Hi there. Today we’re talking less about college debt, and more about why you’re going to college at all.
“Someday,” you may ask, “what does your major have to do with avoiding college debt?”
Thank you for asking. When making life decisions, particularly those that involve a substantial investment of time and/or money, one should be able to make a solid case for doing so. Simply stating, “I will go to college,” begs the question, “Why?”
I have talked about the opportunity costs of attending college in another post. Even if a person were to go to college on a full ride, that is, with all expenses paid by someone else, there is still a time cost to go to college. Time that you are not earning a living wage. Time that you are not, presumably, amassing marketable job experience.
In addition to opportunity costs, most people have to pay at least some of the cash money cost of attending college (often on the order of many tens of thousands of dollars), and there are living expenses to cover at the same time. Many types of financial aid exist, but for most people, they cover only part of the bill. That’s why there are so many doom-and-gloom stories out there about all the college debt crippling America’s students and recent graduates.
Considering the costs of college, it only makes sense that you have a very solid reason for going in the first place. Here are a few reasons why people go to college:
- To get a good job (or a better job if you’re already working)
- To follow your passion
- Parents told you to go
- Don’t want to go to work yet
- Not sure what else to do after high school
- Everyone else does it
- Looks like a good time
- Seems like a good place to figure out a life plan
Don’t laugh. There are plenty of people who go off to college without much real thought about why. If you went to college, you may have known lots of people who were always changing their major. They did not know why they were in college in the first place.
I knew someone, back in the 1980’s, who went straight to a state university after high school, and got a degree in Swedish. Yes, you read that right. I can’t believe any college offers a degree in Swedish, and thankfully, programs like that have been mostly eliminated. Because Swedish was a passion for this person, but did not pave the way for gainful employment. It was, more or less, a hobby. Not a vocation.
So this person soon went right back to college again, and got another degree, in Nursing. Which has provided financial support of this person’s family in all the years hence. Now, really, was there any point in getting a degree in Swedish at all? “Do what you love, and the money will come.” That’s what they used to say to us Gen X kids. “You can be anything you want to be.”
It turned out that was not exactly true. You can not be a, what, a “Swedishian?” Not professionally, you can’t. Because there is really no such job. Maybe the plan was to teach Swedish or somehow work in the hotbed of U.S. / Swedish relations. Maybe work at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm. Certainly there are a few people who eke out a living doing these Swedish related jobs. A few. For whatever reason, it did not work out in this case, and the second degree was in a much more practical, marketable field. Something that came with a near-guarantee of higher-than-average income.
It seems that many people graduate high school without a clear plan of what their future should look like. They really don’t understand what a 40-hour workweek entails or what job options are available. If they hope to earn a lot of money, one job that comes to mind is doctor. But that feels out of reach for most people, and by the way, it’s expensive and difficult to complete all the required education. Some people look at whatever job their parents have been doing, and are drawn to that, or determined to avoid it.
In 2018, the U.S. economy has been showing many signs of an upswing, which is great news for jobs. But that doesn’t mean there are lots of jobs available in majors that are, arguably, hobbies. And there will likely be many extremely talented (like, virtuoso) people competing for those that do exist. Even if you can find such a job right now, it may not pay very well, or last through the next recession, or help you build an impressive resume.
Have you ever heard the term, “starving artist?” Lots of us have a creative side. More of us than the market can support. Most artists have to do their art as a hobby, and do something else to pay the bills.
You may see where this is all headed, and you may not like it. What do I mean by art, exactly? Pretty simply, I mean the fine arts and the performing arts. Theatre, dance, music, photography, filmmaking, painting, sculpting, crafts, pottery, poetry, design (game, graphic, fashion, etc.) and architecture, all fall into the category of art.
I am not here to tell people they should not attend college to major in an art.
I do have a humble suggestion for anyone who feels they must answer the calling to get a degree in an art. Any art. Might you consider a double major? Tossing in a few business or biology classes could be all it takes to add a second credential and thereby hold a backup plan a bit more firmly in your grasp.
That might involve even more time (opportunity cost) spent at college, and even more financial investment. Indeed it might. But no one is saying the second major has to happen at the (more expensive) bachelor’s level. Imagine getting two associate’s degrees from your (cheaper) local community college, before transferring to your four-year college. If you have earned some credit there already during high school, it might be possible to double major and still complete both associate’s degrees on a typical two-year schedule.
By doing the heavy lifting early on, while the tuition is comparatively cheap, you might save down the road on your overall costs, and open doors right from the beginning. The local community college in my town has a small foundation with scholarships provided by various benefactors. And trust me, it’s a pretty small community college, not some hoity-toity huge fancy community college. Many are open only to certain majors. By having two majors, you may increase your chance at a scholarship. Your transfer options may be expanded as well.
For my only child, who in Jr. High is already talking about such artsy majors as theatre and game design, I have started on the conversation about double majors. I’m not planning to squash her dreams or hold her hostage to my choice of major like some tiger mom. I’m proposing options. Asking her to consider creative possibilities to build an education that will nurture her soul, develop her talent and skills, and provide an improved chance of gainful employment. In the end she will make her own choices, but my hope is that they will be informed rather than thoughtless choices.
Have a nice day!
Someday Wise 