With state budget issues resulting in hiked tuition fees and stiffer competition to get into colleges, California students are undoubtedly bearing their share of the economic burden the U.S. is faced with.
Despite these unfortunate circumstances, it would be beneficial for those pursuing an education in California to gain a bit of perspective on their situation and begin looking at the opportunities it has presented them with.
University of California fees went up a whopping 123 percent from 1987 to 1995, and will again be raised 32 percent this January, putting tuition at about $10,000 per year.
But compare that to other highly regarded colleges across the country, and the UC system doesn't look quite so bad. To name one school, students attending the University of Michigan pay $13,141 per year, according to the university's office for financial aid.
As residents of California, students have the option of attending some of the best public schools in the nation. Just to name a few, University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Berkeley are among the most highly regarded colleges in the country.
Thousands are willing to pay out of state tuitions to attend these universities, which end up costing them about twice as much as residents of California pay.
Although it has its barriers, economic crisis tends to highlight the importance and benefits of staying in school. Fewer dropouts occur during recessions because the job market is so competitive.
Rather than taking on job opportunities that pay off now, but won't provide opportunities for a rewarding career, students tend to make better long-term decisions out of necessity. Think back to the boom and bust cycle of the Internet led by Google back in the 90s. The economy was in great shape, so many computer savvy college students dropped out of school to pursue careers in the job market.
Although some of them landed well-paying jobs, the bust of the overinflated market eventually left thousands of dropouts jobless, crawling back to finish what they had started in college.
With all things considered, it's time for students to stop letting economic barriers turn into excuses for failure.
Let's rise to the occasion, and start looking at added competition as an opportunity for all around improvement. No matter what the price, an education has intrinsic value.
Making the choice to pursue that education in California gives you the best of both worlds: beautiful scenery, big cities and cultural diversity.
What else would you rather spend your time and money on?
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