Despite Rising Cost, Higher Ed is an Important Investment

I will graduate with my bachelor’s degree with exactly zero dollars in student loans.

I am so honored to have received a full-ride scholarship to Central Michigan University, but the unfortunate reality is that my situation is very uncommon. For the majority of students, attending college means one thing—loans, loans and more loans.

Many students work just as hard (or even harder) to pay for their education as they do in the classroom. And the scary thing is…both tuition and unemployment rates continue to rise.

But what option do we have? The odds of securing a stable career with only a high school diploma are few and far between—in fact, many will argue those days are long gone. So we invest in our future and work hard to get into a good college or university in hopes that a degree will be our golden ticket to success. Unfortunately, a degree isn’t the end-all solution, just look at the rising numbers of college graduates facing unemployment.

Since today’s bachelor’s degree is becoming more like yesterday’s high school diploma, higher education is more of a requirement than an option. While some students have chosen to protest, others eagerly seek the guidance of costly consultants to help them get into their school of choice. Either way, it is clear that higher education needs to be more of a priority for our government officials.

In the meantime, students will have to stay proactive and seek out as many scholarship opportunities as possible. In this tough economy, scholarships are harder to come by, but they are still out there. Applying for scholarships can be tedious as most often require essays, letters of recommendation, transcripts and more, but the hard work is definitely worth the money saved. FastWeb and Scholarships.com are great places to start, but students should be sure to check with specific universities they’re interested in attending—especially if they know what area they’re going to study.

You could always apply to a tuition-free university. Who knows, maybe higher education could be completely free someday. But for now, don’t let the rising cost of higher education deter you from pursuing it. In the words of Robin Cook, “Education is more than a luxury; it is a responsibility that society owes to itself.”

What do you think? Is a degree worth the investment? Or, is that piece of paper we call a degree worthless in today’s economy?