3 ms·

I believe the point of this article was not to trivialize college debt but to criticize the media's frequent citation of college loans in excess of 100k for an

I believe the point of this article was not to trivialize college debt but to criticize the media's frequent citation of college loans in excess of 100k for an individual. Part of the debt problem has been the dearth of students going into high demand majors (mostly STEM). We on hacker news know the benefit of a engineering/computer science degree and being even marginally good at it comes with great rewards.

potatolicious 15y ago
> "Part of the debt problem has been the dearth of students going into high demand majors (mostly STEM)." STEM degrees are expensive - considerably moreso than, say, English degrees. This is especially true for professional degrees like engineering. So yeah, your odds of employment out of school are much better than the English major, but your debt load has increased significantly as well. Getting a STEM degree can mitigate the effects of our ludicrously overpriced education system (i.e., you've got a shitload of debt, but at least you're chipping away at it, as opposed to not making your payments at all), it does not avoid it.
- rdouble 15y ago
  The tuition is exactly the same at the state schools I'm familiar with. Books were more expensive but were a small fraction of the tuition costs.
  - kat 15y ago
    Simon Fraser University (Canada) charges more for engineering and cs courses. http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/for_students/undergrad_tuition_fees.html http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/for_students/undergrad_tuiti...
  - smackfu 15y ago
    And you actually pay cheaper per hour, because full-time tuition is invariably flat rate, but STEM majors (especially engineering) tend to have higher than normal credit hours per semester.
  - cube13 15y ago
    UIUC charges more in tuition for students that are in technical majors.
  - redrobot5050 15y ago
    This is not the case with all state schools. Mine, for example, was contrary to that. Different colleges in the University had different tuition. Obviously Art, Theater, Music, and Engineering have different costs -- why should they all pay flat rates? On top of that, majoring in something technical will also likely require more fees -- lab fees, computer fees, etc. Oh, and your book costs will be higher. Textbook prices have tripled in the last ten years, so now an English Major is paying what I paid for Computer Engineering back in 2000.
- tryitnow 15y ago
  One option with engineering degrees is to do a co-op. My brother did this (at Va Tech) and not only got out with minimal debt but also left with a job at the company he co-oped for. This seems pretty common at Va Tech as other family members and friends have done it. I don't know how common it is elsewhere, but if it's not a common practice it sure should be.
  - LeafStorm 15y ago
    We have a very successful co-op program here at NC State. (I plan to go for one starting sometime next academic year.) There are also a lot of internships available, and we have a huge engineering career fair every semester with loads of companies from all engineering disciplines. Incidentally, there are very few engineers in NC State's contingent of occupiers.
- holograham 15y ago
  Most schools charge the same regardless of major. At my university (private) full time was 15 credits (3 credits per class). As an engineering major, I shouldered a 21 credit per semester course load for all 4 years. Payed the exact same. So yes much cheaper for an engineering major. Add in the factor of real world skills and it's a downright bargain.

potatolicious 15y ago

> "Part of the debt problem has been the dearth of students going into high demand majors (mostly STEM)." STEM degrees are expensive - considerably moreso than, say, English degrees. This is especially true for professional degrees like engineering. So yeah, your odds of employment out of school are much better than the English major, but your debt load has increased significantly as well. Getting a STEM degree can mitigate the effects of our ludicrously overpriced education system (i.e., you've got a shitload of debt, but at least you're chipping away at it, as opposed to not making your payments at all), it does not avoid it.

rdouble 15y ago
The tuition is exactly the same at the state schools I'm familiar with. Books were more expensive but were a small fraction of the tuition costs.
- kat 15y ago
  Simon Fraser University (Canada) charges more for engineering and cs courses. http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/for_students/undergrad_tuition_fees.html http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/for_students/undergrad_tuiti...
- smackfu 15y ago
  And you actually pay cheaper per hour, because full-time tuition is invariably flat rate, but STEM majors (especially engineering) tend to have higher than normal credit hours per semester.
- cube13 15y ago
  UIUC charges more in tuition for students that are in technical majors.
- redrobot5050 15y ago
  This is not the case with all state schools. Mine, for example, was contrary to that. Different colleges in the University had different tuition. Obviously Art, Theater, Music, and Engineering have different costs -- why should they all pay flat rates? On top of that, majoring in something technical will also likely require more fees -- lab fees, computer fees, etc. Oh, and your book costs will be higher. Textbook prices have tripled in the last ten years, so now an English Major is paying what I paid for Computer Engineering back in 2000.
tryitnow 15y ago
One option with engineering degrees is to do a co-op. My brother did this (at Va Tech) and not only got out with minimal debt but also left with a job at the company he co-oped for. This seems pretty common at Va Tech as other family members and friends have done it. I don't know how common it is elsewhere, but if it's not a common practice it sure should be.
- LeafStorm 15y ago
  We have a very successful co-op program here at NC State. (I plan to go for one starting sometime next academic year.) There are also a lot of internships available, and we have a huge engineering career fair every semester with loads of companies from all engineering disciplines. Incidentally, there are very few engineers in NC State's contingent of occupiers.
holograham 15y ago
Most schools charge the same regardless of major. At my university (private) full time was 15 credits (3 credits per class). As an engineering major, I shouldered a 21 credit per semester course load for all 4 years. Payed the exact same. So yes much cheaper for an engineering major. Add in the factor of real world skills and it's a downright bargain.