Student loans suck. What more needs to be said? | Metafilter

What I *really* wish is that we hadn't gotten to the point where having a bachelor's degree is seen as essential to having any shot at dignified, interesting work and a comfortable life. I value education, but conflating college with "line up and pay your dues for a ticket on the gravy train" is just screwy, and causes no end of hassle for students who are bright and ambitious but not at all academically inclined.