This time of year is when many graduates may be wondering what they would like to do for the rest of their lives, and I’d like to offer some hope and sensible economic context for them.
Before I do, it is important to acknowledge the struggle many faced over the last three years. People of all ages may still be regaining some footing from that whole “pandemic” experience.
Now, there is a convenient replacement for COVID and one could simply call it state-sponsored insanity.
In Phillip Giraldi’s recent April article for the Liberty Loft titled, “The End of American ‘Exceptionalism’?,” he summarizes the complete abandonment of financially responsible leadership by the current Biden administration: “... Biden and the gang of introverts and neocon war criminals that he has surrounded himself with have done everything that can to inflict fatal damage on the economy through rash initiatives both overseas and at home. A spending spree to buy support from the bizarre constituencies that make up the Democrat Party base while also fighting an undeclared war in Europe have meant that nearly $2 trillion has been added to the national debt under Biden’s rule, a debt that was already unsustainable at nearly $30 trillion, larger than the United States’ gross national product. Plans to cancel student loan debts will add hundreds of billions of dollars more to the red ink.”
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the congressional representative for Washington’s district 3, while going against her party to vote with the Republicans against the above-mentioned student debt cancellation, is just another example of how even the right vote on one issue won’t correct the long list of poorly informed decisions that hurt citizens. Gluesenkamp Perez herself attended expensive Reed College, and was able to have her education paid for by her parents, which is now a rarity given current economic trends.
This brings into focus a topic that should matter to young adults navigating these turbulent times. The first main reality check for young people is financial responsibility. This is a reality that can make or break a person’s pathway to achievement. Even-handed guidance and real world wisdom is rarely found in academia, a government bureaucracy, or a public servant.
What I suggest for young adults who may choose higher education for both short-term and long-term benefits is to seek second opinions. Only listen to guidance counselors if those counselors have real world experience. If the education cannot provide a tangible occupational pathway and ends up creating burdensome debt, then make sure to have a plan B. Find something you like to do and develop a passion for it.
The real question for today’s high school and college graduates should be: “Is a college or university going to bring me to the point of resenting the American Dream and becoming not only a burden to myself, but a burden to others?”
Matt Garland,
Olympia
