Survey: Graduate

I surveyed people who have undergone all process of higher education to find out what they think of the worth of college degree.

Graduate: Ray Pietrouchie

Age:27, graduate 2006

Salary: $49,000- Lutron-accounting

How long did it take to find a job after college?

1 year.

Could you have gotten your job without your degree?

No. My job is specific to my major. You need to be trained to be able to do it.

Would you have rather paid less money to get specialized training in your field?

Not really. While it would have been nice to save some money, I would have missed out on a lot of great things that I wouldn’t have gotten to experience.

How long do you estimate until your student loans are paid off?

10-15 years.

What would you have done if you had not gone to college?

I would have continued to work at my local bank, and hopefully would have been able to move up to management.

Have your student loans added any pressure in your life.

A little at first. After my grace period was over I received my first bill when I didn’t have a job. I had to put my first payment on my credit card and get a job at a supermarket to continue paying until I found my job now. Now that I have some security my payment isn’t hard to make, I wouldn’t mind having that extra money though.

If you could change things, would you still have gone to college?

Definitely. It was the time of my life, and while having to pay thousands of dollars to learn seems a little unfair. It was well worth it. I got lucky and found a job that pays pretty well, but if I didn’t I’m sure I would be cursing the higher education system.