Money to Learn and Learning to Earn

The latest economic forecast for Colorado is in and—big surprise—it shows that we face a recession in 2009, just like the rest of the country. Three sectors will hold their own or even grow: government, health care, and education.

Education always thrives in hard times. As people lose their jobs to layoffs and plant closures, they turn to schools to reboot their careers. Most of my students tell me that they decided to enroll in college at a time when their lives are already full for three reasons:

1. To qualify for a better job.
2. To enhance their employability in case of a layoff.
3. To change careers.

Ironically, in an economic crisis, going to school usually means diving deeper into debt. At least one older student thinks she has found an answer to this problem. Since student loans only become due when the student’s education ends, she vows to continue going to school, earning one degree after another until she dies.

We all need to keep learning throughout our lives, so maybe she has a point. I’m looking forward to seeing what innovative methods the Obama administration comes up with to finance education.

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