Is it a hoop?

It's the time of year where school is starting up again and so you begin to hear more and more about the rising cost of college tuition. As a grad student, while I feel it's always the same old song and dance, I can't help but read.

Ah, debt. I know it all too well. I decided that I wanted to attend a smaller college for undergrad. Was it expensive? Yes. I got some assistance through scholarships, but I knew what I was getting into. I don't regret going to Simpson- I learned a lot in my time there and felt I was prepared for the real world.

After working for a few years, I decided that I wanted to combine my two passions- information and helping people. Library science just seemed like a good fit. So, grad school. But this time it was different. Don't get me wrong- I enjoy my classes and do find them valuable. But sometimes I feel like I'm just jumping through a hoop. Undergrad really gave me some great lifelong skills and I feel with grad school, many of the skills they teach us could easily be learned on the job. Outside of these skills we mostly discuss theory, ethics and history. While I enjoy learning all about those things, I'd rather not pay almost $3,000 per class.
I hate this limbo that I feel I'm in- I really want to work in the Library Science field in some capacity and to do so, I need my MLIS. And I am in one of the best programs in the country.
Is it just me? Am I just a jaded know it all?
But I digress. Either way, I'm in the program. I guess my frustration with this "jump through the hoop" feeling really boils down to all the debt I'm taking on. But the silver lining I have to keep reminding myself about is the end result- working in a field I love.

But I'm quite lucky- while I was by no means from a rich family, I came from a family who supports me in my education endeavors and if I needed financial help, would do their best to help me. There are many who do not have such a luxury. Why did getting a college education become so out of reach, especially when a BA is almost a requirement to get a job that pays a living wage? I hear from pundits that they feel Obama is trying to incite class warfare when it isn't really there- but this is a prime example of the grave disparities that exist. If we continue to let college rates rise at crazy percentages, what will happen? Many jobs that don't require a college education have been outsourced- what will we do with all these supposedly undereducated folks? Will we finally change job requirements that look at skills, and not just a piece of paper.