For the longest time I put off going to college because I knew I couldn't afford it. I am now in my second semester and as it turns out... I still can't afford it. However, the difference between the 20-year-old self and the six years I have since acquired is the fact that I realized I couldn't get any further in my career path without a degree. I understood fully as I signed my life away to the climbing debt that it would mean I would be a slave to my education until I can repay the fortune I borrowed.
What really bugs me is the lack of help that comes from the government. The 6 months to repay the loan is ridiculous. All that does is force someone to easily give up on their dream job to find some sort of income to start repaying their debt. This is also why most students end up going back to school to put off repaying their loan. Our wonderful government should consider is providing a tax break to employers who hire college graduates. Much like they do for those who are on unemployment. I mean the money is still coming from the Government either way. Whether you borrowed it for school or on using it because of a lay off.
Why shouldn't there be incentives to get people to work? Shouldn't we reward those who are doing the right thing? I mean after all that saying of stay off drugs and go to college was reinforced often throughout the public education system. So why are we being punished?
Angel Martinez seems to be fed up with the lack of payment options for higher education in her blog post Education is Costing Me My Dreams, and for good reason.
ReplyDeleteOur country is admittedly far behind in the tuition game when we look at how many other countries cover tuition and fees for its students. This table of European countries that cover tuition and fees for both EU and exchange students is almost depressing from the perspective of an American college student. It is a widely accepted fact that a well educated population has many social and economic benefits. The biggest argument against free college is a shortsighted one of "where would the money come from?" A question which could be answered with a so-called "Robin Hood" tax causing relatively little burden for the far reaching benefits.
The government as a whole does provide some student assistance through Federal Student Aid programs and even through tax breaks for employers providing tuition reimbursement, but this is just a drop in the bucket of what could be done in my opinion.