Education...

How important is education these days?

Well, obviously I believe in education to some extent, since I went to college for 7 years.

But I think education (and its importance) varies mostly depending on your field. 

To become a physical therapist, college is non-negotiable. 

So the decision was easy. 

And I'm happy that I received the education that I did. 

But let me just get on a quick soapbox here about STUDENT LOANS.

Student Loans are the bane of society--that, combined with the inflated costs of going to college, are creating a generational crisis, in my opinion. 

My parents, for example, were able to work AND go to school. 

I can only speak for myself, but my part time jobs that I had while in college (I had TWO) no where NEAR covered my costs. 

And there's a zero percent chance I could have done it without loans. 

To me, this is the issue: Once again, as is typical in this country, the middle class suffers. 

My parents make decent money. But they are definitely middle class. They were able to help me with college, but definitely couldn't pay for it completely. Grad school was almost entirely on my own, of course. And I didn't expect more--they did everything they could for me and that was a lot.


That being said, after 7 years of college (and I took out as LITTLE as possible), I owed $63,000. That's the total, after interest. My loans (principal) were less than that.

I've been paying for 4 1/2 years. Making extra payments where possible. I currently owe $25,000. 


I'm trying to buy a house. 
I'm trying to pay for a wedding. 
I'm trying not to spend every LAST cent on those things. 
...

And I lived with my PARENTS, nearly RENT FREE, for 4 years!!! 

HOW DO PEOPLE AFFORD IT WHEN THEY HAVE TO LIVE ON THEIR OWN???

HOW IS IT THAT SOMEONE LIKE ME, WHO IS EDUCATED, MOTIVATED, HAS A JOB, PAYS MY BILLS, SAVES MONEY, AND HAS MANAGED TO PUT ALMOST $40,000 towards LOANS ALONE PLUS SAVE $15,000+ and buy a car, etc...

How is it that I'm scraping together money to buy a house???

I'm clearly not reckless with my money. I took the bullet and lived with my parents. I saved all I could and paid all I could. And I'm STILL in the RED.



I hate to say it, and I hope I don't offend anyone--but it doesn't pay to be in the middle. The wealthier people can afford the college costs. And the poorer people get more help--from government loans to needs-based scholarships. 

(sidenote--I'm not saying poorer people get more help or have it better in all areas of life--clearly NOT. But in this particular case, having NO money becomes almost an advantage.) 


In summation, I loved my education, and I'm grateful for it.

I'm not grateful, however, that I've worked so hard to be financially responsible and I still owe $25,000.
It's bullshit.

But education itself (college costs removed) is NOT.