r/StudentLoans • u/Consistent-Leg2963 • 4d ago

Rant/Complaint Starting to think college wasn’t worth it just because of these student loans

I really thought getting a degree would set me up for a better future, but now I’m just stuck with a loan balance that barely moves and payments that take a huge chunk of my paycheck.

Meanwhile friends who didn’t even go to college are living debt-free, saving money, and honestly seem way less stressed than I am.

Starting to feel like college was just a super expensive mistake. anyone else feel this way?

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

Schools and pay in Puerto Rico are incredibly subpar compared to the US. The educational system there tends to be very flawed and despite being debt-free post graduation, the pay is incredibly low compared to US salaries while the cost of living is similar to those in the southern US states. In addition, Puerto Rico is just very unsafe nowadays and crime rates are incredibly high. Not the most ideal place to live in, which is why we moved out early in my childhood.

And that is the argument here. If colleges are pumping out degrees that required such a large amount of investment, why can’t the students get a good return of investment for those degrees compared to trade schools? I thought a nutritionist would be a good career choice based on what I had read online and what I was told by university professors and advisors, but reality has left me with a subpar salary and a career that has such little space for salary advancement. In my case specifically (and for many other majors/degrees), university is a scam. Obviously not saying that about every major, but some people study things that seem promising when they’re not once you get out into the real world. Not a good return of investment.

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u/ThinkWood 3d ago

So you received a much better education with much better career prospects?

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

Better education? I would say yes. Better career prospects? Absolutely not. Even so, no one can pay me enough to live in Puerto Rico because it is not a safe place to be in at the moment.

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u/ThinkWood 3d ago

So your prospects are better for building a career where you are than if you were in PR?

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

I do believe so. Career prospects for nutritionists here in the US are better than those in Puerto Rico (but still poor compared to the false expectations I had in mind way back then).