It's only with just a little bit of pride and glee that I watch some of my friends start yet another year of college at Eastern Washington University.
For the first time in 17 years, I don't have homework, busy work or those unnecessary beginning of the year icebreakers. And that's quite a relief.
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The past four years at Eastern were challenging and full of growth. I met new people who would test my mental strains, some who I consider mentors and some who really don't belong in higher education, let alone out in public.
With another year of Eastern classes starting up, it's made me wonder – is a college education really worth the approximately $24,000 I paid? With that price tag, it's a bargain compared to other universities.
The University of Washington charges $10,574 for undergraduates per year, and that's without room and board, books, transportation costs and the useless stuff that college students buy today. After four years, that starts to edge close to $100,000 just for a degree, and in some cases, a degree that they won't even use.
Saddling our children, my peers, with that much debt before they work a real day in their lives is pure insanity. A Pew Research poll conducted in May of this year said that a record number of students leaving college have substantial debts to pay off. Nearly half of those, 48 percent, said that it has made it difficult to pay a number of bills.
Even further, nearly 25 percent say that their student debt payments make it difficult to buy a home or pursue their career choice. I know plenty of middle-aged adults who are working fulltime and are still paying off student loans.
Despite this, 94 percent of parents surveyed wanted their children to attend college.
I'm not anti-education, but rather, I'm anti-debt. At a time when our nation's fiscal future is in jeopardy, the last thing we should be doing is putting the future of our country into debt. There must be some sort of alternative.
Thankfully, there is.
Internships, apprenticeships and community colleges (similar to vocational schools) are quickly becoming more relevant, if not necessary, to compete in a world where nearly 21 post-graduates compete for every job opening. It's a competitive job market, especially at a time when so few companies are hiring.
Consider examples of the courses and opportunities offered through the Community Colleges of Spokane. A culinary arts school and an aviation program are both offered, and rarely found in any traditional four-year school. Those are two very important jobs that help the economy keep chugging, or rather crawling, along.
Both of those programs can be completed at a fraction of the cost of attending a four-year college for a different degree, and can equal years of not paying student loans. It's more money in the pocket of graduates, and more money potentially spent in the economy.
Internships and apprenticeships are also excellent, as they acquaint future graduates with a company in the real world. Expectations and processes are overwhelming in the first few months out there, and I speak from what little experience I have.
So is a college education worth the money?
It is, as long as it's necessary. Our society must place a renewed value on apprenticeships and community colleges, because let's face it, if tuition prices continue to climb, we'll be seeing a mass amount of students seeking out those very institutions.
And that's hardly a bad thing.
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