Depending upon where you were born and the culture you were reared in, getting an education may vary in importance. I happen to dislike the phrase “getting an education” because it implies there is this thing called an education and once you “get it” you’re set and done. While the education system has managed to create “credential products” (degrees, certificates, honors) to support this view, education at its heart is a process that has and should have neither a beginning nor an end. Despite the philosophical problems with today’s view of education, “getting” one can be very useful in our present day society. It increases your chances of being able to support yourself and your family financially. It is likely to shift your geography, often ensuring that your children and your children’s children will grow up in communities where they have a lower chance of experiencing poverty, and a higher chance of longer life (better health care and nutrition). There is much research that supports the idea surviving the education system has its benefits.
But again, depending upon your circumstances, getting an education may be either a path you take for granted or a goal along a road which features many obstacles. The secret to getting the right education is to best understand what is comfortably within your reach, and what will provide the best benefits 5, 10 or even 20 years out.
We’ve a unique system in the USA where students do not need to know what exactly they want to do until they’re nearly half-way through their so-called higher education. Even then, many students choose to focus on an area of study that has little impact on their career path. However, the degree that they receive still makes a big difference to employers. Having a bachelors, a masters, or a phd can play a significant role in the choices you have after university. That said, school name and reputation also can play a similarly significant role.
But, most importantly (at least at this moment in history), I believe a student who aspires to get a degree from a college or university should consider first and foremost: DEBT. Debt is a debilitating problem in our contemporary culture. It indentures you in ways that have become so common they fail to appear as problematic. But DEBT is a problem, and it’s one that every person who grows up in contemporary society is at risk to suffer from. The key to managing debt is understanding the terms of your debt and your actual ability to pay it down. The key to surviving the anxiety that inevitable comes with debt is knowing how long and how intensely you’ll be willing to work simply in order to pay it down.
Education comes in many shapes and sizes. Community College, State Universities, private Liberal Arts Universities, private for-profit Colleges/Universities etc. Each has its own cost structure, its own level of accreditation, its own reputation within the field that you end up seeking a career. If you’re accepted into and choose to go to a top-ranked university, you’re likely to take on a huge debt burden, somewhere in the range of 50-60k per year if you’re paying the entire way. If you choose to pursue a masters afterward or get a specialized degree and become a doctor or a lawyer, you could end up taking on debt in the hundreds of thousands. Even with a high paying job (which hopefully you would get after pursuing an education like that), you could be paying down debt for decades. If you’re like me you can already feel the anxiety of such an ordeal. There’s little flexibility in your life choices at that point. Every decision you make, in some way or another, must take into consideration the debt burden for which you’re responsible.
However, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are ways to manage paying for an education without becoming a slave to the system. You might (and should) aim to be a savvy and wise spender. This means researching, asking questions, shopping around. Are there scholarships available through the school? Are there grants and scholarships you can apply for through other groups. A few hours on google and you’ll discover that in your neighborhood, state, or country, groups and companies are sponsoring grants and scholarships for which you might be a perfect fit. Are you in a situation where you might be able to pay more now and take out smaller loans for education? You might think about what you can do now to make sure life after school is easier for you. Loans come with sometimes heavy repayment plans. Be sure to ask your loan provider questions about fixed vs. adjustable rates, plans to lower your interest rate, plans to pre-pay, what happens if you miss a payment, at what point the provider reports late payments to credit companies.
Paying your loans in full and on-time will make life much easier as you get older. Even one or two missed payments can damage your credit report and make it harder later in life to get a home or car loan, et c.
Who knew that financial responsibility, stability, and education were so intertwined, but the truth is: the capitalist model which we’ve adopted for our way of life has inextricably woven money into the structure of everything. There might not be an easy escape, but knowing that this is the way things are ahead of time can alleviate some of the pressure of these forces later in your life, when all you’ll want to do is relax, enjoy life, and not work.
So if you’re thinking about getting an education, and it makes sense for your life, go for it, but be smart about it; it’ll pay off in the long run.
