Sad post on MSN that seems like an all too common story. More and more college graduates are finding themselves buried in mountains of debt, under employed, and without practical skills that can give them good options for getting ahead. From the article –
Hernan Castillo is treading water, trying to survive under the weight of $5,200 in credit card debt and $30,000 in student loans. He’s making payments on time, but the Orange County, Calif., resident sees little hope for getting out of the warehouse job he holds and landing a job as an accountant, the field in which he earned his degree. And forget about saving money for a home or retirement. He now firmly believes the money he spent earning a college degree was a waste.
“Every day I wish I had never gone to college,” Castillo said. “It has been the biggest mistake of my life. Sometimes I wish I had gone to prison instead of college. At least I would have learned a trade or two and started being independent once I got out.”
What a sad state of affairs that a person would find themselves debating whether their time in college would have been better spent in prison.
This Ringing Bell 
It’s a very troubling situation. I have quite a few friends who went to college and now regret it. Which is very unfortunate because I feel that a college education can be very valuable.
It’s crazy to me to see all the people with their degree’s, but unable to benefit from them. I don’t know if it’s a result of so many people now attending college, that obtaining a degree doesn’t mean what it did back when our parents were growing up, or if people simply make poor choices with what they study. Either way, the tuition costs are outrageous for something perceived to be so essential for success in todays world. No person should have to accept going $30,000 into debt just to have a chance at landing a good job. Heck, even if you land a good job, paying off that kind of debt is going to take a huge bite out of your paycheck anyway.
Personally I believe I made the right choice in not going to college, because I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted to persue and didn’t see any value and attending anyway hoping to figure it out while amassing life-altering debt. Had there been a career I knew I wanted that would require a degree, I would have been happy to go to college. Looking back there are a few times when I think it would have been nice to have experienced college, I still believe I made the right choice for me.
Too many young people today to go to college simply for the experience or to buy more time before having to participate in the real world.
By: Chad on May 14, 2009
at 5:18 pm