This year’s job market has been bleak, to say the least. Layoffs hit the highest level in 14 years; job openings are barely budging; and quits figures are plummeting. It’s no wonder people feel stuck and discouraged—especially as many candidates have been on the job hunt for a year.
But some mid-career professionals are working with the cards they’ve been dealt by going back to school. Many are turning to data analytics, cybersecurity, AI-focused courses, health care, MBA programs, or trade certifications for an “immediate impact on their careers,” Metaintro CEO Lacey Kaelani told Fortune.
But while grad school can certainly offer the opportunity to level-up your career once you’ve completed a program, it comes with financial and personal sacrifices, like time. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, one year of grad school, on average, costs about $43,000 in tuition. That’s nearly 70% of the average salary in the U.S.
when facing unemployment, the LAST thing I want to do is burn a shitload of money on the absolute fucking racket that is higher education in the USA.
Unless it’s for something like HVAC or plumbing or nursing where there’s never not a constant need, anyways
nursing you would still have to burn alot of money, but the demand is there for nursing, if you can tolerate PEOPLE and bodily wastes. you can make bank depending on what you do. if one has a degree, schools will consider it as post-bacc, so the classes are MUCH MORE expensive than if you were taken as a undergrad(they upcharge it for graduates and post baccs). one should not get a 2nd degree, since schools may allow you to do that, they called “academic incest”. i had former co-worker in retail, he was already in the tech field, he was delusional into trying to get another degree to do with AI(and getting a ms eventually), i told them you should just find a job in tech(beginning of pandemic)
I wish we could just go back to schools being for people who want to learn about things, and putting employers back in charge of training their work force. Subsidizing a fucking intermediary to provide the basic ticket into the work force…who the fuck came up with that idea?
the problem is employers dont train employees anymore, so they look at “2+years experience required as a first start”
It’s a stop gap, hoping for better times in the future. I did it when I had a physical disability no one could explain, so I couldn’t get disability coverage much less any treatment. I ate some loans instead of living on the street or with abusive family. It sucked, but that’s the US for you - if you’re not making someone money, you’re welcome to just go die.
Just when I thought I had read thee most dystopian shit. Here you go staving off homelessness with an unforgivable loan to an educational institution masquerading as a homeless shelter/bank. A shocking and appalling, yet all to common tale. Im hoping you have a positive outcome.
Thank you so much! This was over two decades ago. Everything turned out pretty a great. The abusive parent is dead, I have a wonderful partner, and we’re parents to a big family of furry children. I do still have a six figure student loan, but it’s pretty close to magically going away. Feels good!
P.s. I can’t believe I can say “over two decades ago” and for that time to be when I was an adult. Fuck, I got old!