Student Loans

ACC has spoiled me. The organizations are great, and I've somehow managed to schedule my classes on the same campus three semesters in a row. The truth is that my fondness for this place is because I can afford to attend it.

The economy is down the drain. You can hardly turn on a TV, read the paper, or listen to the radio without hearing that. While most industries are taking huge losses, enrollment at community colleges is on the rise.

According to Business Week's article "Community Colleges get Squeezed" published earlier this year, "the rapid growth in enrollment in community colleges nationwide will only be exacerbated by the current economic crisis." In fact, more than half of all college students in Texas go to community college.

I am happy to be at ACC getting a good education and saving money, but it's a sad reality that if I want to continue my education it's going to cost a lot more than the $900 a semester that I'm used to.

I'm not the only one. Even with financial aid, students are turned off from big universities. It's not worth it for all of them to graduate with a four year degree only to have a ton of debt to pay back with no guarantee of finding a good job outside of college. Unfortunately, these days, students are competing with recently laid off job-seekers with years of experience.

I think it is great that the community colleges are seeing a boost in enrollment. They are a great opportunity, but the elephant in the room is that once students finish their time here, they can't afford to go further, and an associate's degree is just not as competitive as a bachelor's in a many jobs.

While risky credit might have caused the failing economy in the first place, students still might want to consider taking a chance with loans to continue their education. It's scary to take on debt in such hard times, but scarier to face the job market without as much education as one can get. It's hard to get into a career field that you enjoy without the education needed for that field. Running up debt for a house you can't afford or maxing out your credit card is not the kind of debt that you want to have. Consider going for a four year degree if you can. It's one of the few credit gambles that's really worth it.