I feel extremely sympathetic towards young people who are either at the point in their lives where they are going to be graduating from college, or if they are at the point in their lives where they are graduating from high school and have to make the decision as to whether or not they want to go to college. The reason that I feel sorry for young people who are getting ready to graduate from college is because they are going to be entering into an extremely difficult job market. Even if they have done well over the course of their college career and have the skills necessary to land a job within their target industry, as a result of the bad economy over the last two years, the job market has shrunk considerably. Not only have many companies either stopped their hiring or reduced it quite significantly, but there are countless companies who have had no choice but to layoff existing employees from within their companies. So, while they may be coming out of college with the energy to take on the world, they might be hit with a stiff dose of reality when they find themselves unable to secure a job.

In regards to the other group of young people, the reason I feel sorry for those who are graduating from high school and are in the position where they have to decide whether or not they are going to attend college is because their view of things is going to be greatly complicated by what they have seen over the past two years. Before this time of economic struggle, if a young person was unsure of whether or not a college degree held as much value as people said, it was pretty simple to sit down and show them the straightforward facts. However, as a result of the situations that so many people with college degrees have found themselves in (from being laid off to being forced to take jobs that only compensate them at a fraction of what they deserve), it is harder to make this argument in many cases. The issue becomes even more complicated for students who will be financing most or all of their education through students loans, because they are going to be concerned about accumulating a large amount of debt when their chances of securing a job are not guaranteed.

Although it is a difficult issue to face, I still think that getting a college degree is the best choice a young person can make. Sure, it’s not a guaranteed ride to the top, but it will give you a lot of advantages that you wouldn’t have otherwise. And, on the subject of student loans, it’s important to keep in mind that you are purposely taking on this debt, and not just accumulating it as a result of unwise spending. Additionally, there are ways to lessen the load of this type of debt, such as getting a student loan refinance. Down the road, getting a student loan refinance can help you ensure that paying off your student loan debt remains a manageable task, regardless of the situation you find yourself in.