Now that the class of 2019 has graduated from their respective 4-year institutions, a lot of people are left wondering; “What now?” “What can I even do with this 40,000+ dollar piece of paper?” For a lot of people, no matter how much their learned, the research they conducted, or the internships they excelled in, it’s not enough for most employers. Students work continuously for four years only to not hear back from any of the jobs they applied to. At graduation, I talked to a student in film who said that his applications were now in the triple digits, and he had no leads on a job. 

One student said that she felt her degree was valuable because most jobs require at least a B.A. to apply, but that was where it stopped. Even if you have one, they won’t take you seriously at the entry level. This student said that she chose journalism because it “gave me options and didn’t limit me in terms of career paths, since you can do a lot with a BA in communications.” In the end, though, she felt she was always having to prove herself in internships, Even after getting an MA, students still aren’t getting jobs. 

With a shift in the requirement to at least get a bachelor’s degree, and a Master’s degree becoming a unspoken necessity for most fields, there needs to be a shift in cost as well. I am fortunate enough to have a family that supports me with the cost of college, but I was wait listed at the only two in-state Maryland schools that have a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology. I believe that those schools are looking for more out-of-state students to pay that higher tuition, which leaves me with no affordable option, and no financial aid. If I hadn’t gotten into more competitive schools than the in-state schools, I would accept their decisions. However, I know the time and effort I put into my application, and my natural passion for the field, and that should trump any cost-based decisions. 

And that’s just my experience. There are people who cannot afford higher education at all, or higher education is not for them. Not everyone needs to go to college! Some students are pressured into it, without even knowing what they want to do with their lives. 18 is a very early age to  try and figure out your career for the rest of your life. And switching majors isn’t the easiest process after a certain time. If you want to finish your degree in four years, you need to have your major set by sophomore year. And it should be more acceptable to take more time to finish your degree, but the price tag doesn’t always allow that. We need to allow students to take their time to figure out their passion, and not let that be hindered by cost. 

I hope in the future that either the cost of higher education decreases, or is free, or the bachelor’s degree stops being a requirement for people wanting any job or salary. This is a call to action to our (hopefully) new president in the next election, to please, PLEASE change our higher education system to be more equitable and realistic for our students and future leaders.