Many have heard the phrase “nothing in life is free,” yet seem to forget it when it comes to college costs. As increasing college debt cripples students, many of us are quick to support a cause that will inevitably hurt us. Free college sounds great, but the cost will likely be placed on those who should be benefitting.
The push for free college comes partially from worries about the lack of skilled workers in America. However, free tuition won’t solve that problem because much of the demand is for workers in occupations that don’t require even a bachelor's degree. It’s not that there is a shortage of students in college, but rather a misdistribution.
Auto mechanics, technicians and health care workers do not require a bachelor's degree, and sending such prospects to earn them will only add to the number of graduates struggling to find jobs. The Economic Policy Institute says that, while enrollment has increased,college graduates are making 2.5 percent less on average than they were in 2000. Clearly, sending more kids to college is not the answer.
Additionally, providing free college will only renew the problems it is trying to solve. Financially, giving students free college will cost $70 billion per year, and heavier state taxes will probably end up being the source of that money. Recent college graduates and middle-class families will still bear the costs of college, but this time, some of the bill they're footing will be going to wealthy students who can already afford college without their help.
For most students, college is our introduction to the real world, forcing us to gain an understanding of budgets and debt. If students don’t bear the cost of school, what’s to separate them from spoiled high school students who hold no accountability for their actions? What's to keep resources from being wasted on students who don't value the education and drop out anyway? At some point before 25, people need to learn that education is more than a public good. Paying for college forces students to take ownership of their education and learn the ropes of being an adult.
More than anything, college is a chance for young people to begin the lives that they want. The country does not need more overqualified, unemployed people. It needs students motivated enough to take accountability for their education, and to figure out how to pay for it.