College may not pay

College and the cost some times do not pay for themselves. A local community college offered and career program called Licensed Mental Health Technician. I was to be more educated than an LPN with nursing skills and have ample mental health training to be able to work in a psychiatric hospital. This was to be a glorified mental health nurse and the future of mental health jobs.

I spent $15,000 and for a few years was able to pass medication but it limited me to only working in State hospitals in Kansas. Unknown to me the State of Kansas changed the rules and my license was no longer worth anything. I started out making $5.50 an hour which was not expected after spending time and money going to college.

I then decided to go for an AAS in Communication Design. Now the price tag of my education was $25,000. After graduating I could not find a job in design unless I went on to get a BA. Instead I returned to mental health and before I knew it I was 45 years of age and not richer from all the schooling I had. I am still trying to pay the college loans off.

In this economy I am back to making $10 an hour and my dreams of higher education and more money were crushed along the way. I returned to school to get a Substance Abuse Counselor license and before I finished the rules of the State had changed and I was the poorer for it and deeper in debt.

Be careful before getting a college education and really explore the degree or type of program. Make sure it will surpass time as now I am in debt and have no way to live and pay the student loans. I still have my dreams but I now realize that spending all the money to get an education has really not paid well and put me deeper into debt.

Colleges will tell you anything to get you to pay the high tuition cost but do your own research. Now they say I need to get a BA or MBA. At age 50 I am not even able to pay what I owe for loans anyway so why would I take this chance now. All the time and money spent plus a bad economy equals and the belief that more education means more money. Don't believe it! I know many people that make more money than me and have only a high school education.

They do not work with people and this field really pays very little. This is sad but true about our society as we care more about things then we do people. A lot of it is who you know and not what you can do. It's a hard time to live in right now so be careful on what area of higher education you decide to pursue and do not believe all you hear. This American Dream has changed a lot since the economy is bad.