Last Monday, I discussed a logical process by which college students should select college cars. With all pussyfooting aside, today is the day we kill the sacred cow. In this case, the cow comes with no interest until graduation, and when you milk it you receive ample booze for the weekend. Yes, sir, this cow’s name is Student Debt.

For fear of understating the situation, I am going to come out and say that student debt is to our generation as racism was to our parents’ or grandparents’. With both debt and racism, the majority of the previous generation pushed their offspring into it as the natural way to do things with little regard to the destructive force that was being unleashed. Much like it had been the responsibility of the last few generations to chip away at the foundation of racial prejudices, it is now our generation’s responsibility to curb the insidious force of “college for all no matter what the cost.” In particular, that cost amounts to an average of $30,000 worth of debt for each ISU student upon graduation, according to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

The first problem with our current view of college is that it is a foregone conclusion. Especially in educated families, pursuing anything other than a four-year education is often seen as settling for second best. This is a blatant falsehood that only leads to unrealistic expectations and awkward conversations at family get-togethers. Options such as technical programs, trade schools and apprenticeships often lead to a much more prosperous future than their four-year counterparts, especially when we consider the rate of failure of students pursuing bachelor’s degrees.

For most of us reading this, however, the four-year degree represents the best option to continue our formal education. In this case, student debt is still an insidious force that must be viewed from an entirely different perspective than most of us were brought up with.

Specifically, there is little wisdom in taking on debt at all in college. The conventional wisdom goes, “College is expensive, but short term. Therefore, I really have to take out loans, but I can pay them back when I land the great job that I couldn’t get without a degree.” There are two major adjustments that need to be made to this philosophy.

First, college is affordable enough if put it in perspective. With the wealth of scholarships available for everything from your GPA to your parents’ nationality, there is little excuse for not pursuing several. If you need help finding opportunities that apply to you, the Iowa State University OSFA will be more than happy to help. At last count, there are more than one thousand opportunities available through this office alone.

Additionally, student jobs abound in Ames. With an active Student Job Board and a seasonal population that leaves a number of businesses hiring every fall, there is again no excuse for not finding a part-time job. With all of the opportunities available to pay for school, and the ability to work during the summer and take the occasional semester off to make money, student loans are simply unnecessary.

The depressing part of the current philosophy of graduating with significant debt is what happens when things do not go according to plan. According to a poll by Twentysomething, Inc, nearly 85 percent of graduating college seniors from last year’s class have had to move back home. If graduating seniors do not have the money to rent an apartment on their own, is it logical to believe that they have landed the well-paying jobs necessary to aggressively pay off their student loans? I’m skeptical.

Succinctly, the belief that college (and student debt) is right for everyone puts unnecessary pressure on people to pursue something that is sub-optimal, and then prevents students from feeling burdened to take care of themselves financially as they go. Finally, it leaves them saddled with debt, often without the ability to repay.   

It is time to take ol’ Student Debt behind the barn and put it out of its misery.