The cost for secondary education has reached an all time high. In fact, the cost for college has increased by 1,100% since 1980. Most students, locally and globally, depend on scholarships and loans to attend college. This leaves students in thousands of dollars of debt when they begin their adult lives. Why do they do this to themselves, you ask? Well, in today’s job market, it is virtually impossible to get a well-paying job without having some kind of degree. Jobs that once only required a high school diploma now require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

    The prices of college initially rose because of the baby boom. There were more people applying for college than expected, so universities had to raise prices to build new facilities and hire new professors. When does that end? Prices raise exponentially every year. You would think that since colleges know how many students to expect and sufficient facilities have already been built, prices should begin to go down. However, they are not because college has turned into a profitable industry.

    The price of college is a cause for stress and debt for the individual, but it is also hurting the economy. It is an endless cycle. The economy is bad so graduates are having a hard time finding jobs. When they finally are employed, their money doesn’t go out into the market. Most of their money is paying hundreds of dollars a month towards their student loans. SInce money is so tight, most graduates of this generation are not leaving home until their mid-20’s or even later. They simply can’t afford to leave. This also kills our economy because they are not buying houses and utilities, which is hurting those industries.

    Something must be done about college affordability to fix the current economic situation in the United States. Secondary education has become a necessity and if the government can find a way to make it affordable, many of this country’s problems would be solved. There would be more well-educated people, more money going into the economy, and less debt overall. Other countries around the globe have found a way to have free or affordable secondary education, hopefully the United States can follow suit.