Member-only story
I Regret Going to College
I was promised a job, but stuck with debt instead
I work full-time and still don’t make enough money to cover my bills. I make more than minimum wage and normally avoid buying things for myself. I haven’t bought new clothes for myself in over two years, and I don’t buy name brands. If I had a medical or other emergency I wouldn’t be able to afford it, and it would cost my job if I missed work. I don’t even own a car, so I wouldn’t be able to use DoorDash to earn extra income.
I also made the decision to attend college when I was younger, which means I owe more than my annual income. While I’m not alone in my struggle, it feels like my world is crashing down. I didn’t go into a field that would repay my debt, nor did I finish school.
When I went to high school, I was supposed to be discovering what I wanted to do as a career. Instead, I learned about college. I knew the difference between community colleges and universities. I knew about T.O.P.S., which was a scholarship program that I couldn’t qualify for, or at least I didn’t apply for. I’d even been taken on a field trip to a local university, the only field trip I’d been on since elementary school.
The one thing I didn’t learn was about the financial aid process. Some of the college pamphlets mentioned aid for needy students. I was still…
