What is your education worth?

This post has been long over due.

In high schools across the country, students are being fed the same line; go to college to make more money. But it's not that easy. I find myself swimming in debt. My decision to go to college was not fully thought through. Now granted I would not be the person I am today if I had not gone to Gettysburg College. But there are so many things I would change if I could. I've learned more about what it really takes to survive in the real world over the past year and half.

Just because you earn a degree does not mean you will get a good paying job. Now granted I went to school for Art, but I have class mates that seem to be doing alright with similar degrees. Here's where I messed up. I never took the time to look into internships, never took the time to gain real job experience before I left college. The second mistake I made was not double majoring. If I had double majored in Art and Sociology (rather than just a minor) maybe I'd have a viable job. Maybe I would not be drowning. But I didn't.

The biggest mistake I made was paying as much as I did for college. I graduated with a BFA and enough debt to pay a mortgage. Not the smartest thing to do.

So here's my advice to anyone looking to go to college for anything.

- Work before you go to school, figure out what it is that you really want todo
- Research schools, find the right program
- Understand how student loans work, just because a bank lends you 40k does not mean that you will be able to pay it back.
- Double major.
- Find an internship to give you experience
- Finally, college is not for everyone, some days it feels like it's just a medal of social status that weighs me down