Mittamorphosis, What A Long Strange Trip It's Been

A degree is only as good as how you apply it. You can get the most in demand degree and if you're not gonna make the correct moves to apply it you'll be washing cars in no time.

You mean I beat the odds and got the job I love with the degree I wanted in?

And so did my coworkers?

You don't have a grad. degree?

well there u go, but wait you have bachelors in accounting no?


I really don't think his figures were hard and fast, and even so accounting for all the fields and degrees out there it would still likely hold.

Out of all the people who take out student loans, only a small percentage secure meaningful or lucrative work, let alone both.

So, yeah, you and your co-workers got lucky. I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that even accounting is getting pretty bloated with too many new graduates for too few new jobs (welcome to the same world that lawyers and even some doctors have been facing down for several years now).

tl;dr get into accounting and then graduate only to see the market drop from beneath you.

RIP Architecture majors, circa '08. You really didn't build that.

...


Higher education should not be subsidized, guaranteed, or payed for by the government. The current situation places the government on the hook for what 3 trillion? in unsecured debt that, even with wage garnishment and tax return seizures, would not be recoverable. Best case scenario the government can get back the majority of principal owed.

Income based repayment has sky rocketed and there are more graduates every year than Jobs available every decade.

Less people need to go to college and MAYBE the middle class can start getting back on its feet.

Right now a 4 year degree and a dollar can get you a cup of coffee, if it is on sale.

As for lolelections... sheep say BAAAAAA.

Edit, for clarity: 3 trillion is with interest, and this goes to speak about the impossibility of recovering it if these debts go into default.

That's an argument about degree choice, not going to college.

The gov't shouldn't support higher ed? I guess less taxpayers is a good thing for those pulling down an income considering the cost/benefit on at least community college is essentially an extension of our public schooling programs.

HS diplomas are trash now. You need at least some collegiate education to scratch these days and thus gummint should be changing as the market dictates.

dyscalculia

To be honest, I wouldn't mind having government support higher education, if it wasn't for the retention rate being so damn bad as it is.

When at or about half of the freshmen population drops out within their first year in college because of various reason (main one being "it's too hard!"), that's something that the government can fix....

Just because it's available doesn't mean it's for everyone.........

Just because it's available doesn't mean it's for everyone.........

You can still use it for Jeb Bush.

I'm less certain on accountants; they seem to fall into a second category where the basics might only need an associate's degree but promotion prospects stall without further training, which would include lots of computer-related jobs.

DATA ENTRY in my city requires people with a bachelor's degree... that's literally something a chimp could be trained to do. Literally, not figuratively.

Hell anyone can get a BA it is not hard,

tl;dr get into accounting and then graduate only to see the market drop from beneath you.

RIP Architecture majors, circa '08. You really didn't build that.

I'll bash on the liberal arts degrees as much as the next person, but at least that's way more fun than arguing against the idea that the government shouldn't take interest in the country's future.

There's "taking interest in" and there's "throwing money at."

Are you saying that Obama's plan isn't throwing money at the problem?

Have no idea what Obama's "plan" is, don't care either.

Unless it involved student loan forgiveness for STEM careers, then I'll look into it, as I'd love to lose that 30k~ in debt.

I have no problem with free schools, so long as that free is limited to Suny/Cuny. Paying private schools from the gov. Pocket only does bad things....

If you want a world-class education without the hefty price tag it usually carries, it's time you pack your bags and head to Germany.

The country's federal state of Lower Saxony became the last region to scrap tuition fees in mid-October, which means that studying in Germany is now completely free even for international students.

So wherever you come from, doors of elite institutions like the University of Heidelberg and Technical University of Munich, both among the world's top 100 universities, are flung wide open if you're a gifted student....

Since 1985, U.S. college costs have surged by about 500 percent, and tuition fees keep rising. In Germany, they've done the opposite.

The country's universities have been tuition-free since the beginning of October, when Lower Saxony became the last state to scrap the fees. Tuition rates were always low in Germany, but now the German government fully funds the education of its citizens -- and even of foreigners.

