>>Are housing and transportation not valid applications of a student loan? IMO, no >> I would have effectively been barred from getting a degree. One thing

>>Are housing and transportation not valid applications of a student loan? IMO, no >> I would have effectively been barred from getting a degree. One thing we need to get away from as a society is this belief that everyone should get and/or is entitled to a degree. I am very much in Mike Rowe's camp on this issue, the idea that the default position is every child should spent until the age of 24 in schooling costing in general about $500,000 to "educate" a single child is a complete waste of resources. We need to refocus the work force and have more opportunities for people that do not have a degree. The vast majority of jobs in society should not (and do not in reality) need a degree. Sure Doctors, Engineers, etc may still need that level, but one should not need a 100K+ Computer Science degree to write LOB apps in python, or to be a mid level manager in some office.