by Amber Weier

Created on: June 11, 2009   Last Updated: June 16, 2009

Attending college is an important step on the road to adulthood. While it is the urging of most parents and high school teachers that students enter college after graduation, it may not be as cost effective as it was in the past. The thinking used to be that an education is the most valuable asset a person can have, but it can be difficult to pay for. In the long run, will the cost of education be repaid by the job that a person will get once they graduate? The truth is, in this economy, going to college can be a bigger risk than students originally thought. If for any reason college is not completed, the loans will still be owed.

Even if a student graduates, a job in their chosen field may not be available. It is a long shot at this time that a student will land a job before the loan bills start piling up. If I had to do it all over again, I would find a job and work hard and save my money before entering college. Take the time to really decide what I wanted to go to college for. Alternative education may turn out to be a much better option, such as a technical school or job training program. I know several people who have graduated in the past few years who are not employed in their chosen fields, in particular, the education and communication fields. Some were employed, but later let go due to company downsizing. Gone are the days of apprenticeship and hands on entry level employment. In the past, most employers looked for the most educated people to hire. Now that businesses are cutting costs and removing employees to save money, someone without a college degree may be the more economical employee. They will not demand the higher pay brackets that highly trained employees can, and most often, training can be done on the job and to the same degree of effectiveness that sitting in a classroom for four years provides.

I do not feel that a high school senior will know exactly what they want to do as a career. I feel it is important to be in the real world for some time, and to grow as a person through life experiences before settling on a career. I for one am not the same person I was when I graduated high school, and I know now that I would not be happy in the career I started going to college for. I do intend on entering college in the future, but when It does become more cost effective. For now, I make a living wage without a degree and feel fortunate that I even have a job as so many do not.

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