College education
is big business, and with easy Federal loans, prices for everything
from tuition to text books is going through the roof. Once degreed,
the majority of college grads are ill-equipped to handle the current
marketplace. Many of those who entered college just five years ago
simply cant find work in a 21st century economy thats
imploding on all sides. What college grads are left with are massive
loans that cant be repaid and a room in mom and dads
basement.
This latest
video from the National Inflation Association should be viewed
by parents and potential college students alike.
At one time,
college was an investment. Today, its become, as one interviewee
in the documentary suggests, indentured servitude.
For parents
and teens looking at colleges, we suggest taking a close look at
the amount of money that will need to be spent and borrowed, compared
to the benefits that will come out of the degree pursued. Thirty
years ago, a bachelor of business would have been a desired degree
to hold. In an economy with over 20% unemployed, one must ask: how
many business administration and management jobs will there be four
or five years from now, especially if we continue to lose production
capacity to cheap foreign labor.
If youre
dead set on sending your kids to college, or you yourself are preparing
to enter higher education, look at the future to determine what
you should be learning. China will be the leading economy by the
end of the decade perhaps consider becoming fluent in Chinese.
Seen the prices of commodities lately? With monetary printing, a
growing global population, and the possibility of major weather
changes (natural or man made) we suggest take a close look at careers
in resource-based (food, energy, water) industries.
Most importantly,
prepare your mind for a post-college environment where, rather than
finding a job for someone else, you are able to invent your own.
For those who
have chosen to avoid college, perhaps the best route to take is
some type of modern-day apprenticeship in a field that will thrive
during a recession or depression. Learn to farm, to purify and treat
water, carpentry, metal works, and other jobs that produce physical
goods needed by society. You may not end up being rich (but you
might), however, youll be much better off than the guy in
the basement with no idea about what to do with a degree an employer
could care less about.