Most lucrative college degrees

[TheresNoMoney]

I feel bad for anyone currently in college who's not from a well-off family. I got my undergraduate degree in 2001 from a state school, and only ended up with about $11,000 of student loan debt. I got to go to graduate school on a tuition scholarship, and ended up taking out an $8,400 loan for living expenses.

If I was in school now I probably would've graduated with at least double the debt, maybe more.

[TheresNoMoney]

The funny thing about the new downsized 'middle class' is that they have only been able to purchase reasonably well paid jobs by spending enormous amounts of money on their own educations. 

Exactly right, Opebo. There have been a lot of articles lately about the huge amount of student loan debt that the average American has to bear to graduate from college.

Then, even if they get a decent paying job, they are often restricted from moving up in class due to a huge amount of debt they need to pay off. Hell, I am 28 years old and still paying off student loans and credit cards from when I was in college (and I was fairly frugal as a student).

For many college graduates, they are merely "running in place" due to the huge debt burden they carry.

[TheresNoMoney]

By not being careless with their money, duh. When you actually earn your own money, you tend to spend it differently.

True, but current living expenses combined with student loan/credit card debt can make even the most frugal person quite broke.