There are frequently debates about whether the increased salary that comes with having the debt of education is worth leaving a job for (this implies being unemployed during school). It's something that one should definitely consider and do so carefully. Although I am a huge advocate of individuals getting as much education as possible, it's not for everyone. What ever your choice, best of luck to you financially.
The salary that comes with it, initially at least, isn't always worth the effort, time and money spent. That's the short term reality. The long term reality is that once you pay off the loans and assuming you got a degree that is worth anything, you will be better off through retirement (and live comfortably when you do) if you have half a brain. even 10 years of paying off loans is a short term problem when you consider you will probably work for
at least 50 years after you graduate. From that POV it's a small price to pay for long term security.
College also teaches you important skills like critical thinking, something that should
never be sold short if you look at the broader view of life.
s2odin said:
/start rant
Meh a degree is just a piece of paper imo. It's a very expensive piece of paper which doesn't guarantee anything. Sure, you may have a degree, but with no experience you won't get that great of a job (if you can even find any job openings). I would rather do something hands on and actually feel like I'm making a difference. I don't want to go into a huge rant, but not to offend anyone I labeled this as a "rant".
/end rant.
s2odin said:
That may be so, but you need experience to go along with that degree.
And what do you do if you slacked off and chose a degree that you have no interest in, and you have a piece of paper that has the world "Zoology" across the top. Say you want to be an accountant but your degree is in zoology. Good luck. And internships don't always work. I have talked to a few friends around here who applied for internships, and got turned down because someone else applied, who had 3/4/7 yeas, respectively experience in that job field. It's the same thing behind credit. You need credit to build credit? You need experience to get more experience.
It's not just a piece of paper, at least not if you didn't "slack off" and get a degree in basket weaving or Liberal arts. If you got a degree in Zoology and you make the field a career because you enjoy it, then it's not a bad thing.
Reading your sig I see you are going into the USAF. Here's a story for you. I did a number of years in the USN and one of my billets was i Navy F-14D fighter squadron (yeah, I'm old). One of the pilots I knew got a degree in Liberal Arts. Wasted degree, right? WRONG! That degree allowed him to enter the USN as an Officer vice enlisted, qualify for flight school and fly jets for Aircraft Carriers. It's NOT just a piece of paper, it can get you far in life if you use it correctly.
The military is much like a trade school and can be treated as such, but ONLY if you make the most out of it. It's not a free ride or the answer to all of your problems. It does give you a leg up on others if you choose to go to school and it can be a wonderful career for the right people (it's not for everyone). It can also lead you into a good career when you leave the service, but only if you play your cards right and actually become good at not only your job, but any other one that touches you job (MOS) remotely. Being the go to guy in the military can have it's drawbacks (lots of hard work and long hours) but it can have its benefits in the long run as well.