The Victims Called U.S. Citizens

I have become a victim along with thousands of others in my generation, hundreds in older generations, and the potential millions of the next generation.  I am a victim because I was born in the U.S. and decided to further my education.

Why are U.S. citizens victims?  Because we have been tricked into debt.  My debt is currently $80,000 (give or take).  And my debt was due to investing in myself.

It is no surprise to those my age that college costs a lot of money to go to.  Most of us now are paying the the penalty of going to school (pun intended).  I got one of the shortest ends of the stick currently:

1. I have debt from grad school on top of college

2. I graduated when the economy still hasn't recovered

3. I have no job-job that allows me peace of mind when it comes to paying the loans back

4. I have no health insurance (well, from a job. I paid for some in case I end up in the ER one day)

I'm living the American way: land of the free, home of the brave, and in a ton of debt.

Of course, no one actually tells you this when you're applying to schools (except maybe your parents).  When looking at schools in high school, I remember the guidance counselor told us all to not worry about the cost of tuition, there are student loans for that.  Well, student loans ends up getting a bunch of graduates in trouble, especially if they don't find a job right away.  There lies the problem: we are being told to not worry about debt.  But what if you don't find a job by the end of 6 months?  Then you not only have a feeling of failure but also a monthly bill from the loan fairy.

I thought about it the other day.  If I didn't have all these loans to pay back, my current job would give me all I need to live comfortably.  Maybe we have it all wrong.  Maybe we shouldn't go to college right away and instead, work for a few years.  That way we have some money saved up to avoid massive loans.  I was able to save a decent amount of money the year between undergrad and grad school where all I did was work.

So what can we do about this?  Well, for 7% of college grads, the answer is to default on their loan.  Another option is to decrease payments by increase the loan term from 10 to 30 years (something I really would like to avoid doing).  A third option is to opt for the cheapest school or the one that offers the biggest scholarship (kind of what I did for undergrad since I knew I wouldn't stop with a Bachelors).  The last option is to go into a field that either allows you to be self-employed or advance in your current company.

Why does America make it feel like a punishment after attending college but yet more and more job fields makes having some sort of college education mandatory?