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> This is the case of your parents and grandparents, your government, the schools, the newspapers, etc. all effectively telling you that it's a good idea to inv
by wang_li 10y ago
> This is the case of your parents and grandparents, your government, the schools, the newspapers, etc. all effectively telling you that it's a good idea to invest in education.
I'm pretty sure that absolutely no one anywhere tells their kid, go to Columbia University, live full time in Manhattan, take an extra three years to finish your bachelors, study pottery making, live entirely off of student loans. Aim for at least $400,000 in debt when you finish.
No one ever says that. Ever.
(As a random data point, the average student debt in 2015 was $35,000. That doesn't seem like an insurmountable bill.)
- codyb 10y agoDoesn't seem like it but when you're paying rent, electric, gas, loans, phone, food, and transportation it adds up pretty quickly especially when you're working below median wages for families/single persons in America, or worse, unemployed. There's a reason more people are living at home, struggling with their debts, and the middle class is declining and it's not because their bills are so easily surmounted.
- viraptor 10y agoNot in this words. It's closer to: aim higher, follow your dreams, figure out what you want to do in life, good education now will give you good salary in the future. In practice they easily translate in some mind to the statements you mentioned. Also 35k is still a huge amount that will follow you for decades for some people.