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Jennifer Char went to Westwood College in Atlanta, dreaming of becoming a graphic artist. Today she is selling beauty products and wondering whether the two years she spent at the school, which will permanently close its doors next month, were worthwhile.
I felt that some of the classes were more like electives [optional courses] for high school, or unnecessary for my degree, she says, explaining that she left the course with too small a portfolio of work to show employers. It was very upsetting. Why am I paying for something that is not going to be worth it?
One legacy that Ms Char has not shaken off from her time at Westwood is debt. She says loan repayments of $400-$500 a month are consuming around half of her take-home earnings. She benefits from a forgiving landlord – her mother – but her difficulties with student debt are far from unique.
Americans had collectively built up $1.2tn of student debt by the end of 2015, more than triple the amount from a decade earlier. Many have borrowed heavily in the belief that continuing their education after high school is the best way of breaking free from the low-wage rut that has trapped millions during the economic recovery. Continue reading “US student debt: Lessons to last a lifetime”