What parents and kids need to realize is that the location isn’t nearly as important as to what the degree actually is. I am in the forth year of a mech engineering program (it will take me about 5 to get it done). Its at an ABET certified institution (UMBC go RETRIEVERS!!!) so that when I graduate, I will be fully certified in the engineering field. I already have a post college career locked up with the Army, though to be clear, I did six years in the Navy so I kind of got more access than say the standard student would have in a similar position.

I am utterly dumbfounded by my friends at the school that are taking 5 or plus years to get a BA in poli-sci, psychology, English Lit, ect with no hope of getting a post college career in their field. What is truly mind-numbing is their answer to the lack of jobs in their fields is to take on even more debt to get further along in their dead fields. There is a reason why a certified engineer with a four year degree will always get paid than a lot of masters and PhDs.