Student debt.
It’s the one thing all college kids try to avoid but can’t seem to get away from.
When I decided to further my education after graduating high school, I knew that going into debt was inevitable. Like many students, my parents make just enough to make me not qualified for a substantial amount financial aid, yet not enough to live comfortably while paying for my books, tuition, and housing out of pocket. This means the majority of my expenses have been covered through me borrowing money via student loans.
Borrowing money often comes with a negative connotation. From the time we are young, it is drilled into us, at least in my experience, that debt is bad and as an adult, you don’t want any part of it. I agree but only to an extent. My education, though, is a huge exception to that philosophy.
The experience and education I get while in school has no monetary value in my eyes, but like most good things, it comes at a cost. Tuition isn’t cheap, not to mention the needed books, supplies, housing, meal plans, and transportation cost that feeds into the overall semester expenditures that seem to increase year by year. And in order to pay those costs, I have to borrow money to make up for what my family and I can't – which is totally OK.
STUDENT DEBT IS OK.
I have never understood kids who claim they “can’t afford” college when the option of student loans are present. It is OK to borrow that money, not to mention rather easy. Yes, that means after graduation you have the burden of repaying that loan, but with your newly earned degree to land a better paying job, it’s worth it. In other words, the return exceeds the payout.
I would much rather pay back the money I used to essentially get a well-paying job that I enjoy than to struggle to make it financially throughout my adult life. Let's face it: a degree of any kind is becoming more and more of a requirement for jobs. There are some exceptions to this, meaning there are jobs out that equally pay well and people enjoy, but those are few and far between.
College is something that I can’t put a price or value on, even though the institutions do. The tough professors, all-nighters in the library, unusual amounts of coffee – they all make up a picture that is unique to me, there for me to learn from and grow. Even though I have to go into short-term student debt over it, it is an experience I consider priceless.
