We can no longer work our way through college

Today, being a college student is absolutely nothing like it was even a decade ago. Tuition has completely skyrocketed, and more and more students graduate with a degree followed by tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

As of 2012, college tuition has increased 1,120% since 1978, according to an article from the Huffington Post. In addition, nearly 7 out of 10 students left school in 2013 with an average of over $28,000 in debt, with debt reaching up to $33,000 for the Class of 2014 (US News.com). An article from CNN reports many of the individuals who owe student loans are 24 years old, paid for college without the financial support of their family, come from low-income backgrounds and are typically the first people in their family to attend university.

Being said, it is clear completing a college degree and coming out into the workforce debt-free is pretty difficult nowadays. Debt often haunts students well into adulthood; many graduates are less likely to take out auto or homeowner’s insurance as a result of their debt.

Why is ‘Cuse so damn expensive

We do not need math or equations or percentages to tell us that paying for college is hard. Let’s face it—it was ten, twenty years ago, and it is even harder today. We can no longer rely on working part-time or Federal Work Study jobs to pay our way through college to obtain a degree. An article from The Atlantic released last year claimed, “the average student’s college tuition is equivalent to 991 hours behind the counter.”

Not only is working one’s way through college not feasible, it is just simply not possible. With school work, the increasing in pressure to obtain internships (unpaid, for the most part), and building up one’s resume in anyway possible to get a leg-up on the job hunt in society, it is not realistic time-wise, (or in general), to pay one’s own way through university.

We are always hearing “How’s the job hunt going?” “Any internships?” or “You have to do x, y and z to get a good job when you graduate” from our well-meaning friends, teachers and family. However, unbeknownst to them, we as modern-day college students, have a lot more to juggle than they did, from job hunting,  school work, and extra-curricular’s.

The increasing pressure to find a job in today’s dog-eat-dog job market has become a competitive, brutal field. Every single detail is taken into account, and with students spending their time worrying about their careers and futures, how is there any time for them to work their way through college? It is an unrealistic, impossible standard, and it angers me that people even suggest otherwise.

We NEED the government and universities to step in and do something about this epidemic eating away at us millennials. Whether decreasing interest rates on loans, lowering the cost of tuition or issuing more grants and/or scholarships, only then will it be easier on students’ wallets and minds.