This fall, colleges are seeing more and more students through their doors. With all the economic ups and downs of the last decade, current students are rethinking college again and deciding it may be the best option to go. Whether it is a trade school or a university, colleges are filling up and may be stretched a little thin in the coming months.
Prospects
For many kids in the last five to ten years, it was starting to look cumbersome and expensive to attend college. Many places were toting the importance of a college education, but few were paying well for it. On the flip side, many careers weren’t seeing a need for one or would do more hands-on training within the job role they were hiring for, eliminating the need for a full four years of schooling. Some jobs have seen an increase, such as IT jobs, but that also comes with a very specific training set and skills through the job itself. Kids were opting out of college in favor of jumping right into a career and earning money as fast as possible, facing more economic hardships than other generations.
Upturn to a Degree
Fast forward to now, and many students finishing up high school are rethinking their career paths to include college. More businesses and companies are toting the need for a degree, and can boost their hourly wage with the promise of a candidate with a four-year degree. Kids are circling back to attending college to attain that degree after all, despite the debt they may encounter in the process. Some businesses are requiring a college education as the bare minimum, making it harder to find a decent job without one. The more competitive job market is increasing, leading students down the path to college to make sure they can get something worthwhile in this present economy. Although this may turn to an even higher need of college-education requirements, it is always a good idea to gain more knowledge and skills in a four-year college.
Start Early
Even if you don’t know if your child is interested in college, it’s always a good idea to start saving now! Even tiny amounts can add up if put into an adequate savings account, and as your children grow up, they can help contribute to the fund as well. And even if they decide not to go to college, the money saved can always be put to good use as money towards an apartment, or a car, to help them get started after high school.
Katie Kyzivat