The Rising Cost of Education

CNN Article: Rising College Costs Price Out Middle Class

Like many of you out there, I attended a graduation party last weekend.  Friday, Saturday and even Sunday there were graduation ceremonies happening everywhere.  Traffic was crazy and restaurants were all booked.  Congratulations to all you new grads out there!!  I wish you luck finding a job and your parents luck in putting up with you since you'll most likely move back home during this terrible economy.

Anyway, I read this article on CNN regarding the rising cost of higher education and how it's impacting the middle class.  It's something I've already thought and talked about with friends and I'm wondering why it's only coming to light recently.  This has been an issue for awhile now.  It's why I find it hard to accept that while tuition costs are rising we are paving the way for illegal immigrants to attend colleges while we subsidize their tuition.  Tuition continues to rise while many lose their jobs.  If you've ever had to fill out financial aid forms you would know that you or your parents would have to be practically broke to qualify for government aid.  It seems to me that the pursuit of higher education is becoming more and more elitist and cyclical.  You can't get a good job without a degree, you can't get a degree without the money, you can't get the money without a good job...  See the pattern?  So do I and it gives me a migraine.  Let's say you do go to college at whatever the cost which = $$LOANS$$.  The average college graduate is then stuck with $20,000+ in debt without a guarantee they'll find a job once they hit the real world.  How long is it going to take them to pay that off? 

President Obama wants the U.S. to be competitive in the global market but how can we when most of the population (middle class) can't afford to send their kids to school.  We then have a massive work force with untapped potential because of their inability to move up.  Think on that!