Author Archives: debrasanborn

Choose Education

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The only thing that’s more expensive than going to college is not going to college, so you really don’t have a choice. ~Anthony Carnevale

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce released a study saying what those of us in higher education have been saying all along–your college education is a worthy investment.  You can listen to or read about it at this interview on NPR.

Try these statistics on for size:

The unemployment rate for all four-year college graduates is 4.5 percent, but the unemployment rate for recent four-year college graduates is more than 50 percent higher at 6.8 percent. At the same time, unemployment rates for recent high school graduates are near 24 percent.  ~Carnevale, Jayasundera and Cheah

Take that, Peter Thiel.

Education Value

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A comparison of weekly pay by educational attainment illustrates that education pays.

Note: Data are for persons age 25 and over. Earnings are for full-time wage and salary workers.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey.

Thirteen Rules

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I caught a segment on my favorite morning program last week featuring General Colin Powell promoting his new book. The book includes thoughts on life and leadership including thirteen rules that have framed Powell’s leadership vision. I am not certain if I was having an introspective moment, but the words resonated with me so much that I picked up the book later that day. I am still reading, but here are the basics. Think about a challenging situation that you have recently faced…the rules may have meaning for you, as well.

  1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
  2. Get mad, then get over it.
  3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
  4. It can be done.
  5. Be careful what you choose: You may get it.
  6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
  7. You can’t make some else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
  8. Check small things.
  9. Share credit.
  10. Remain calm. Be kind.
  11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
  12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
  13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

In case you missed it…discussion on student debt

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I shared a variety of articles on student debt and financing education this month. Here they are, all in one place. You will find essential reading if you work in higher education and believe student success reaches beyond grades and graduation.

Senior citizens continue to bear burden of student loans

Student loan debt: Can these innovations save America’s workforce?

A Bank Account That Helps Pay Off Student Loans

Questions about tuition that goes toward scholarships

Chained to college debt

Rise in defaults renews “student debt bomb” warnings

Tensions escalate between Iowa private colleges and public universities in battle for state education dollars

Public university debt dips, but still up since 2009

Iowa State University will target rising student debt

Senator Harkin: Keep student debt interest low

Lawmakers Rethink Bankruptcy-Law Ban on Education Loans

Senior citizens and student loan debt

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Great article from Washington Post financial report Ylan Q. Mui on the burden of student loan debt for Americans 60 and older.

…Americans 60 and older still owe about $36 billion in student loans, providing a rare window into the dynamics of student debt. More than 10 percent of those loans are delinquent. As a result, consumer advocates say, it is not uncommon for Social Security checks to be garnished or for debt collectors to harass borrowers in their 80s over student loans that are decades old.  ~Ylan Q. Mui

Record number of U.S. adults with college degrees

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The Census Bureau announced that three in ten adults held a bachelor’s degree in 2011.  This is quite a jump considering that as recently as 1998 less than 25% of adults had a four-year degree. Regretfully, our global ranking for college degrees is still dropping. Despite continuing arguments about the value of certain degrees, it makes you think this whole college education thing may be catching on.

…the data suggest that going to school remains a shrewd investment. Median monthly pay for a professional degree reached $11,927 in 2009. That was more than twice the monthly pay for someone with a bachelor’s degree: $5,445. By contrast, a high school diploma was worth $3,179 a month, and an elementary school education yielded $2,136 a month.  ~Daniel de Vise, Washington Post

More on the value of a college education…

Future Earnings

Is College Worth It?

Laissez les bons temps rouler

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So nice of these folks down in New Orleans (N’awlins) to celebrate my birthday!

When I was little I thought, isn’t it nice that everybody celebrates on my birthday? Because it’s July 4th. ~Gloria Stuart

When someone asks if you’d like cake or pie, why not say you want cake and pie?  ~Lisa Loeb

All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much.  ~George Harrison