades. You have to know how to interact with people and be a well-rounded person. As I struggled with doing this, I became less and less confident in myself. I questioned what I wanted to do with my own life because, for the first time, it was up to me to decide. I didn’t have to ask anyone for permission or assume that I wouldn’t be allowed to do something. I could do whatever I wanted using my own judgment. The problem was that I didn’t have much previous life experience outside of studying to base my decisions on. After spending a lot of time trying to figure myself out, I finally managed to do it with one year left. Now, I wish I could go back and never even start down the road of college until I could afford to pay for each credit on my own without a loan.
I had to leave school a year short of my degree because I could no longer receive funding. This might not have been such a huge problem if we weren’t in one of the worst recessions facing GenY in recent history. Getting a full time job for a recent graduate is a trying task. Getting a full time job when you have no degree is nearly impossible. Hiring managers, recruiters, and human resources professionals see a resume without a degree and toss it in the trash! I spent years trying to figure out who I was because I was given the impression that what I wanted to be was not good enough for this society. Had I paid more attention to the signs that I wanted to be a writer when I was younger, I could have saved myself a lot of time, stress, and major switching.
With the value of the high school diploma declining, more and more Generation Y young people are deciding to bury themselves in student loan debt in order to get a higher paying job in the future. Where is the return on our investment?? Boomers aren’t retiring from their jobs. Generation X isn’t getting promoted. That leaves Gen Y with minimum wage jobs or no jobs at all. When you have to pay back money on a loan for a degree that you never received, it’s pretty disheartening. I told a Sallie Mae agent that if I had it to do all over again I would give back my degree and you could keep the loan. You know what the agent said? “You’re not the first person that said that.”
Twitter
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
I agree although I didn’t spend as much time in college as you do I think that in most cases it’s a waste of time. I don’t really need to go to school to further my aspirations, but in order to get a job to fund my aspirations I do need to have a degree. Which in itself is ironic due to the fact at most of my jobs many of the people who has a degree were working at jobs that weren’t in their field or it was worthless to them.
Good point. Is a degree really worth getting unless you absolutely need the education only a college degree would provide? Further, is it only worth entering college immediately after high school if you are absolutely sure you know what you want to be?
I have a degree, but I graduated early when I realized I still didn’t know ‘what I wanted to do with my life’ and was going into debt to continue not knowing. I really think I would have benefited from working for a few years before pursuing further education. In the long run, though, I do think college will remain a necessary evil… the way we view it in the U.S. has to change though. Its not right for everyone, its not necessary right out of high school, and programs should be more specific. Even classes in my major weren’t always as topic-intensive as I think they should’ve been.
It was interesting to read this, I don’t think too many people think about the challenges individuals without a degree have in this economy. Love to hear more about what your job search has been like.
Kelly, I appreciate your interest in my job search. It has been trying to say the least. I might consider writing some posts because the category of non-degreed people do not get enough attention. Most people think we’re all college dropouts, but that’s not true. Some of us would love to go back and just can’t afford it. I interviewed some people for these posts on just that topic. Don’t Treat Me like A College Dropout #2 http://bit.ly/dropout2 Don’t Treat Me like A College Dropout http://bit.ly/collegedropout
My sister is in the same situation, but a Master’s degree, a loan to pay off, and no where to go. I hope in the near future all college degrees will be available to earn online for every school, with social media becoming more popular everyday!
Wow! A Master’s degree and no where to go. This is just showing that all of this education is getting us no where but more in debt and more stressed out! How are we supposed to get the money to pay these bills off if we can’t get jobs??
As someone trained in the field of psychology I have always been one to push introspection. The reason we make poor choices about schools, majors, and careers, is due to our lack of pause. American society, particularly the busienss world, perpetully has it’s foot to the floor. We are all so concerned with moving forward that we forget to actually pick a direction!
I have spent a lot of time trying to get both Gen Y and laid-off Boomers to stop rushing forward, step back, and ask themselves some fundamental questions. I have them posted on my site: http://www.DrWoody.com
When it comes to the cost issue, a lot of what you are saying (as well as those commenting) is the reason why the popularity of on-line degrees is continuing to rise. It’s also important to note that the credibility and respect for on-line degrees is also on the rise. The one danger in going this route is the loss of socialization… as in the physical kind, not the on-line kind. Part of the college experience is providing a structed and diverse environment for exploration, much of which is very personal.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Dr. Woody. I felt constant pressure to keep moving forward because “everyone else does it…why can’t you?”
I think a key element to an online University will be how they overcome the issue of socialization. Do they plan ways for their students to meet in person? Or, do they leave it up to the students to get that desire on their own?
If I knew now what I had known then… hmmmm…. go to school at community college, stay crazy busy doing jobs with a lot of professional development options but don’t necessarily require a degree to start and literally only take classes that give me the skills I need to do the work I want to do and maybe a class or two that’s just interesting.
There is way too much useless baggage financially and time wise that comes with a bachelor’s degree. I would totally have done an a la carte education instead.
JR- I agree with you completely! I would have only taken classes when I could afford to pay for them on my own and likely at a community college. I’m seeing that all that matters is the degree when it comes to putting something down on a resume. No degree…it doesn’t matter where you went to try to get it.
If possible you should host a chat about this. I’m sure the input would be helpful to more than a few people.
It’s definitely on my mind!