Explaining the change, Dorothee Stapelfeldt, a senator in the northern city of Hamburg, said tuition fees "discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up study. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany."

What might interest potential university students in the United States is that Germany offers some programs in English -- and it's not the only country. Let's take a look at the surprising -- and very cheap -- alternatives to pricey American college degrees.

Germany

Germany's higher education landscape primarily consists of internationally well-ranked public universities, some of which receive special funding because the government deems them "excellent institutions." What's more, Americans can earn a German undergraduate or graduate degree without speaking a word of German and without having to pay a single dollar of tuition fees: About 900 undergraduate or graduate degrees are offered exclusively in English, with courses ranging from engineering to social sciences. For some German degrees, you don't even have to formally apply.

In fact, the German government would be happy if you decided to make use of its higher education system. The vast degree offerings in English are intended to prepare German students to communicate in a foreign language, but also to attract foreign students, because the country needs more skilled workers.

Finland

This northern European country charges no tuition fees, and it offers a large number of university programs in English. However, the Finnish government amiably reminds interested foreigners that they "are expected to independently cover all everyday living expenses." In other words: Finland will finance your education, but not your afternoon coffee break.

France

There are at least 76 English-language undergraduate programs in France, but many are offered by private universities and are expensive. Many more graduate-level courses, however, are designed for English-speaking students, and one out of every three French doctoral degrees is awarded to a foreign student.

"It is no longer needed to be fluent in French to study in France," according to the government agency Campus France. The website studyportals.eu provides a comprehensive list of the available courses in France and other European countries.

Public university programs charge only a small tuition fee of about 200 dollars for most programs. Other, more elite institutions have adopted a model that requires students to pay fees that are based on the income of their parents. Children of unemployed parents can study for free, while more privileged families have to pay more. This rule is only valid for citizens of the European Union, but even the maximum fees (about $14,000 per year) are often much lower than U.S. tuition fees. Some universities, such as Sciences Po Paris, offer dual degrees with U.S. colleges.

Sweden

This Scandinavian country is among the world's wealthiest, and its beautiful landscape beckons. It also offers some of the world's most cost-efficient college degrees. More than 900 listed programs in 35 universities are taught in English. However, only Ph.D programs are tuition-free.

Norway

Norwegian universities do not charge tuition fees for international students. The Norwegian higher education system is similar to the one in the United States: Class sizes are small and professors are easily approachable. Many Norwegian universities offer programs taught in English. American students, for example, could choose "Advanced Studies for Solo Instrumentalists or Chamber Music Ensembles" or "Development Geography."

But don't expect to save money in Norway, which has one of the world's highest costs of living for expats. And be careful where you decide to study. "Winters in general are quite different in different parts of the country, with the north having hard, arctic winters, and the southwest mostly having mild, wet average European winters," the Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Education notes.

Slovenia

About 150 English programs are available, and foreign nationals only pay an insignificant registration fee when they enroll. Slovenia borders Italy and Croatia, among Europe's most popular vacation destinations. However, Times Higher Education, a weekly magazine based in London, did not list one Slovenian university in its recent World University Ranking.

Brazil

Some Brazilian courses are taught in English, and state universities charge only minor registration fees. Times Higher Education ranks two Brazilian universities among the world's top 400: the University of Sao Paulo and the State University of Campinas. However, Brazil might be better suited for exchange students seeking a cultural experience rather than a degree.

"It is worth remembering that most of USP activities are carried out in Portuguese," the University of Sao Paulo reminds applicants on its website.

Not sure what systems you're familiar with, but VCCS has transfer agreements to several universities. (VCCS is the Virginia Community College System).

Really if you have decent grades and fit in the range, and filled out your FASFA, it's more or less free anyway, just have to cover your other living expenses, so no I don't have a problem with that. Assuming of course it kept with the same requirements for degree progression and gpa that regular financial aid does, and I see no reason as to why it wouldn't.

Not every system is the same, and a lot of (private, non-state) schools don't accept community college credit unless it's from a specific one.

I mean, sure, if you know what you are doing, what Obama proposes is fine. But can you honestly tell us that college students know what they are doing?