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Posted in these groups: 
Education
Advancement
Education Advancement
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 14
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For myself, YES. As a nurse, I MUST have the education. The advanced degree was mostly TA, but TA did not cover all, so about 33% was out of pocket and i am still paying on the student loans. Even with that being said, I am setting myself up for good employment options when i retire.
For my WIFE, unfortinately, no. She racked up a bunch of student loans, we are still paying (only about 50K to go?), and the income potenial that she is has is MUCH MUCH less.
Daughter is in 8th grade, so not an issue YET, but I hope that she can find a school AND a degree path that will be cost effective AND have good earning potential in the long run. She likes animals, so I am HOPING to guide her to Vetrinarian....
For my WIFE, unfortinately, no. She racked up a bunch of student loans, we are still paying (only about 50K to go?), and the income potenial that she is has is MUCH MUCH less.
Daughter is in 8th grade, so not an issue YET, but I hope that she can find a school AND a degree path that will be cost effective AND have good earning potential in the long run. She likes animals, so I am HOPING to guide her to Vetrinarian....
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Yes. Even though my Masters was paid for by the Army, in my field if you don't get an advanced degree, your career is going to go nowhere. Even if I had to pay for it out of pocket, the earning potential that was opened up by my grad degree is well worth the cost of it.
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MAJ Michael Scharff
The army sent me to grad school full time at Syracuse University while I was a captain, so I too had it paid for. While mine was "free", it also helped me get a job when I got out of the military. I was actually "unemployed" for two days before I got a job offer and my graduate degree helped me land that job - so even if I had had to go into debt for it, it would have been worth it.
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SGM (Join to see)
Army sent me to grad school at OU and also covered much of Norwich U (Vermont College).
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Definitely not, if it's going to put an individual into debt that lasts years! There are so many ways to help offset costs; however, students need to be shrewd in order to take advantage of those benefits. Whatever you do, don't rack up student loans that you're still paying off decades later!
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MAJ Michael Scharff
I would say yes and no... I think too many people are majoring in areas that don't have jobs attached (liberal arts, "sports management", history, to name a couple) or that have very limited job opportunities (art, theater, english, etc). However, most well paying jobs today require at least a college degree, so how can it not be worth it? LTC Jason Strickland, would you be an officer without that college degree? Teaching requires at least an undergraduate degree, most business jobs today require a degree and many require an MBA. Now, I'm not saying go to an expensive private school, with little thought about the cost, but in many cases you can't move forward in your career without a college degree and if you need to take on some debt to move forward in your career (or get a job in the field you want), I think it is well worth it.
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LTC Paul Labrador
That age old "what are you going to do with it?" is very much a pertinent question to ask. A degree that has no impact on employment opportunity IS a waste of money IMHO. Yeah, you get edcuated.....but you're still an educated person on unemployment or flipping burgers for minimum wage.
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LTC Jason Strickland
MAJ Michael Scharff, wise words! My primary assertion was that I wouldn't rack up a lot of debt to gain the degree. Yes, many well-paying jobs require a degree of some sort; however, I would advise against accepting a lot of debt in order to earn a degree. There are A LOT of ways to get assistance.
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MCPO Roger Collins
The more the candidates talk about forgiving the student debt, the more they will pile up. IF you are going to get a degree, of any kind, make sure it is for something that there is a need for in private or government areas. It today's environment, they do not guarantee you anything, but an edge over someone equally qualified with no degree. Once hired, performance is all that matters. Until you go for a position in top management.
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