When Times are Tough, the Tough go to College

As I sat between two Texas Ex’s cheering on the Texas Longhorns this past Thursday, the topic of how much money they make compared how much their education costs were was brought up. One of them said they felt their education costs would eventually pay themselves off in the long run, while the other said they felt with the economy how it is, college costs are simply unrealistic.
It's the American way to try to make as much money as possible and it's said that the way to earn more is to get the best education you can afford, but in today's economy, where so many overqualified people are competing for fewer jobs, the promise of a big payoff from a college degree can be misleading.
For some students it has turned out to be a total disappointment. So much time and money is spent on building a bright future only to take a step back and move home after graduating because of lack of jobs. It’s no wonder students are asking themselves if it’s really worth it.
In an article published on MSNBC's website, they discuss that twenty something’s have every reason to be discouraged about finding post college jobs, because they are the ones who are finding it the most difficult to find jobs. One girl mentioned in the article, with a Masters degree, shares her dilemma with not being able to get a job at Target.
It is clear that amassing huge amounts of debt is risky when you have to start at the bottom when you graduate. However, it is misleading to suggest that students don't need a college degree. Many firms won't consider employing someone without one, especially in this economy.

Even if a student doesn't attend college, the reality is they do need some type of additional education, so telling a kid not to bother with college is as dumb as telling them to amass as much debt as it takes to graduate. The bottom line is the economy will bounce back eventually and the job market will turn around, but can we realistically afford to put off college until then? I think not. Do any of us really want to be “going back” to school to finish up when everything turns around? Of course not! We want to be ready to go with degrees in hand.