I know and you know it as well. I’m not sincerely satisfied with the condition of education in our country.
I found a lot of students whose parents are struggling financially, still even after making both of their ends meet, they’re anyhow getting their children educated.
Some parents have taken loans to get their wards educated. I must ask them, seriously?
The fact is that, our minds have been indoctrined to believe that if we graduate from any college, life would be more of a utopia; with everything sorted out.
Is Taking An Education Loan Worth It?
My answer is simply ‘no’. Education loan is never worth it.
What are you paying for?
Have you ever observed, what goes inside a college?
I must tell you the reality. This is the case of DU. The same is the case of my second college in Dehradun. One of my cousins went abroad for internship (academic). From all the three places, it can be understood that classes for humanities and commerce related Undergraduate level courses are hardly more than 4 hours, anywhere. It would be a rare case that they exceed 6 hours. Only a handful of colleges run their classes for 8 hours in such streams. There are various streams of sciences and post-graduation courses where classes of eight hours or more are observed.
Taking an example of a class session of four hours, let’s suppose, those four hours are divided into four different courses’ classes to be taken by four different professors.
They take attendance, they might also be late or leave early by a minute or two. There might be some days around the year, where classes do not run. There are national and gazetted holidays as well.
If you sum those classroom hours all at once. The total number of hours wouldn’t be worth the fees; and moreover, the loan.
Placements
I must also open your eyes related to the scene of placements. There’re only a few colleges which claim they’ve cent per cent placements. There’re various colleges who’ve undisclosed deals with companies to place their students. You can’t predict them yourself, being an outsider.
If you take loan, and you aren’t placed well, you’ll be definitely stressed and you should be.
Taking an education loan is like a blind and uncalculated risk. You don’t know what can happen.
However, if you don’t take an education loan, after completing your education, even if you don’t get the placement; you’re not bound or stressed. You can start your own work. There are plenty of self employment career options out there. You can even start your own business. If you don’t want to be an entrepreneur, you can have some more time to explore a better job.
How To Seek Higher Education Without An Education Loan?
1. Appear for Scholarships
If you got good marks when you were in school; there would be many colleges who would offer you scholarships in terms of reduction in your tuition fees. This might ease your financial burden for education.
2. Run your family’s financial analysis
This includes everything related to your finances. If you’re earning and are going to afford your education yourself, do the analysis on your own income and wealth. If your parents are affording, do it on them.
Determine, how much fees are you or they able to bear comfortably with your money? Be honest to yourself. No matter, what your earnings are, there’s a college for category.
3. Look for the requisite courses
If you want to pursue any commerce or humanities course, then check the same in your budget. If your budget is really tight, that you’re not finding any way out; then what I suggest you is to go and check out some distance courses. I’ve seen IGNOU, SOL or UOU provide such degrees at less than INR 10000. Isn’t this amazing?
There are less such opportunities for science streams. But, in such case, rather than going too far from your home, maybe you can find any college nearer.
4. If you can’t afford, stay within your means
You literally need wings to soar high. There are literally more ways to do that.
Suppose, you can’t afford going away, or studying in an expensive college. That’s perfectly fine. You get yourself admitted in one that is the best in your budget.
To enhance your resume, you can get some internships in some good institutions.