To address multiple points…My wife has a Masters Degree and was unemployed more than I was. In the end she ended up joining the Army and going through their OCS program to become an Officer. Currently I take a mix of online and on-campus classes that are specific to what I want to do as a career. That being said it’s still not easy seeing as how I still don’t have a job and pay for some of these classes out of pocket. Finding a job in this economy has been a headache. I’ve been out of work for a few months now and the only responses I get from these places are only to tell me that the have changed their mind about filling the position or to tell me that they have selected someone else. It seems like I’m stuck in an endless circle.
Not sure if the solution of waiting until you can afford college is going to be effective. I went to college on grants, scholarships, and loans. I had a contract to help my instructor on a book before I graduated. Not sure what I’ll do next, but I feel confident in the process, and I know that I’ve built a strong enough network.
Possibly if we could take the curriculum out of the school and transfer it to our nieces and nephews, we might save them time and money, but I don’t think they will have the confidence or the network that can be built earning a degree.
Appreciate your comment. It’s great that you had those opportunities!
Completely agree with your post. I have a B.A in Psych and an MBA from global institutions and was deluded into thinking I could get a job anywhere in the world. Wrong! Especially having graduated in the middle of the recession too!
I was blessed to find this company I’m working with now because it aligns with my talent and core values. Most of my friends have been sucked into the banking corporate machines and govt sector jobs without ‘pause’ as Dr. Woody says.
I could’ve spared myself the cost of the MBA study loan and still got myself this job though. Organizations and employers should focus on talent alignment rather than credentials which speak very little about a person’s potential and capabilities.
Don’t wait until you have more money to attend college – pay less!
When I started college, I knew that I didn’t want to go in debt. I had seen friends accumulate thousands of dollars in debt – all they would talk about is how much they owed and how long it would take them to pay it off. I’d rather spend the money on something else!
For my first year of college, I went to the local community college. Some people frown on community college but you get brilliant professors and small class sizes. That means you actually get to know your professor and can get help if you need it. What frustrated me about community college is that there were so many students asking “dumb” questions. Yes, there are such things. I wanted to learn the topic not hear about why they didn’t understand how to read the textbook.
So I went non-traditional. I CLEP’d out. A buddy of mine had enrolled with a college-coaching group. Every two weeks, he took a test and gained college credits. I thought it sounded fabulous. Intense, but fabulous.
I signed up and switched my degree from English to Journalism. I had a coach that would call me every two weeks to keep me on track with my studies. She would tell me what resources I needed and how to use my time wisely. It helped. I was able to CLEP out of my sophomore and junior year in just around 10 months! I spent my senior year online and utilized company college grants. That’s another secret – see if your employer will pay for your education. I got a free $1,000 from Starbucks!
Here’s the basics about CLEP:
* Each test is worth between 3 – 12 college credits
* They ARE real credit and colleges do accept them. The Collegeboard website has lots of information on them.
* On average, it takes $75 to take a CLEP and you can transfer those credits to the college of your choice cheaper than taking the classes there.
* You save LOTS of money – I got a fully accredited BA in Journalism for under $15,000.
* You save time – LOTS of time! I took a total of 3 years but some people have gotten their degree in 10 months. If you are like that, go for it!
* You still get a REAL education – you just cut out classroom time and professor bias.
* You can WORK and go to school and not go insane.
* You have more time for INTERNSHIPS which help you land your dream job.
I graduated three years ago and skipped walking at my college graduation. Instead, I went to the UK for a summer internship with a large non-profit organization. I wouldn’t have traded my experience for anything.
And now? I’m working for a college coaching company, helping people get educated on getting their degree. It’s not for everyone but it could be for you.
God, this story is so heart-wrenching! I’m sorry it all worked out this way for you – I hate how effed up our education system is.
Marian Schembari recently posted..I think social media has changed my personality
Yea…life has been one heck of a ride so far. It’s all in preparation for something greater, though. I’m sure of it.
Great post Chanelle! I think once you stop looking at higher education from a strictly “financial” perspective, there’s an opportunity to gain deep satisfaction from it.
I was 30 years old when I *finally* finished my B.A. Being on my own from the time I was 19, meant I didn’t have the luxury of getting my undergraduate degree completed in 4-5 years because I had rent and bills to pay on top of the cost of paying for my education.
I opted to go the community college route, paying cash for the first half of my education and then transferring with as many units as possible to a state school.
I still wonder where I’d be if I had never left my comfortable job in the escrow industry (in my hometown) in the late 1990′s to finish “this thing” I started years earlier.
Despite it all (student loans and current unemployment), I’m proud of myself for actually finishing it. My husband and I relocated to a new state. I have no idea if my next job will even utilize the degree I spent almost a decade trying to get, but I don’t care. I’m thankful for the journey it took me on.
Thank you, Andrea. I do believe that higher education taught me a lot about myself. I appreciate the opportunity that I received to get *that* education.
@collegeplus Sorry for the delay. Here’s the link http://bit.ly/aSvoUu
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
@ArrowsWithSoul You should just be able to type it into the bottom. http://bit.ly/aSvoUu
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Check out the info @collegeplus gives on the CLEP in the comments on Going to College: Worst Decision I Ever Made? http://bit.ly/aSvoUu
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
#LINKLOVE A post of mine on College and it being the worst decision I’ve ever made http://bit.ly/aSvoUu #GenYChat
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
RT @WriterChanelle Going to College: Worst Decision I Ever Made | There From Here http://bit.ly/bCx2IX
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
RT @WriterChanelle Going to College: Worst Decision I Ever Made | There From Here http://bit.ly/bCx2IX
This comment was originally posted on Twitter