Sigh...higher ed woes.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/09/05/rick-perrys-plan-10000-for-a-ba

You hear a plan like Rick Perry's and of course you're intrigued. But it's too simple- the complexities laid out in this Room For Debate show how while Perry is on the right track (because higher ed is *way* too expensive) he needs to dig deeper.

But he and everyone else is right- this bubble needs to burst, and if it keeps up, it will. It will reach a point where people will start to forego a college education because of the insane costs. And then what will they do?

The one question that kept popping up in my mind while reading this (and while I understand why it wasn't addressed- it's its own topic in itself) was what do we do for the college educated students who have graduated in the 21st century? We've got the debt and few job prospects. If we're going to reform the cost of education, we also need to reform the loans/financial aid/payback/forgiveness. Because no matter how much you lower the cost, it will always be a financial burden to some. So we need to also have something in place so that they're not swamped in debt come 6 months after graduation, jobless but with a fancy piece of paper.

And what about grad students? Or med students? You can't give them a $10,000 degree. But how can we make it affordable post graduation?

These thoughts swirl the mind as I realize I'm less than a year from graduation. With my current bills (which are pretty much the basics of food, car/insurance/gas, rent, internet) plus the prospect of lots of student loan debt heaping down- I'd be struggling. Granted, there are many lifestyle cuts I could make, but even then- if I lived a bare bones, ramen lifestyle, I still wouldn't be able to make ends meet. So here's to hoping for a better paying job! Yay?