Degrees and training programs should be free for those in public service. amirite?

As a social worker, you can get your masters paid for on a percentage scale after roughly 5 years of social work where I live. But you have to stay employed full-time during. And your pay doesn't bump up much by having a masters. I would like to do it as a personal accomplishment, but it would be a lot of stress and lack of sleep for little payoff. Alternatively, after ten years of service they will retroactively pay a lot of your student loans from your bachelors degree. I know a lot of people who have taken advantage of that program.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

But others should have debt? Where do you draw the line and say 'your job contributes nothing i consider valuable so you should be poor'? Why not just advocate for affordable education in general?

by Anonymous 1 year ago

If you dont want student loan debt then dont take student loans. There are a ton of scholarships and grants that pay the way, especially for those vocations.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

But the tuition is so expensive that you would have to get 5,000 scholarships at once to pay for the whole thing. I had a scholarship and it hardly made a dent in my tuition.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

It's not free but I believe they get special loan conditions including partial forgiveness after some years of minimum payments while worming in certain public service jobs (and I believe they recently upgraded this to be more friendly to the borrowers and more broadly available.) But yeah I'm not really opposed to the idea, it's just that if you're not requiring them to actually work in that field you might be giving a bunch of people free degrees only to end up not in public service.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

A lot of people service in the Military first and get their College paid for.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

- That's not an option for everyone. - You shouldn't have to sign up to risk your life just to get an education.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

That's true it's not but the issue was large college debt which you can avoid with the GI Bill. I did it and actually made money on the deal since I got some extra each month for cost of living.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Problem is you have to join the military. Not worth it.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

It is an option for some, I went to college on the GI Bill and was never in debt for college and I have 2 degrees, it's worth it for some.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but Who would cover the cost?

by Anonymous 1 year ago

The tax payers pay for social services as is. Right now we have lots of essential public jobs that aren't being filled. Technically you could say the money we're saving by not paying people that we don't have could bankroll this.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

No one should be saddled with student loan debt. If you give it to those degrees, you should give it to all.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Do you have a community college? Does you CC offer technical certification courses? My CC district offers 60% tuition/fee reductions for public workers and the elderly. That $2,500 VMware certification course is only $1000 to public workers.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

There is a forgiveness (hate that word) program where your loans will fall off after 10 years if you work in public service.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Cops are not public servants, and education can be free for everyone.

by Anonymous 1 year ago