Four-year degrees aren’t for everyone

OPINION:

I retired from K-12 teaching in June 2010 after 38 years in the classroom.

Most of those years were spent at the middle school level, where I taught special education. Would I do it all again? Not in today’s classroom environment. You couldn’t pay me enough.

Teachers, as well as college students, are leaving educational institutions in droves. The national burnout and dropout rate is soaring.

Many college students take five years to earn their undergraduate degrees, as I did. I spent two years at a junior college and three years at Northwest Missouri State University. My tuition, fees, books and dormitory living came to about $2,000 per year for the last three years. I graduated in 1971.

Unfortunately, too many college students realize too late that borrowing a king’s ransom to get a degree is very foolish. They were sold a bill of goods and told they wouldn’t be able to get ahead if they didn’t. What baloney.

My nephew spent $5,000 of his savings to attend an information technology school for one year. He was hired two months before he graduated at $45,000 a year plus great perks. That was 10 years ago; he’s earning about twice that now and just turned 30. He tried junior college for a few years and decided it wasn’t for him. He lived at home during those two years and during his technical training year, saving a lot of money. Now, he regularly gets to refresh his skills with courses, courtesy of his company. He will likely be making well over six figures in a few more years and has zero college debt.

This is what more kids should do: Go to a technical or vocational school. Many community junior colleges offer two-year STEM degrees.

As for us taxpayers, we need to get out of the student loan business. We can’t afford it anymore.

RAY PALMER

Ocoee, Florida