So, to start, a lot of HS students with aspirations of going to a university of some sort have to spend a decent amount of their last year or 2 trying to court different colleges for scholarships (most of which are colleges you’ve never heard of offering like $400 off or something) and free ride scholarships are (and this is admittedly anecdotal) unheard of in my area (suburb near major city). Should more socialist minded youth without the means to go to college find jobs? I don’t say this out of an anti-education perspective or some sort of belief that colleges are too liberal of institutions or anything, if it was free for families to send their children to school, I’d be all for it. What do yall think? And feel free to give me book suggestions or quotes from Leftists if you have any that may apply to this, specifically on the topic of the US where college costs more annually on average than any other nation.
Just to expand on the cheaper option- there really is no such thing in the US. I went to my local poor univerity that I rode my bike to each day while still living with my parents - total cost for 4 years was around 20k. I think the average is like 40k without paying for housing
Everybody in the US is stuck with student debt. No poor person is even considering high tier universities- those are exclusively for rich people and people who get full ride scholarships.
Community college is cheaper but then you can’t get a bachelor’s degree from a community college.
I see. It seems weird to me that you can’t get a bachelor’s degree at a community college. I mean presumably you do still learn something there don’t you?
I guess the question is what are you hoping to get out of it. Is it really all about the degree and the job opportunities that provides? And realistically, how likely is it that having that degree will increase your salary by an amount sufficient to justify taking out those student loans? Can you recoup that money in a reasonable amount of time, say ten to fifteen years maximum? If not then it seems like a scam. Being in debt for decades sounds like an absolute nightmare.
Personally i think there is value even in just the learning and the experience itself. Even if you don’t get a degree it can be good for your own personal growth.
If i was still in my 20s and i had tens of thousands of dollars at my disposal, would i spend that on a degree or would i use it to travel the world? For me the choice is clear. But then again i’m writing from the perspective of someone who went to university in a tuition free country, and i am aware that is a privilege most people don’t get. So i’m not the best qualified to answer these questions.