I think the current process to select a college results in many students and parents making emotional decisions to choose schools they really can’t afford. In doing so, they borrow excessive amounts of debt. I want you to be able to recognize and navigate what is wrong in this 'system'. I also want you to be open to the possibility of avoiding the system entirely – pursuing another path such as a community college, trade school, apprenticeship, or entrepreneurship.
I see a truly vicious cycle, a self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating set of conditions which both drive and support ever higher costs of attendance. The engineer in me sees a system that is not producing a desired result; I call that a broken system.
Starting at 12 o'clock in the above diagram and moving around clockwise...
Allow me to arm you with a personal process to avoid excessive college debt. Never forget (and future posts will emphasize), the top priority is always a job and career and not just a degree. And in the end your future success will rest with you and how you continue to grow, learn, and perform after college (regardless of which school you go to).