College: The Biggest Scam In American History

WE'VE ALL BEEN SCAMMED! Everyone, check your wallets! Check your bank accounts! What happened to all our money!? Looks like we just got taken for a ride. So what happened? Oh, you went to college? Chances are you, or your parents owe a substantial amount of money.

Just some statistics for you:
In the first quarter of 2012, it is reported that 20 million people go to college a year. Of those 20 million, 12 million (60%) borrow money to go to school. Currently, the average amount of money owed per borrower is roughly $24,000. The average starting salary for a college graduate is ~$42,000 a year. This is if they are lucky enough to find a job in their career field. A high school diploma will earn you roughly $33,000 a year. High school dropouts average just $21,000 a year.

We've all been told we need to go to college our entire lives. What if right now going to college isn't your best option? The economy is horrible, and digging yourself into a hole of debt at the beginning stages of your life may not be the best route. Tuition costs have steadily risen over the last 20 years. Why? Because college know they can charge it! So why do kids go to college?

Here's a few reasons:

1. They want to get away from home and party
2. They've been promised that if they work hard that they'll get a good job
3. It's a good way to put off getting a full time job
4. They're friends are going
5. They've been preparing for it their whole lives

Trust me, a good job can be promised to no one these days. So really here is the cycle in which we enter when we go to college.
 

Go to College ====> Get into Debt ====>  Look for Job ====> Pay off Debt
 

Now you are stuck. Whether you like the job you find or not, you now NEED it. In order to pay off those loans you NEED the job. The system has you. They have produced a worker.

There are other options outside of college. People tend to look down on them and I used to be one of them. I think that if someone didn't go to college, we assume they just aren't smart enough. I don't find this to be the case now. There are a couple of things you can do instead of college that may be better off for you in the long run.

• Trade School

 It's shorter schooling and usually involves a lot of OJT. They will even place you in a job if you are qualified. Gets you into a career faster and earning some decent money. Demand is always high for jobs like electricians and plumbers.

• Join the Military

Isn't that for poor and stupid people? Not anymore it's not. The military is becoming a better and better option as the economy declines. Not only is it a paying job, but it also gives you job experience and the benefits are great. The GI Bill will even pay for your college after just three years of service. 

• Move Abroad

Not only will this broaden your horizons, but you will find that it is cheaper to live in other, developed countries. There are a lot of things to consider, but teaching English is always an option to make money in other countries. 



Don't fall into the trap that has been set for you. If you can't get scholarships to pay for your schooling, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

It's hard to win a game that's rigged. Hard to earn in a market that is cornered.

That's News To Me

In light of the presidential debate last night, I found myself compelled to watch the news this morning. I turned it on and flipped through a few of the news stations. I tend to keep an opened mind when it comes to the news. You never can truly trust whether you are getting the full story, or if they are spoon feeding you what they want you to see.

Several news broadcasts claimed Obama had won the debate last night, others claimed Romney. Some said they both had done damage to themselves. I'm not here to endorse either candidate (Because I don't) nor am I here to break down the debate. I'm simply commenting on how the media works in this country.

Perhaps you watched the debate last night, perhaps not. If you tune to your local news channel you will find them undoubtedly talking about it. My advice, if you are interested, turn off the news and watch the debate yourself. Allow yourself to formulate your own opinions. Whether you know it or not, the media is influencing your opinion on the subject.

Back in the 1950's the Asch Conformity Experiments were conducted. For a full breakdown of the experiment you can go HERE. Basically the experiment found that a person will make an incorrect decision even when he/she knows it is wrong, when others are around influencing it. Seventy-Five percent of participants gave one or more incorrect answers when influenced by the group. Denying even your most basic instincts, you, for whatever reason, have a high chance to change an answer you would give just to fit in..

So how does this tie into the media? If the media is telling you that 84% of Americans feel a certain way, or 70% of people are currently performing an action, in general you will start to gravitate towards it. Whether it be conscious or subconscious.

Don't let the media tell you how to think or what to do. Formulate your own opinions on things.    

America, The Poorest Country On Earth

Weird title huh? It's not how we usually envision The United States. With our constant obsession with taking out loans and our country as a whole living off credit, it is not a hard concept to grasp.  

As of this writing, the United States Outstanding Public Debt is current just over $16.16 trillion dollars. Given this number, it is estimated that every person in the United States, children and seniors included, is in debt ~$51,000. That number applies to every single US citizen. Now, I hate to say it this way, but this is not the case in third world countries or countries that we consider ourselves "better" than. We may have a high quality of life, but we haven't even fully paid for it yet.

Keep in mind, there is no single country that owes as much money as we do. We have only been an official country since 1776 and yet somehow have amassed a debt that is greater than any of us can imagine. We need to start living within our means rather than constantly trying to pretend we are something that we are not. There is no reason for it.

Imagine a world in which you do not take out auto loans, mortgages, student loans or any other type of loan that requires you to pay a substantial amount of interest. Everything you bought would be actually yours. You wouldn't owe money to the bank or to a private institution. No stress about a credit score. Credit cards would be a thing of the past.

This, unfortunately, would force Americans to do the one thing they hate the most. They would have to.... DUN DUN DUN..... WAIT to buy things! The money would have to be earned before they could buy whatever it was they wanted. Scary thought.

Maybe one day things will change. Something drastic would have to happen due to the fact that we are pretty set in our ways. Not to mention, creditors could stand to lose a substantial amount of money, and I don't think they are willing to go away without a fight.