During the 1930s and 40s, many individuals never finished grade school. But even with just a third grade education, it was possible to have a successful career or well-paying job. With such a minimal education it was possible to raise a family and own a home and car.
With each each successive generation, the bar had been raised more and more. In the 1950s having a high school degree would guarantee you good employment. Having a college degree would out you among the top echelon.
Over the next 20 years it was still possible to succeed with just a high school degree but more individuals were attending college. Getting a two-year Associates degree was a great accomplishment even more so was a bachelors. Very few people went on past the bachelors degree except professionals whose careers required it.
Move forward another 20 years and you find that the success that was guaranteed with an associates degree was now reserved for those with bachelors. More and more individuals were attending colleges and receiving degrees. It was almost unheard of now to find a good career without a high school diploma at least.
In modern times it seems as if everybody has a bachelors degree. If you go to your local Starbucks you can find the individual serving coffee has a bachelors degree from a good college. It seems now that the only way to benefit from advanced education is if you have at least a masters degree. An Associates degree is pretty much worthless except for specific careers that require it.
So the question I have to ask is, is it worth taking out student loans knowing that you'll probably have to complete at least a masters degree level to benefit from all this education? Even then employment is not always guaranteed and you will be left with debts that you will be unable to pay.
I think in order to make a college education worthwhile, you have to do to your research and make sure you are studying in an area that has a high employment rate after graduation. Too many people chase after popular careers and with the way the economy is, it can be very difficult to find a job.
