1. STUDENTLOANS
DEBTIMPACTON
EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
FORCOLLEGE
GRADUATES
Ulrich Nonyu Moutassie
So you’ve been admitted into the
school of your dreams and you’re far too
comfortable on your high horse to real-
ize that with your letter of acceptance,
just a few weeks later, you’d be getting a
letter from the financial aid office—and
to say the least, it won’t be pretty.
Every year, students all across the
country are slowly drowning themselves
in debt that they are legally bound to
pay. In fact, statistics show that today
student debt collectively amounts to
approximately one million dollars. Once
you are in student loan debt, it is hard to
get out of it and the fact that undergrad-
uates fresh out of college have shown to
have the hardest time getting a job does
not help.
According to the US Census Bureau,
unemployment among college gradu-
ates is at 16.2%. Additionally, they show
that 48% of these graduates find jobs,
although most do not require a college
degree anyways.
Denton, TX is a prime example of
student loans thriving in their niche and
making students spiral down a tunnel
into poverty. In Denton County, , the av-
erage adult has to earn $9.29 an hour
working full time to live above the pover-
ty line, according to the Living Wage cal-
culator created by MIT. This forces many
students to work long hours, sometimes
two or three jobs, just to pay for school
and make ends meet—this leaves stu-
dents with very little time for both self-
care as well as studying. Each student
suffers differently, but they are all want
a better future. But how does student
debt affect people lives?
In March 2012, University of North Texas ap-
proved a 3.95% tuition increase that would take
place during two years. The total increase for an un-
dergraduate taking fifteen hours was $680 per year.
Combining with other schools like University of Tex-
as-Austin, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, school fees are
now up to about $21,000 a year for tuition, housing
and fees in all of these schools. With tuition costs
constantly rising, students often take a year off or
go back to live with their parents and commute dai-
ly—this is precisely what happened to 20 years old
student majoring in Art and Design, Hayden Davis.
Davis had to stop his program
and move into to his parent’s
house in the summer of 2012
because he could not afford the
$33.000 yearly tuitions, even with
academic and athletic scholar-
ships given to him by the school.
In addition to high loan debts, college graduates
have a hard time finding employment after their
studies. This makes it hard for them to pay back their
debts. What services are available in college campus-
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es to help them find employment?
UNT graduate students have a career center,
which helps them with their career decisions. “Taking
advantage of the Career Center’s resources available
to students on UNT’s campus can also help open
doors and prepare you to make the transition into
the workforce,” said Robert McKinney, Director of
Events of the University of North Texas Alumni Asso-
ciation.
McKinney also thinks that networking is very ben-
eficial to College Graduates. ”From a professional
standpoint, I am a strong advocate of the usage of
LinkedIn. Advancements in technology and mass
adoption of social media have
opened up new ways to connect,
however, developing meaningful
relationships within said network
is what makes it all come togeth-
er, said McKinney.
Having a college degree and networking are not
enough to find a good job, experience is also import-
ant.
Kenzah Riley completed her Bachelor’s degree
in Criminal Justice at UNT in the spring of 2013. She
applies daily in search for a job that matches her de-
gree. The closest job related to criminal justice she
has found, is loss prevention at the Golden Triangle
Macy’s.By the end of her studies, Riley wished she
had known a little more about the degree she had
chosen.
“The degree is completely useless, any employ-
er is going to take experience over my theoretical
knowledge,” Riley said. “I mean, a college graduate
might have a better chance, but most police officers
don’t have anything past community college. Parole
officers are hired for their mannerism, like a tough
demeanor, and a few months of prison training.”
For the Assistant Director of UNT’s Career Center,
Arthur Lumzy most jobs require prior experience. “If
you’re just going through your academic studies and
that’s all you do and you don’t start looking for a job
until after graduation, that’s not a good thing.”
“The average adult has to
earn $9.29 an hour work-
ing full time to live above
the poverty line.”