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It's Your Week: Is college worth it? Given mounting student loan debt, most aren't sure

Sallee Ann Harrison   | Paste BN

Pop quiz: How many Americans say it's problematic that employers require a college degree for jobs that don't need them?

Answer: About 3 in 4.

👋 Sallee Ann here, and this is Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers. This week we're going back to class to learn more about how Americans feel about college and if a fancy piece of paper is really worth it.

But first, don't miss these stories made possible with your subscription:

The cost of college

A new poll from Paste BN and Public Agenda explored how Americans feel about higher education and if the current system really meets today's demands. 

Here are some of the poll's biggest findings:

  • About 3 in 4 Americans say it's a problem that employers require a college degree for jobs that don't need them. 
  • About 66% of Americans say colleges are stuck in the past instead of meeting the needs of today's students. 
  • Roughly 83% agree the cost of college makes it difficult for low-income students to get an education.
  • About 3 in 5 say getting a degree is "too time-consuming and expensive for working adults." 

These findings come at a time when undergraduate enrollment has fallen by more than a million students in the past two years and the nation’s $1.7 trillion student loan debt portfolio continues to balloon. 

"Americans’ frustration with the expense of higher education echoes what I have been hearing anecdotally from student loan borrowers for months," said education reporter Chris Quintana. "Over and over again, people tell me they’re grateful for their degrees and the doors they opened, but their monthly payments had worn them thin prior to the payment pause. Not every borrower struggles, but it’s clear for many the cost of social mobility is steep."

About 80% of Americans say student loan debt is a problem, and about 3 in 5 are in favor of “forgiving a significant portion of government student loans for college graduates who have excessive debt.” About 4 in 5 Democrats support student forgiveness, and roughly 40% of Republicans do. 

"I expect the conversations around college affordability, and those around student loan forgiveness, to grow louder as we near the end of the moratorium," Quintana said. "That’s scheduled for the end of August, but the freeze has been extended multiple times already."

The value of vocational schools

When I shared this story with subscribers in our texting campaign, many brought up the value of trade schools. Opinion contributor Samantha Cortese Taunton knows about that firsthand.

Taunton writes that, growing up, it was an expectation to go to a four-year college to start your career. What she wished she knew then: There are other options. 

Taunton wanted to be a pilot. She attended a four-year college, majoring in mathematics. But when she graduated, she couldn't get into her dream field.

So she started looking into aviation maintenance technician schools.

"I was impressed by not only the shorter time to graduation but also the more affordable courses as compared with my bachelor's degree," Taunton writes.

After 16 months at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, she graduated with a mechanic job. She is now able to make a living while paying off her student loan debt.

"Student debt is a thief," she writes. "If I could have avoided any of it, I would have."

More stories you don't want to miss:

Bzz, bzz! Text with Paste BN

I mentioned our texting campaign earlier and I wanted to share with y'all an awesome interaction that happened there this week.

After I shared a preview of the latest Jan. 6 hearing, one of our subscribers, Brett A. had a question: What happens if November comes and some of these committee members don't get re-elected?

My first reaction: Hmm, I'd never thought of that. So I went to the folks who know more than me, which in this case was Congress reporter Bart Jansen.

Here's what he had to say: This is a good question because at least two of the nine members of the committee are leaving Congress: Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla. Others could also lose their bids for reelection. But the committee created in 2021 was envisioned as serving only through this year. The resolution that created it also called for it to terminate 30 days after its final report. The final report is expected in the fall before the November election. 

The more you know! Want your questions about today's news answered? It's never too late to sign up for our subscriber-only texting campaign.

Thank you

Thank you for making our work possible with your Paste BN subscription. We couldn't do what we do without you. See you next week!

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